A young Australian photographer has shared a simple hack she used to get a whole row of seats to herself on a Qantas flight from Auckland to Sydney.

In a video posted on TikTok, Chelsea Badger, 28, revealed that she managed to switch seats to an empty row just minutes before boarding without paying a cent.

“I can’t believe this works,” Badger exclaimed in her TikTok video.

“Once you get to your gate, you want to wait until it’s about 10 minutes before boarding. Then open up your Qantas app and click the seat selector tool. If there’s a whole row free, or even just a better seat, make a mental note of that seat number.”

According to Badger, passengers are unable to select the new seat on the app as it is too close to the boarding time.

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However, they can go up to the desk and politely ask to have it changed. Badger added that the efficacy of the method is dependent on the number of passengers on the flight, but it has worked for her on several occasions.

“This is the easiest upgrade hack ever, but it only works on flights that aren’t fully booked,” she said. “I’ve done this successfully a few times while flying with Qantas – not saying it works for every airline. And to state the obvious: this only works with Qantas flights that aren’t fully booked.”

Many travellers have expressed interest in trying out the trick, with Badger’s video garnering over 240,000 views.

@chelsbadger p.s this only works if your flight isn’t fully booked 💺 #flighthacks #howtogetanupgrade #flightupgrade #economyupgrade #qantasupgrade #qantashacks #qantashack #wholerowtomyself #wholerow #traveltiktok #travelhacks #easytravelhacks #upgrades #nz #travelwithchelsbadger #seatupgrade #auckland #sydney #singapore #qantasairways #qantasairlines #easytravelhack #flyingwithqantas #qantasupgrades #upgradingyourflight #flyingwithchelsbadger #howto #travellife #qantas #qantasapp #qf142 ♬ FEEL THE GROOVE – Queens Road, Fabian Graetz

One viewer commented, “That’s a great one. I have travelled for eight years and not thought of this.”

The video sparked a debate about whether or not the trick works with other airlines. Some viewers claimed to have successfully used this method on other airlines, while others have suggested that it may not work due to differences in airline policies “I’ve done this successfully a few times while flying with Qantas – not saying it works for every airline,” Badger told her followers.

Regardless, Badger’s video has given many travellers a new strategy to try and secure some extra space on their next flight.

This story originally appeared on news.com.au. It has been reproduced here with permission. 

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