Worst excuses for upgrades

Whilst we would all love to sit in PE or UC without paying the difference we should remember that airline travel is a business not a public service.

Apart from not having a seat for you there are few sensible reasons why an airline should move you up and the importance people give to trivial flaws in an attempt to move forward varies from amusing to humiliating to listen to (I am a passenger not staff).

I wondered what excuses others had over heard (or used them selves if they dare to admit) and what the result was.

Last week I went from LHR-HKG and in HKG I heard a Y passenger transiting to SYD complaining that her TV did not work from London and so she had no entertainment for 12 hours. Therefore even though she had a different Y seat HKG-SYD she requested to move to UC . The transit agent asked her how she would like to pay the difference (good response) and she clearly felt it should be free because of no TV.

What planet do these people live on ?

What planet do these people live on ?

The planet 'something for nothing' and its moon 'I am special'

Well there are the usual

= Just got married
= 'significant' anniversary
= 'special once in a lifetime' trip (not necessarily liked to the anniversary
= medical (unpecified) reasons
= I see a free seat so can I have it

The only time I have been upgraded was on a UA flight and that was because the gate agent felt sorry for me having schlepped from one end of the IAD C/D terminal to the other and she thought I was going to have an asthma attack. I had only and very politly asked to be moved to an aisle seat.

Giving it to me meant she could give another pax my Y seat but he must have been annoying her so she gave me the last seat in J and him my Y seat.

"Richard Branson is a friend of mine"

:w

Tinks - surely not! Have you heard someone actually say that?:D

I did once hear, and it was a long time ago, someone claiming they had booked Y by accident, and didn't the airline (I think it was BA) want to make good on the mistake:W

Tried "significant others significant birthday" once. So embarrassed Never again.

Two good ones:

Someone pointing out that his ticket said B on it (this was fare class B) and that B stood for business so this is where he should be sitting.

A gentleman demanding to sit upstairs - we pointed out that there was no upstairs being an A340 but he refused to believe us and called us all liars. Funny times.

A gentleman demanding to sit upstairs - we pointed out that there was no upstairs being an A340 but he refused to believe us and called us all liars

I did actually try the honeymoon excuse once (some time ago, I hasten to add) -- but in my defence, I was actually on my honeymoon! I got absolutely nowhere as she clearly didn't believe me. This was on AA. v(

Some years ago flying in Economy VS Lhr-Lax with my sister and her friend.
The friend and my sister went over to the PE desk (leaving me in a very long economy queue).
Next thing I knew is that I was being waived over to the PE desk as the friend had said she suffered from DVT (I think she had a doctors letter).
We were all upgraded for free and had front row seats in the PE cabin.
Happy Days!!!!!!

Actually, I had an occasion about ten years ago CDG-NCE on AF when I was sold a Y ticket and had asked for J. I had noticed the anomaly, and went back to the TA who assured me this was definitely the correct ticket for biz. Somewhat unassured, I let it ride. It was a very expensive ticket too.

So at CDG they let me into the lounge although this may have been due to my DL status.

At the gate, I went to my seat in row 5, and it was behind the curtain. I mentioned it to crew, and they were very good about it, I offered to pay the difference right there and then, but it was too close to push back. I spent the next hour or so cursing the TA.

I chose the TA as they were close to work and I don't mind supporting local businesses. This was the first, and last time with them. They messed up my return segments too via ZRH on Swiss, but at least I could fix that.

The easiest way to get an upgrade is to be off duty crew, or their mates, from my experiences of seeing it happen: you know, half empty cabins at OLCI suddenly everyone's in UC (or indeed F on BA) when you board. This includes hand over- written boarding passes.

I even had a captain down route push in front of me once at check in to get his mates upgrades to UC. Was not impressed.

Cheers, Howard

Twice but had to work for it

Both times assisting with a medical emergency, (still a state registered paramedic). First time to get the patient laid down in Upper, 2nd PE mostly on the floor but then upgraded to PE as a thank you after the divert to offload the patient Glad I wasn't paying ANY of the bills (diversion/fuel/medical).

NB Never done for that reason - just because I would want someone to assist if I or my significant other was ill.

W.

A Doctor friend of mine volunteered to assist with a very sick patient for 9 hours on a Qantas flight from Sydney. When the flight landed, the patient went to hospital and he asked if he could use the business class shower before catching his flight to LHR, only to be told he only had an economy ticket so this wouldn't be possible! I'm not sure what he would have needed to do to get an upgrade!

