Free upgrades... for the brazen

[Momo]

I was on KLM from Zurich to AMS, then AMS to GVA last week. On the Zurich to Amsterdam leg, while the cabin crew was not looking, two separate passengers moved themselves from economy to business while we were still on the ground in Zurich, but after the headcount had been done. Both were then given the upgraded service. I have not seen that trick before. I think this could only happen on the CityHopper type runs. On the 737s, the crew seem to have a list of names of C passengers and use your name when serving you. Anyway, what do you think of this upgrade method?

[luoto]

Can they be so desparate for a free piece of bread ? Thought there was no extra legroom on the KLM feeders?

Or maybe they were friends of the crew :) Seems KLM staffers have a reputation for looking after their friends and family more than other carriers, much to the chagrin of many forced to endure KLMs hospitality.

[The SSK]

Just don't try it inflight, there might be a sky marshal onboard.

[manintheback]

Happened once on a BA flight back from Toronto. Staff did a headcount and realised one too many in Club. Then went for the likeliest person in scruffy dress (i.e me) and asked for the boarding card, which I had by that point mislaid. Once resolved, they discovered its was the besuited gentleman in the seat behind and politely threw him out.

[PAXboy]

Many folk try this and many folk get thrown out. Mostly, the CC will notice that an empty row is now occupied or other signals. IMHO, it's not an issue.

[Beagle-eye]

Did it myself couple of weeks back on Lufthansa flight from FAM to EDI. I was in the middle seat of the first economy row. It was a very full flight but when the doors were closed the row in front, business class, was completely empty.

As there was three of us in my row I asked the guy to my right if he wanted to move forward and give us all a bit more room. Being German he was mortified at the thought so I skipped in myself figuring that the worst that could happen would be that they relegate me back to my own seat.

CC never turned a hair but, for my own conscience, I didn’t take the meal etc. that was offered as all I wanted was a bit more elbow room and space to set up the laptop.

[10secondsurvey]

Seen it happen recently on a BA flight. One pax was allowed to stay in club, although he didn't get the meal. As I was paying out my own pocket, it pissed me off. Part of my reason for using club is more leg room. It seems you can get it free on BA, rather than paying.

[Avman]

MOMO, to my knowledge KLM CityHopper do not provide a C class service. Your post is a little confusing so I'm not sure if you were on one of the B737 flights or one of the F70/F100 flights.

[Momo]

Yes they provide C class prices on some flights operated by City Hopper aircraft. There is no divider. The C-class seats have red headrest covers and the Y-class seats have blue covers. There is no difference in the seats, and not much for the meals either.

Copy and paste from my reservation below


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AIR - Wednesday, October 25
KLM Royal Dutch Flight 1964 Business
Operated by KLM CITYHOPPER

From:
Zurich Airport
2015 hrs, Wednesday, October 25
Unspecified Terminal
Equipment:
Fokker 100

Duration:
1 hour and 40 minutes

Meals:
MEAL

Status:
Confirmed

To:
Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport
2155 hrs, Wednesday, October 25
Unspecified Terminal

Seats:
7A
NAME Confirmed

YOUR FLIGHT NUMBER IS KL1964

[Avman]

I don't fly the ZRH route, so I can't compare directly. However, on the CityHopper routes that I do fly, their is no real Business Class as such. What you get for your Europe Select fare is ticket flexibility, double points, and, yes, they will seat Europe Select passengers in the front section of the cabin. There is, however, no upgraded in-flight service.

[flybywire]

Seen it happen recently on a BA flight. One pax was allowed to stay in club, although he didn't get the meal. As I was paying out my own pocket, it pissed me off. Part of my reason for using club is more leg room. It seems you can get it free on BA, rather than paying.

That is so unfair to say! And that is NOT the norm!

You should have said something, the CC usually can count (I have 10 meals and 8 passengers....) and have a good look at the P.I.L. but some passengers are really stubborn and try the old trick regardless.:= Guess what, doesn't work with me! We have some "voluntary upgrade forms" which include taking details of the credit card to take payment for the upgrade. One way for a short flight is £100. It can be up to £500 on some long flights for WTP. When I notice people trying to jump class I present them with the form. They usually decline and go back to their seats.

