to upgrade to first class

1 4.3

To move into a better, more expensive class on a plane or train

phrasal verb
/ˈʌpˌɡreɪd tə fɜrst klæs/

: mejorar a primera clase

I upgraded to first class on the website!
get upgraded to first class
seat upgraded to first class

Examples

Next time, upgrade to first class.

Blog text (17)
She wanted to upgrade to first class with frequent flyer miles, and she stood with her body pressed into the chest-high partition.

Fiction book (1998)
I decided to upgrade to first class for a more comfortable flight experience.
After checking in, the airline representative said they could upgrade to first class if I wanted.
She received a complimentary upgrade to first class due to her loyalty to the airline.

Synonyms

to upgrade

vsto upgrade to first class

17 3.4

To move to a better class of service, for example on a plane

moves specifically into the most expensive class on aircraft or trains

Antonyms

to downgrade

43 4.9

To make something lower in rank, value or importance

How Premium

to upgrade to first class

1 4.3

to upgrade

17 3.4

Surface Forms

upgrade to first class infinitive

upgraded to first class past

upgraded to first class past participle

upgrading to first class present participle

upgrades to first class third person singular

Morphology

upgrade + to + first + class

The meaning is directly compositional: 'upgrade' (move to a higher service) + 'to' + 'first class' (the highest travel category) clearly yields 'move into a higher/more expensive class of service'. This is a common travel collocation and follows regular English construction, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand it.

Etymology

Upgrade to first class comes from travel where trains and planes had different 'classes' of seats, and to upgrade meant moving up to first class, the most comfortable section. So it now means 'to be moved to a higher, more expensive seat or cabin'.