'I'm a travel attendant - simple hack could bag you a meal from business class'

Say goodbye to bland food with this genius travel tip from a former flight attendant.

In-flight cuisine isn't exactly known for its rich flavour or grand appearance. Instead, it's gained a bad rep as salty and tasteless, and sometimes even inedible - like this who was served a 'monstrous' topped with 'slimy' mushrooms'. However, if you want to exchange your microwaved lasagne with stale bread and dried-up salad for something a little more luxurious (without spending a fortune on upgrading your ticket) there is a way to get your hands on a business-class meal for free.

Kamila Jakubjakova used to work at luxury airline Emirates as a crew member, and picked up a few tips and tricks during her in-air career. Speaking to , the expert admitted that complaining about the infamous in-flight meals could have a benefit. "Sometimes, if someone maybe didn't get their preferred meal choice and then complained and made a big fuss about it, we would bring them a meal from business class instead to soften the blow," she said. "We would always try our best to get passengers their preferred meal choice, but sometimes it's just not possible." Kamila added that she doesn't want to encourage passengers to complain just for the sake of bagging an upgraded meal, and says some supervisors won't give out treats even if you do complain. The travel ace did however reveal another hack to get some special treatment.

"If I saw honeymooners, I would bring them some extra treats from business class," she explained. "Like, for example, a dessert or a glass of champagne, and try to make their flight more special, even if they're flying economy." So, if you're travelling for a special birthday or anniversary, try and make it known to staff. Obviously, they are under no obligation to treat you with freebies, but it's worth the shot. And if you're turned down after asking for a cheeky glass of bubbles, at least you have your anniversary plane-food dinner to look forward to!

If none of those tricks work, you can always try flattering cabin crew with goodies like chocolate or sweets. "Then we will probably try to make your flight a little better or pay you back in some way," Kamila said. "We are nice to everybody, but, of course, if you go the extra mile, we'll probably also go the extra mile in return."

Have you ever bagged a free upgrade? Let us know how you managed it in the comments section below