If the CC saw it and didn't do anything it might have been that they had enough meals and couldn't be bothered to create a possibly embarassing situation. This, in my honest opinion, is wrong and doesn't show good authority and assertiveness, and after all the person who should be embarassed by all of this should be the passenger themselves. I have seen many saying "Oh sorry I read my boarding card wrong!" to try and save the situation and go back to their seat with their tail in between their legs. :rolleyes:

Speak up next time, make the cabin crew aware next time. It is your right to have the space and the quality of service you paid for!


(As for staff sitting in club, it's very complicated, we have different staff tickets, and with some we are indeed entitled to Club or even First.)

[goshdarnit]

Happened on my flight VS012 BOS-LHR yesterday (actually dep BOS 1/11 1940hrs arr LHR 2/11 0710). Chap went from Economy into Premium prior to the doors being closed - not exactly sneaking as he was about 6'3" and wearing a bright blue do-rag, and straight to the front of prem centre row.
I was initially a bit miffed as the only discernable on board difference between VS economy and premium is leg room (so he couldn't turn down any real additional benefits like an upgraded meal) but then decided I was being a bit poh-faced as it didn't affect me in any way and just left it. (For all I know he asked the CC before doing it.)
Maybe I am jealous 'cos I am not sure I would have the brass-neck to do it myself! :rolleyes:

[zed3]

Saw it done once when on a Lufthansa Frankfurt - Washington Dullas A340 flight in Business class with my two boys . Very light Business load , stewardess just checked our boarding cards as the tally didn't match and hoiked out some guy sitting next to someone else chatting away , obviously hoping to get away with it . He was asked to go back to Economy . Very nicely done , I must say . I know my lads would never do that now !!! Don't people understand headcounts ?

[Avman]

Hey Zed, your kids are spoilt. They should ride in the back and see how the real world lives ;)

[apaddyinuk]

Please remember that at the end of the day you have commited theft by chancing your arm by sitting in a vacant seat like that. Im sure you are all law abiding citizens, a faceless crime is still a crime!!!!

[10secondsurvey]

That is so unfair to say! And that is NOT the norm!
....


I'm not sure why it's unfair to say, as it really happened, but to be fair to BA, it's only the second time I've seen it, in many years of travelling.

The guy involved knew EXACTLY what he was doing, and was on arrival almost first off the plane.

Although it pissed me off, I probably would feel a bit churlish to raise it with CC. Part of me thought why worry?, the other part thought 'cheeky B******'.

[flybywire]

It seems you can get it free on BA, rather than paying.

10seconds, this was the unfair part. By reading something like that it looks like it is the norm in BA. For the rest, I absolutely agree with you.
I would challenge that, especially if I am sitting in Club. If I am sitting at the back......well, that's another story, although after the doors close anybody would be equally entitled to that upgrade. Rest assured that when I am the boss ;) nobody can sneak under my nose (I sound like an old dragon:E, but I promise I am not, it just annoys me too much when I see that happen).

FBW

[SXB]

I've seen a lot of people try but I've never been aware of anyone actually getting away with it.

A guy tried it on a flight I was on from MUN-SXB last week, there were only two of us in business class and as soon as the door was closed a guy move with lightening speed into the row behind me, the CC immediately noticed and told him to go back into economy class. It was all a bit pointless because it was a 40 minute flight on a CRJ200 and there were only about 15 people in economy. All the seats are the same, no-one was sat next to anyone else in either class and there was hardly a lot of difference in the food.

[Leezyjet]

I've heard of a guy doing this before, and being told to move back by the crew and refusing.

The c/crew carried on with the service, as normal and served the offending passenger, who took all that was offered thinking he was getting a free upgrade.

On arrival the Police were there to meet the a/c.

The option for the passenger - pay the difference in the fare or spend a night in the cells and end up with a criminal record. Guess which option the passenger took !!.

:D

[flybywire]

Hahahaha Leezyjet, that is a true first class crew ;) :ok:

[zed3]

Now now , Avman , I call it education , life experience , call it what you will . They now know if they work hard they too can have the nice things in life . Uurm ..... and your boys/girls/offspring ? :)

[Salusa]

Today on British Airways BA2226 ATL-LGW.

I was in Premium Economy, and after takeoff a few pax moved from Economy into Business. I think they must have been friends with the crew as nothing was said.

Bit annyong if you have shelled out on a business ticked only to see other people getting free upgrades due to being 'pally' with crew.

