Remember coming back from Sharjah on an indulgence (actually my mother had just died but they couldn't give me a priority compassionate for that). Anyway Kuwait Airways (courtesy of the COs Fund) to Muharraq then a Britannia C1 from there. The Brit was carrying aero engines and there were only a few seats in the back end and all were full with duty pax and the like. When we got to Akrotiri some Air Marshal was due to get on the flight and technically I should have been bumped. I watched as the movs staff quietly explained to him that rules or no rules he wasn't about to get on that particular flight.
The 'system' used to work magnificently sometimes.