I was travelling back a few years ago from MCO with a relative who requested a downgrade!!

He had only been able to join us at the last minute and could only book UC on the way back. He wanted to travel down the back with his young family. I offered to swap and use the UC sest but my young family wanted me to travel with them.

I’ve witnessed 2 upgrade “attempts” in my time.

The first one was at the entrance to the gate waiting area for a flight to SFO – A lady in front of me had apparently requested to be moved to PE as she had developed a “terrible headache”. The gate agent politely advised there were no upgrades available for any of the premium cabins. The passenger went on to say that she was in a great deal of pain with her headache to which the agent responded that there really was nothing specific in the design of the PE chairs that would assist with a headache and that a paracetamol would probably be more effective in treating it (excellent response I thought). Undeterred the passenger then went on to explain she had recently had an operation and her headache was related to this. Her story really did sound far from genuine (she was sighing dramatically and began speaking like a whining 5 year old faking a fever and trying to get out of going to school). She was taking so much of the agents time that a second agent opened a queue and everyone moved over and I walked past the woman into the gate area. Sufficed to say, the passenger boarded and was sat a few rows away from me, in economy with a face like a slapped @rse.

The second time I saw this, it was even more satisfying. A lady boarded and sat in the row in front of me – a middle-middle seat with a male pax sat to her right. She immediately called a member of crew to complain that she was claustrophobic and that she had specifically requested an aisle seat and brazenly asked to be moved to a seat in WTP or CW as she was far too cramped and uncomfortable. Her tone was astonishing to me, abrupt and horrible (no idea whether she had enquired at check-in or the gate for an aisle seat… The crew member didn’t ask her either). The flight was full and the crew member asked if she could hold until we were in the air and she would try to organise an aisle seat to which the pax replied “no, even a take off in such cramped conditions would cause me to panic – you will have to move me to another seat”. Without a pause, the crew member asked the guy sitting next to the lady in the aisle seat (travelling on his own) to follow her. And sure enough, he was led up the AC to another cabin leaving the seat next to the lady free. The crew member returned to advise she had moved the man into Club World to give the woman some extra space. I could literally feel the lady foaming at the mouth! Hillarious.

I'd have taken a downgrade to watch that one ^) ^) ^)

Frenchy - I love that second tale, great thinking by the CC.

Frenchy - I love that second tale, great thinking by the CC.

They do handle this sort of thing really well.

Was on an AC flight and a middle aged / daily mail reading woman who, about an hour into the flight asked for a 'better seat' because she had had an operation on her foot.

The CC sympathised and said something on the lines 'well the seat next to you is empty so you have plenty of extra room for your foot'

These could be merged in to the recent 'funny travel stories' thread by Tinkerbelle

Twice but had to work for it

Both times assisting with a medical emergency, (still a state registered paramedic). First time to get the patient laid down in Upper, 2nd PE mostly on the floor but then upgraded to PE as a thank you after the divert to offload the patient Glad I wasn't paying ANY of the bills (diversion/fuel/medical).

NB Never done for that reason - just because I would want someone to assist if I or my significant other was ill.

W.

Only done one in flight medical emergency but I was already in UC and had to venture back to the Econ toilet to find the patient :$ Obviously no upgrade possible but did get huge thanks from the FSM and the CC and got some FC points which I thought was nice.. I only wish they would put a decent stethoscope in the medical kit!

The easiest way to get an upgrade is to be off duty crew, or their mates, from my experiences of seeing it happen: you know, half empty cabins at OLCI suddenly everyone's in UC (or indeed F on BA) when you board. This includes hand over- written boarding passes.

I even had a captain down route push in front of me once at check in to get his mates upgrades to UC. Was not impressed.

Cheers, Howard

Had two annoying expreiences in UC with staff, one was off duty crew member who proved you can actually "sleep" two in a suite (not a Virgin flyer anymore!) and the second was two very well spoken and very well dressed people complaining that schedulling had tried o put them into Y and how much work it had been to get into UC.

Two experiences:

One in a LGW - Barbados in Y. Someone to the back of me being told in a no uncertain manner by the FA that 'lack of IFE does not an upgrade make'.