[flybywire]

Salusa, that shouldn't happen once the dorrs have been closed.
However that person might have been a staff passenger, you never know. It's one of the perks of the job, similar story if you work in Boots you get 40% off your purchases. If you know the owner of a restaurant you might get a free meal.
I can understand it can be annoying, but it's just how the world goes!! It's not somethign that happens only in the airline business!!
If an upgrade is agreed by the senior crew member is one thing, if somebody jumps classes trying to cheat the crew (and the airline), it's a totally different story!!

[20driver]

I did it once but by pure chance. I was boarding an AA flight to POS and my client was in first. I stopped to chat with him and sat down to keep out of the aisle.
CC came by and offered us both a drink, which I took. Amazingly I seemed to have plonked in the only empty seat in first class. By the time boarding was finished I just stayed put and enjoyed the meal and the booze.
First time I ever flew in fist as well.
Sometimes you just get lucky.
20driver

[silverelise]

First time I ever flew in fist
Crikey, how the other half live eh!:p

[Salusa]

Salusa, that shouldn't happen once the dorrs have been closed.
However that person might have been a staff passenger, you never know. It's one of the perks of the job,

I think you are right, they seemed very friendly with the crew as if they knew them.

[lexxity]

Doesn't only happen on a/c. On the train today from Southampton upto Manchester we paid the upgrade into 1st, but at Birmingham at leat SIX passengers wandered into the carriage muttering about how they were going to sit up here anyway and it's not like they would be thown out.

Well done to the Virgin train crew for not checking any tickets past Southampton Parkway and blatantly ignoring those who hadn't bothered to pay, on their subsequent walk throughs. :ouch: :D

[Momo]

Just flew them again, this time GVA/AMS/GVA with an F70 on the way there and a 737 on the way back. The service and food are indeed different between Select and Economy, though not much. You get food in a blue box that is quite pretty. I estimate that it costs almost as much as what is inside. Free papers. I could not say whether there is increased seat pitch towards the front, as you have on airlines with convertible seats.

The KLM description is here>

KLM Europe Select

Check in at our dedicated desks and head straight to the lounge – KLM Europe Select is our premium product for flights within Europe. You’ll enjoy fully flexible booking, advance seat reservation, extra baggage allowance, priority boarding and disembarking, and meal service on board. Plus, you’ll earn double Flying Blue Miles with every flight!

[MyData]

FWIW

Flew Lufthansa Beijing->Frankfurt in First earlier this year. About 1 hour into the flight I noticed a chap in the cabin who hadn't been there previously. Turns out he was a close friend of one of the CC. Kept himself quiet though and spent most of the time in the galley area chatting with the CC.

More unusual was a chap sitting across from us. Had the meal and then perhaps 4 hours into the flight his wife and young child appear upstairs too. They sit, chat and again keep themselves to themselves. Enjoying the service.

Chap then goes downstairs (to biz?) with child and his wife remains upstairs and proceeds to get the later in-flight meal service. Afterwards she goes downstairs leaving the seat vacant. Finally he reappears in time for landing. I guess it's one way of both of them getting the first class treatment but only paying for 1 first + 1 biz fare!

The outbound flight was much quieter. Just me + wifey with the whole of the cabin to ourselves with 3 CC. :ok:

[ACL1011]

I flew to Hawaii once with my parents. My folks flew in first while I flew in 'hospitality' (my folks had to pay for my ticket, plus dad is 6'7). My father came back to visit me in steerage several times to stretch his legs. Since he is quite gregarious, he took it upon himself to distribute first class amenities to other passengers and later tried to initiate a sing-song. I'll bet there are several passengers out there who are still scarred by the experience.

[spiney]

Slightly different tack - a couple of years back Mrs spiney was travelling LHR - HKG on BA World Traveller +... Plane was full-full. The guy sitting next to her (it wasn't me I hasten to add) was absolutely honking... don't think he'd washed for a week.. well ripe he was... Before departure my wife asked to be moved - anywhere. The CSD (Lady) questioned her motives saying WT+ and Economy were both full - until she smelled the guy... Mrs s was upgraded to Club.... Nice.

[Gouabafla]

Well done to the Virgin train crew for not checking any tickets past Southampton Parkway and blatantly ignoring those who hadn't bothered to pay, on their subsequent walk throughs.

Thanks for the hint, Lexxity. My wife often gets on the Manchester train at Southampton Parkway - now we know she doesn't need to pay for an upgrade:)

But, she would - We wuz brought up properly!

[Otters2000]

Since he is quite gregarious, he took it upon himself to distribute first class amenities to other passengers and later tried to initiate a sing-song. I'll bet there are several passengers out there who are still scarred by the experience.

