Latvian national airline airBaltic is marking the first year of its Business Class Upgrade Bidding Service, which was developed by Plusgrade, a company which specialises in ancillary revenue solutions.
According to airBaltic, since the service was launched in December 2024, more than 17 thousand passengers have successfully bid for an upgrade to business class.
Līga Gundega, Vice President of Revenue Management at airBaltic, said the following about the first year of the Business Class Upgrade Bidding Service:
Passenger feedback has been very encouraging, particularly regarding the ease of use and convenience of the service. With upgrade bidding, travellers can tailor their journey and enjoy the comfort and benefits of our Business Class product, with upgrades offered when seats are available.
According to airBaltic, the highest volume of upgrade bids has been recorded on routes such as Riga-London, Riga-Berlin, Riga-Vienna, Vilnius-Amsterdam, Tallinn-Malaga, Tallinn-London, Vilnius-Paris, Vilnius-Munich and many more, with successful bids starting at EUR 60.
How does the bidding process work?
The process of Business Class upgrade works as follows: seven days before the flight, passengers will receive an invitation email if an upgrade is available on their route, depending on seat availability. Passengers can then place and submit a bid. No longer than 12 hours before the flight, airBaltic will inform the passengers if their bid has been accepted.
60 EUR is the starting bid on selected routes, and the bids go higher as the routes become longer or high-demand.
What are the perks of airBaltic’s Business Class?
All airBaltic scheduled flights offer business class. Passengers in business class on airBaltic are allowed to carry two cabin bags and two checked bags, and one of the checked bags can be sports equipment.
Passengers also have access to the business lounge, fast-track access at security checkpoints, priority check-in and boarding, as well as an empty next to them so that they can have more privacy, onboard meal and beverage service and priority disembarkation.
A separate cabin crew serves the business class cabin.
airBaltic has been in service for over 30 years and, in that time, has connected Baltic states to 80 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus region.
airBaltic was established on 28th August 1995 with the signing of a joint venture between the Latvian state and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). On October 1st, 1995, airBaltic operated its first commercial flight from Riga to Stockholm, using the Saab SF340 aircraft with 33 seats.
On December 1st, 2025, airBaltic welcomed its 51st Airbus A220-300 jet. airBaltic is the first European carrier to offer high-speed SpaceX Starlink internet, which is slowly being introduced in its entire fleet.
On December 2nd, 2025, airBaltic also announced a new CEO, Erno Hildén.
Have you ever travelled with airBaltic and upgraded to business class with the bidding service? How was the experience? Let us know in the comments.