We was at the gate in Boston, coming back in Y on UA. It was a strike day with lots of cancellations and reroutes. Fortunately we weren't affected but two UK sounding men arrived at the gate and proceeded to be very unpleasant as they remonstrated with the Gate agent about the fact they should be in business and could they have their boarding cards now? The flight was full and I think they had been rerouted and so had got what perhaps was the last two tickets ... After a lot of shouting they got their boarding cards, middle seats on the very back row of the plane ....

[honey lamb]

I’ve witnessed 2 upgrade “attempts” in my time.

The first one was at the entrance to the gate waiting area for a flight to SFO – A lady in front of me had apparently requested to be moved to PE as she had developed a “terrible headache”. The gate agent politely advised there were no upgrades available for any of the premium cabins. The passenger went on to say that she was in a great deal of pain with her headache to which the agent responded that there really was nothing specific in the design of the PE chairs that would assist with a headache and that a paracetamol would probably be more effective in treating it (excellent response I thought). Undeterred the passenger then went on to explain she had recently had an operation and her headache was related to this. Her story really did sound far from genuine (she was sighing dramatically and began speaking like a whining 5 year old faking a fever and trying to get out of going to school). She was taking so much of the agents time that a second agent opened a queue and everyone moved over and I walked past the woman into the gate area. Sufficed to say, the passenger boarded and was sat a few rows away from me, in economy with a face like a slapped @rse.

The second time I saw this, it was even more satisfying. A lady boarded and sat in the row in front of me – a middle-middle seat with a male pax sat to her right. She immediately called a member of crew to complain that she was claustrophobic and that she had specifically requested an aisle seat and brazenly asked to be moved to a seat in WTP or CW as she was far too cramped and uncomfortable. Her tone was astonishing to me, abrupt and horrible (no idea whether she had enquired at check-in or the gate for an aisle seat… The crew member didn’t ask her either). The flight was full and the crew member asked if she could hold until we were in the air and she would try to organise an aisle seat to which the pax replied “no, even a take off in such cramped conditions would cause me to panic – you will have to move me to another seat”. Without a pause, the crew member asked the guy sitting next to the lady in the aisle seat (travelling on his own) to follow her. And sure enough, he was led up the AC to another cabin leaving the seat next to the lady free. The crew member returned to advise she had moved the man into Club World to give the woman some extra space. I could literally feel the lady foaming at the mouth! Hillarious.

Loved them both, Frenchy! ^)

In the first one I was half waiting for the gate agent to say something like, "Well if you really feel that ill perhaps you shouldn't travel today"

About 4 years ago I was sat at the back upstairs in PE on route to MCO, infront of me was a lady travelling with her husband who if I didn't know any better I would have said was Hyacinth Bucket.

About an hour in to the flight she demanded to speak to the captain, after about 5 minutes the FSM arrived and asked what the problem was. The lady explain that when she booked she thought she was told that children were not allowed in PE and demanded to be moved to "First class" as the baby at the front of the bubble was "making too much noise for her liking" and "she was not prepared to sit there for 9 hours listening to that nonsense" as she put it.

The FSM explained the situation about children and PE but said she would have a look in Upper to she if there was any space. Two minutes later she returned and said I have good news and bad news, first the good news, yes there are two free seats at the rear of the cabin, now the bad news, the two seats infront of the empty ones are occupied by a 2 and 4 year old so there would be no point in moving you as they are making far more noise than the baby at the front of PE.

Needless to say she was not not upgraded and the FSM walked off with a big smirk on her face.

-Steve

Some great stories!

The very first time I travelled on Virgin, it was to St Lucia. We were just about to board, when the very, very kind member of ground staff wrote on our boarding passes, crossed our our seat numbers and upgraded us to PE. As I didn't really know the score then, i'm sorry to say I did ask if we were sat together as we had seats A and C! :0 We were sat upstairs, brilliant! Didn't ask for it and our first time on Virgin, one of those very lucky occasions me thinks...

There was someone trying to get an upgrade to first on my recent flight back from Vegas, dying to say there isn't even a first class, but just let him carry on, getting nowhere. I am not sure as to why he felt he deserved his upgrade, but did see the same fella slumped in economy mid flight, so obviously didn't work for him!!

As mentioned before by Tinkerbelle, I've heard the Friend of Richard Statement many times when trying to get a free upgrade from me.

But I think the worst I've heard and it wasn't just once, It was used numerous times by different people. Trying to get a free upgrade because of the death of a friend/pet/family member. I couldnt believe it the first time it happened. And they actually were really blunt with it and said "ohh my mother has died, can I get a free upgrade?" :0