Was it in a way of "oh dear god, I had no idea they let people live like this! I'll start a campfire and we'll try to keep our spirits up!"???

(I'm sure, of course, your father did not then procede to light a fire in the cabin; please don't assume I'm accusing him of being a vandal :p)

[VAFFPAX]

I frown on such things. I have been upgraded courtesy of the airline before, upgraded myself on miles, upgraded by paying a little extra at the airport and been upgraded after being rebooked onto different flights, but I have never been so brazen to sneak into a class I shouldn't be in.

I'd be mortified, and I'd be one of those raising it with the c/c. There are instances where I can understand it (sportsmen being injured and flying economy - and being moved to business for their comfort - no-one wants one of those to die of DVT related causes).

S.

[John Hill]

Many years ago while travelling on a token price ticket I noticed the crew counting and recounting heads while referring to their list at an intermediate stop. I was fully prepared to be bumped off when I heard the conversation they were having. "Oh no, not him, he's nice, lets bump that pig of a drunken travel agent".

[mutt]

Flew out of CDG 2 couple of weeks ago on a B777, guy boards and selects seat in Business Class, put his bag above and placed his jacket neatly folded on the seat, he then wandered back into the economy cabin. I guessed that he was heading to the mosque......

Last 2 passengers to board came to that seat, started asking who owned the jacket, at this stage business was full, no one close to the seat claimed the jacket, then the original guy wanders back from Economy and took it......

I guess that his plan was to wait until the door closed and then quietly wander back to his "business seat"...... neat plan, but i guess that he didnt know that the crew have a list of passenger names/seats....


Mutt

[macnan]

Was travelling on a BA flight from LHR - NBO in WT+ a few yrs ago, boarded the plane and found a woman sitting in my seat. The cabin was 3/4's empty, so decided not to make a fuss and moved 2 or 3 seats back. Doors closed, plane was pushed back and then 1 of the CC came over and asked to see my Boarding Card, I showed it to him and explained why I wasn't in my assigned seat.
Turns out the woman was traveling in WT and had just taken the first seat that she passed, regardless of cabin! The CC left her for take-off and then firmly escorted her to her correct seat.

[flash8]

Flying on a SE Asian carrier I used to regularly "grease" the head honcho down back $50-100 for an upgrade on a 7 hour overnight flight (success rate 90%++).

In fact it never used to get that far, as the check-in staff could usually be greased for around the same amount (success rate 75%).

In fact I knew the staff at one airport so well due to this fact that when I returned later as a line Pilot to the said airport the look on their face was priceless.

[Globaliser]

So which seat did they upgrade you to after that? ;)

[Wangja]

.... We have some "voluntary upgrade forms" which include taking details of the credit card to take payment for the upgrade. One way for a short flight is £100. It can be up to £500 on some long flights for WTP. When I notice people trying to jump class I present them with the form. They usually decline and go back to their seats.

In flight upgrades?

Excellent, I must try that: do all airlines do it?

Just ask the purser?

[VAFFPAX]

BA certainly does. I don't think VS does that.

[Seat62K]

A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to be upgraded at the gate from Club World to First. Unlike other previous upgrades, my boarding pass was not re-printed to show the new assigned seat (the person at the gate simply used a pen to write my new seat number on my boarding pass stub). I did wonder if the crew onboard would think that I'd altered the pass myself....I assume such an obvious scam has been tried and that the crew know how many passengers they should have in the premium cabins, their names and where they should be sitting.

[lexxity]

Just before the doors close the crew are given an updated PIL and flight survey to account for any changes to cabin numbers.

[Final 3 Greens]

Had a bizarre one today.

A320, with only two rows of business.

2 young girls sit behind me in the second row and its obvious they are not used to being in front of the curtain, they also double check their passess as they obviously don't expect to be there.

Anyway, senior CC member calls them out of their seats to the galley and informs them that they are sitting in business, due to lack of seats in Y, but will only receive Y service.

I thought that that was distinctly odd -an invountary upgrade I can understand, but Y service in C seems a bit mean to say the least.

[Seat62K]

The "service" might only refer to the meal (or lack of it), i.e. not enough business class meals were loaded.

[Final 3 Greens]

The "service" might only refer to the meal (or lack of it), i.e. not enough business class meals were loaded.

You might reasonably think that, but it was not the case.

No free drinks, no hot towel etc.

