What are the chances of this happening???

Years ago I recall boarding flights and literally there would be a situation whereby someobody was already sitting in your seat with a valid boarding pass. Luckily this never happened to me. However I recall arguments with disgruntled passengers and sometimes if there were no spare seats you would hear the cabin crew over the loudspeaker offering passengers money to disembark. I wondered, Does this still happen or are there new systemns in place in recent years to ensure this cant happen.

I think that these days with all the IT etc this sort of thing happens at check-in rather than on board - even more so because of the baggage security issues.

It's easier to control 'off-plane' in terms of handling the pax etc

[Decker]

Must we duplicate Flyertalk threads?

Happened to me once flying a Miami in Premium Econ, I had the exit row and a guy turned up saying I was in his seat.. He had an economy seat with the number crossed out and a premium seat written in in biro (my seat). I was clearly not going to move as I was in the best premium seat on the plane and new it... I then heard the immortal words (especially given I was only about 17 at the time) 'I'm terribly sorry sit but we're going to have to move you to upper class'... Obviously I move very quickly at that point.

I had 2 of the old upper seats next to each other to myself and thoroughly enjoyed the flight (it was my first experience of anything above premium economy).

I'd guess the guy with my seat on his bp had been upgraded at the gate but who cares! I did well out of it

As I think I reported in a TR at the time I once had an upgrade to UC and a boarding pass. Having boarded and taken my seat another passenger turned up with a boarding pass for the same seat with the inevitable result that I was put back to PE - where I in turn displaced a rather unhappy gentlemen from his aisle seat.

A very unpleasant and somewhat embarassing episode.

BTW Decker - It would seem we do [:)] But I agree that using the exact same wordage seems a little lazy - surely it could have been jazzed up a bit for us.

It has happended to me a fair few times in Upper - sometimes ligit and many times not so. However I have always ended up with my seat - no idea what happened to the doppelgangers (or cared to be honest)

I've had it a few times also, pretty much always worked out with an upgrade!

I had that TWICE on one flight.
full in Economy so they held me at gate, upgraded me to PE with a stroke of pauline's pen, but I walked on to find someone sitting in that seat. They were offered UC upgrade, but declined as they were with their friends (duh...)
so they promptly turned to me, and strangely I accepted. someone had to make the sacrifice.
double upgrade - Choice!