Quite cringe worthy - they got b*gger all service and yet were crammed into a claustrophobic 2 row mini cabin - talk about rubbing their noses in it.

[jeanyqua]

Not so brazen,but be cheeky enough to ask....and ye may recieve.
Flew return from Bkk to Ams on china airlines J Class,in december 2004.
Asked at checki-in if we could upgrade to F class
Sweet thai girl on the desk,said sorry madam,but you should have contacted the airline beforehand.
"Oh well" i replied..."no worries,thank you anyway" & smiled...she immediately stood up,leant forward,and in a quiet voice said..."okay,i do for you for free".
Hubby's jaw dropped,and the handler assisting with the bags on the belt,whipped the tags off...and changed them to First.
Made our end of the holiday...:):):)

[Leezyjet]

BA certainly does. I don't think VS does that

VS does too. Just ask the No1 onboard.

:)

[Momo]

I noticed a new variation on this on EZY, now there are seat assignments. The seats towards the front cost more. SInce there is nothing to distinguish them from other seats and they are more likely to be unoccupied, people move to them once the doors close.

[Hartington]

I saw this once back in late 2001 on my way home from Buenos Aires to Heathrow. Young lady appeared in Club not long after take-off, was spotted and escorted back to economy (no WT+ then). She reappeared some time later, was spotted again, only this time she was more reluctant to move claiming to be unwell but she went back eventually.

I once made a fool of myself on Air France. The cabin was all the same but split into 3 sections by moveable dividers. I hadn't realised that, at the time, they had three different service levels (even on Paris/London) and moved myself from a row of 3 (all seats full) immediately behind the rearmost divider to the row in front which was completely empty. I got moved back.

Staff travel, as others have noted, can have some interesting effects. I can remember having a duty ticket back from New York to London in Club with my family in economy on staff ID80s. I went back to see how they were doing and, on my way back got challenged. I showed my boarding pass and was asked why I was in Club when they had a flight crew from a cancelled flight back in economy. I was a bit taken aback because, as I said to the crew member who challenged me, all I did was check in and accept the seat I was given. It may have been the same trip when on a London/Chicago flight which had been delayed and turned the connection we had into something rather short I asked if we could all sit in Club for the landing so we got off first - that worked but only from top of descent (which was all I had hoped for) and we made the connection.

Then there was my mum. I'd brainwashed her with the message that staff tickets were always liable to be denied boarding so when a crew member that she knew came to her economy seat and asked her to get her bits and follow her she was fully expecting to be offloaded. In fact she was then seated in Club; but only from Amsterdam to London!

[Hotel Tango]

I could write a book about my staff travel adventures. Things have changed these days and to be honest I now no longer use the privilege as, at my age, I can't be bothered with all the hassle. One particular upgrade I recall fondly was when I was on a free Y class ticket with BA from LAX to LHR many moons ago. Total chaos at LAX check-in. After presenting myself and being told my chances were absolutely dire for this and the next flight that day and following days, I sat down patiently and contemplated plan B, C, D and E. The check-in staff were constantly being hassled by dozens of stand-by pax. Just when the flight was about to close and my name hadn't been called the supervisor came to me and told me I'd got the last seat, and with a smile, in First Class. To this day I believe that my show of patience and letting the check-in staff get on with their jobs without hassling them (for info) won me that seat.

[Businesstraveller]

Myself and a friend were on a morning Aeroflot flight from Tashkent to Moscow, which I recall being an A321. Anyway, we were about the first to board (as I'd rightly assessed that it would be utterly chaotic) and took our allocated seats behind the second bulkhead in economy.
After a bit an Uzbek passenger said we were in his seats, so i got my ticket out and politely told him we were in our seats. So off he went to speak to an attendant who ultimately plonked him at elsewhere in the cabin. Then a few minutes later a Russian passenger came along and the same process ensued.
When the flight had finished loading and all passengers were seated, an attendant came up, asked for our tickets and went off to the front. Few minutes later she returned with new tickets, apologised for the over-full flight and said that we were being upgraded to business. Not entirely sure why we were singled out, particularly as everyone seemed to be sorted out seat-wise. Anyway, we were quite happy to take the wider seats, extra legroom and proper meals.

[Ancient Observer]

I used to be a properly "earnt" gold card holder on both BA and SQ as I travelled to Asia a lot. On the Asia routes, it soon became clear that HKG gave all available upgrades to staff, so fare paying pax would not get one. With Qantas, it was all about staff getting upgrades, too. As ever in Changi, with BA and SQ, things depended on relationships. I found ways of helping those relationships along.

The funniest upgrade I ever got, though was on Varig. I was part of a team doing due diligence on an acquisition in S America, and we had set up our temp offices in Sao Paulo.
We flew to SP, or to other countries, either direct from UK or via team meetings in SP.
As it was quite a large acquisition, but a small team doing due diligence, we just had to be in certain places at certain times, so if connections on Concorde via USA worked, we were allowed to take them. (Never worked for me, unfortunately).
On one Varig flight, as Club was showing full, my secretary booked me in to first, and wait listed me in Club. When it was time to go, I just grabbed my ticket and went to the airport.
Apparently, I ended up with a First booking, but a Club ticket. (and Club was full). The ticket agent chatted to his supervisor, who simply put me in First.
I thanked him and asked why, and (shame I cannot do the accent) but he said that their computer reservation system was completely and utterly useless, but no-one on staff complained in case the IT person responsible had good relationships with the bosses.........
What a way to run a Company. No wonder they went bust!!

[LondonPax]

That's pretty cool, but what exactly was the crime?

[BassoRider]

A few years ago I was flying economy LGW-PHL on an US Airways A330. The flight was packed, and when I went to my seat I discovered a smear of what looked like katusp on the seat cushion. Upon pointing this out to the purser, he removed the cushion, told me he would get a spare, and that I should wait over by the galley.

So the cabin crew are frantically rushing about, preparing for departure and it becomes clear that we will be taking off soon. When I finally locate the purser, he slaps his head, thinks for a moment and says come with me. I wind up in first class (which didn't seem worth it, if I was paying, but never mind). I did think about always traveling with some katsup packages in my pocket...

[givemewings]

My lot also have onboard upgrade available (in certain cases)

When a pax lobs up and mentions their sore back/dodgy leg/three kids and wants an upgrade, I just smile and ask will they be using points or credit card? Works every time...

Like Leezyjet, we once had a case where the person refused to go back. Did the same thing, let him sit there and had Mr Plod come on for a little chat.

I do recall in one case a guy sneaking into First for awhile before being noticed, it was on a ULR flight too... unfortunately for him he had a corporate account or some such so by the time we landed the company had organised to have the fare difference billed to his company account. Bet he never tried that one again, the cheeky git!! Didn't at all help that he was unpleasant as heck to crew on frequent occasions... if he had been nicer they probably would have just had the duty manager give him a talking to... because of his stinking attitude he ended up forking out to the tune of 5 figures!!

I have no problem with mum/dad swapping seats if one has a kid... they've paid for a seat, so long as they are using A seat. But the issue is when you have say, one parent with the kid down the back and the other up front (usually business trip where they've paid to take the spouse and kid) On one flight we noticed that when they swapped over mum had brought the child as well. No can do, child fares apply for J and F with my airline, and she indignantly said why not, there's empty seats....

Going by that logic, when I get to my hotel I can have the presidential suite because it's empty?? :rolleyes:

Don't care the reason, if you have paid for one cabin and go and plonk yourself in another, it's stealing plain and simple. I too would be well hacked off if I had paid and someone else got it for free (as in, was not entitled to or had not paid for that benefit)

Staff tickets are another story since many duty tickets by contract MUST be in a premium cabin. If a pax has bought a Y ticket and wants to upgrade then it's the same as if they showed up to buy that prem ticket after the cabin is full... in most airlines duty tickets are firm and are pretty much the same as commercial tickets. So no the pax is not 'entitled' to go above the staff on duty...

[LondonPax]

she immediately stood up,leant forward,and in a quiet voice said..."okay,i do for you for free".



I dream of this kind of service.

[YorkshireTyke]

It's always who you know not what you know.

Travelling on a staff rebate standby ticket I was waiting at check-in with what turned out to be a stewardess on duty who had been given her EY boarding card, but was waiting to see if her mother was going to be able to travel with her on her standby concession.

Ticket clerk then upgraded duty stewardess to First, who turned to her mother and said that she could now have her original EY seat.

Oh no, I intervened, good luck to you getting upgraded, but that only releases one seat for the next person on the seniority list - and it might be me, p**s off.

In the end we all travelled, but had I not overheard the exchange, and there had been only one seat - guess who wouldn't have got it, rules and seniority mean nothing - who you know, not what you know, wins, fortune favours the bold.

Much later, travelling on another standby ticket with a "partner" airline, I was given seat 86Z, or something near the tail. Glad to be at least on the aircraft I was grateful for anything, but mentioned that I used to fly these aircraft for my own company, and I didn't realise that there even were seats that far back. The girl then asked me more, and it turned out that she had also once worked for my old airline, and we had mutual acquaintances, so she asked me for my boarding card and re-issued it with a seat near the front of the cabin. In the departure lounge a fare paying passenger was paged - and told that he had had to have his seat changed - and was given my origianl one down the back - I had his!

Not what you know, who you know. Favouritism is alive and well.

[Businesstraveller]

I know of a case from a few years back - JFK to LHR with BA.

The Y section was full, which included a late arriving circumference challenged gentlemen. He sat down and straight away protested that due to lack of space on the busy flight there was insufficient room for him and so he should be upgraded to J.

After some amount of protesting the crew resolved the situation by upgrading the passengers to either side of Mr.Whinge, whilst leaving him to his Y class seat. He had no legitimate cause for complaint and the crew made sure he got no more than he had paid for.

Perhaps his obnoxious attitude had yielded results for him on previous flights though...

[Wannabe Flyer]

ULR Flight DEL to EWR lady moves upfront to J as soon as we departed... When FA approached her she claimed her legs were hurting and she was cramping and was unwell and needed to stretch out.

FA got her a glass of water and told her that the water would make her feel better or we would need to land asap and get her medical assistance. Closest airport at that time was Islamabad....

Glass of water fixed her ailments!

[Mark in CA]

Does anyone still use the (unnecessary) removable, strap-on type leg cast anymore to get better seating? Used to know a guy who claims to have used it several time on international flights. Not sure how the airline or anyone else could determine necessity for such a leg cast and call :mad: on it.

[Bealzebub]

Waste of time. If the passenger couldn't travel in the class booked with the cast, they likely wouldn't be accepted for travel.

[PAXboy]

Put them through the X-ray or the new scanners to cross check. :hmm:

[750XL]

Only the other week I had a 'I can't bend my knee' type passenger, who tried, and failed, to move into a J class seat prior to pushback. Pax told they had to remain in their Y class seat, on which they refused.

Five minutes later pax offloaded at the gate with his very pissed off mrs :}

[500N]

No problems traveling with a full leg cast (and crutches), did it 4 or 6 times on BA / Qantas and the older 747's. They do ask if you will be OK medically and put you in a seat with a bit more leg room.

[thing]

I fly SIA and have heard that they never upgrade, is there any truth in this? Not that I've ever tried but having shelled out of my own pocket for business class I would be mightily pissed if someone got it for nothing, and not particularly with them but with the airline.

[llondel]

I've only been upgraded once, flying VS from Hong Kong back to Heathrow. I consider that one to be good karma for agreeing to a work trip to Taiwan at short notice (which meant my employer had to pay for a full-price ticket). It is nice to have a seat where you can lie flat :) I was muttering about being unable to check in on-line for the flight from the hotel in Taiwan but the pleasant surprise at Hong Kong more than made up for that.

Of course, the downside is that my next longhaul was paid for by me, so it was behind the wings and a lot more cramped after the enjoyment of being up front.

[Cymmon]

I was upgraded once on Qatar Airways. A last minute booking so just went for economy as I expected the full price so close to be prohibitive.
Second leg DOH-MNL , I queued as usual to get on. As soon as I presented my card I was told I must go with the check in agent at the side. Panic on my side, no seat??? But no a pleasant surprise, we are full tonight sir so your gold card gives you an upgrade!!

I boarded, the service as usual in business was fantastic. But, due to the fact that I hadn't paid for the ticket I only accepted the most basic of services. I didn't use the free amenities pack, pyjama's or blanket. I had the meals which are always good on Qatar whichever class, but mainly had water, rather than the wines.

Downside: the gentleman next to me was not happy with my jeans and T-shirt dress code. He had a quiet word to the stewardess, who had to come and check my boarding card. They already knew......
They had a quiet word with the gentleman, that as this was his first ever trip with Qatar and I had actually travelled with them numerous times, maybe I had more say in who I should be sat next too and that my Gold card status proved that. He deemed not to speak to me during the entire flight.

My return was in economy, and it was a fantastic service throughout both flights. I would not hesitate to fly economy with them again. But I must admit I was unsure but felt very privileged to be given the upgrade.

I would never ask for a free upgrade.

PS: anyone from Qatar airways, I visit Manila in November.....;)

[Piltdown Man]

...protested that due to lack of space on the busy flight there was insufficient room for him and so he should be upgraded to J.

Cute move but... I wouldn't try that now. If you need two seats, you pay for two seats.

And I wouldn't try a DIY upgrade on the plane. Also new Gate Systems (eg. ALTEA) have an on-load priority list. The system decides according to various criteria who will be upgraded and who will be off-loaded. Over-riding the system is difficult and very "noisy" and the back-doors of previous systems are bolted shut. On the aircraft, the senior cabin crew are sent electronic passenger lists on their tablet computers and are charged with ensuring passengers are sat where they are meant to be.

[llondel]

I boarded, the service as usual in business was fantastic. But, due to the fact that I hadn't paid for the ticket I only accepted the most basic of services. I didn't use the free amenities pack, pyjama's or blanket. I had the meals which are always good on Qatar whichever class, but mainly had water, rather than the wines.

Why not? The airline made a business decision to fill up all the seats on the aircraft. They probably had already loaded all the frills for the occupant of that seat. If nothing else it comes from their marketing budget, you get a good experience and they hope that in the future you'll fly with them again and possibly pay for more expensive seats. If not, then as a regular customer, they're saying thank you for your continued custom.

If the airline chooses to give you a free upgrade then enjoy it, you might never get another chance.

[mckelvey]

Hi,

My wife and I are flying from LHR to MEL via KUL on Malaysian later on this year. Would I be wasting my time asking at check-in for a free upgrade and what do you experienced guys think our chances are?

[mixture]

My wife and I are flying from LHR to MEL via KUL on Malaysian later on this year. Would I be wasting my time asking at check-in for a free upgrade and what do you experienced guys think our chances are?

Have you never heard the number one rule that you NEVER, EVER ask for a free upgrade. How many times a day do you think those poor people working at the counters get asked for free upgrades ? :ugh:

By all means ask if they're selling upgrades ... some carriers will sell off excess capacity at discounted rates. But just turning up and saying 'ello luv'.... got any freebies going ? know what I mean ? nudge nudge, wink wink... say no more ..." won't get you anywhere. :E

I've also heard rumours that Malaysian have quite strict capacity management and so chances of upgrades are minimal anyway. I've had an upgrade with Malaysian, but that was down to status alone.... the girl at checkin made it clear to me that was the case without me asking. Didn't get an upgrade on other occasions, so even status is no guarantee.

[Andy_S]

My wife and I are flying from LHR to MEL via KUL on Malaysian later on this year. Would I be wasting my time asking at check-in for a free upgrade....

Yes.

....and what do you experienced guys think our chances are?

Rounded to the nearest % I would say...... 0%

[thing]

Pal of mine and his wife fly Qatar out to Thailand quite often. They dress to impress, are quietly spoken, are polite to the check in girls and my pal is one of those guys that can get even a check in girl smiling. I would say they are upgraded to business about 50% of the time. The times they have actually bought business class tickets they have been upgraded to first class. But they have never, ever asked.

[wowzz]

If you want an up-grade it is very simple - pay for it!
I have been up-graded a few times when I was an occasional [not frequent] pax, and whilst it was very nice of BA, I would certainly never expect it.
After all, would you go into Tesco and ask to change your bottle of Asti Spumante for a bottle of Krug for no cost just because you have a nice tie!

[cockney steve]

About 1969, I was booked to fly Thiefrow to Glasgow (B E A, iirc,)
Arrived late and got bumped.....next flight an hour later presented boarding-card and was told to "turn right"...I didn't realise it was First,despite the big seats, free newspapers, drinks.....
Talk about naive provincial kid from the sticks!

Benbecula, Stornoway, Wick, folowed and finally a limousine from Dundee to Edinburgh.....rejoined the cattle there, to find we were fogged-in.....a convoy of coaches across to Glasgow, enlivened by one of the luggage doors opening and depositing a few cases on the road...eventually, we got a BAC 1-11 to Gatwick......then boarded the train for London, but it was going the wrong way.......finally got home early hours of the morning, having been woken and turfed out by the cleaners at line-end.....about a mile walk, dragging a really heavy case full of spare parts, plus a carry-on with my clothing/toiletries.

Rookie to seasoned-traveller in 5 days :}