Sorry to throw a spanner in the works, but how many times a day do you think they hear that or a similar story?
These days upgrades go to frequent fliers (and quite often staff and friends of the check in staff).
Congratulations!
A title in front of your name also helps
Thanks
I know they heard it a million times. You would be surprised also as to how many people fly on their birthday :P
My husband started flying BA for trips to the US. He's made 3 in the past year, always flying economy plus. He's tall and is miserable squished in a seat, so the few hundred francs extra is worth it. On each of these trips in one or the other direction, he's been upgraded to business. He's not a friend or relative of anyone at BA, and just started accumulating miles. Maybe because he's tall, has been traveling alone - I have no idea, but it's a run of luck. His reservations might say "professor", but I seriously doubt that's it.
We'll see what happens when we go to the US in October. I'm not holding my breath.
For swiss I know this doesnt happen, there are numerous checks performed to prevent this.
Check in staff are swissport employees BTW.
staff norm travel on standby tickets, so if there is a seat available they get on, if not then tough.......
It doesn't happen in the US either, at least anymore. Employees and buddy passes go standby. The only time they would bump a paying passenger for an employee is if the employee is trying to get to a location where he or she has to get in a different airplane and go to work, i.e. flight crew.
I have flown 1st class a few times over booked plane and had to get another plane, accident on holiday foot broken needed foot room ( some idiot said people will do anything to travel 1st class )
I fly economy class ......since I just can't remember where I parked my invisible plane
I would love to fly first class Emirates though....a girl can dream.
For anything more than 2 hours, with the baby, we fly business as on Swiss you get the empty seat between us which makes it more bearable
It is really a treat flying business Class on the Long Haul, especially when you got a fully flat seat (bed) and no other people in the same Row (single Window
Seat), this is as good as it gets, so you can travel even to Australia without
a lack of sleep or having stress with your "travel companions".
When you compare prices from the Departure Airports around Europe it is possible to save thousands , so a flight in business Class does not have to that expensive.
My most frequent flights are to Birmingham, all of a 1 hour 55 minute flight so the business class cost is not so high , always book it for the return leg simply for the extra luggage allowance to accommodate the shopping :-) and if I have to fly back on a Sunday lunchtime flight as I know I will have the hangover from hell and need that extra bit of pampering !
long haul back home if booked from the Netherlands only costs double and for a 13 hour flight believe me its worth it
If you have a business trip and you are expected to be crisp for a dinner meeting in NYC its worth it to pony up and get a business class ticket. If its just for a vacation and jet-lag isnt an issue then its fine to gamble on having a free seat next to you on the plane.
When I lived in Australia we used to always go business class because the flights are a killer! San Fran to Sydney was a bitch. So yes, anything longer than 15 hours is well worth it. Especially with kids.
When I go to Africa though the business class/first class is typically sold out. I have yet to fly anything but economy class to Africa in my 12 years on the continent (although I had some one exchange me seats once to be with their family, and I got to sit next to a SUPER-RACIST Rio Tinto executive). The reason business class is sold out is because these NGO and Non-Profit wankers all fly business class. Why? Because they get all of this free donation money and they dont know what to do with it.
Flying to Africa economy class will set you back about $3,000. Lord only knows how much Business class will cost? But these NGO's waste so much money on plane tickets Im surprised they have anything left over to give to the Africans. $3,000 buys lots of Malaria medicine and AIDS vaccines.
But inter-European flights? Its a waste of money. The seats are the same, except youre sitting next to snooty people. Only time Ive considered flying Inter-European business class is on flights to Alicante because the flights are filled with Benidorm white-trash from the UK Always a crappy flight.
will generally fly business class if it is on sale/special offer but only transatlantic, and have on occasion paid for upgrade to first at check-in when they have had a special offer on.
My wife flies a lot and gets upgraded a lot because she has a gold card, and we happen to share the same surname as one of the senior exec's at one of the airlines
I am sure that many, many people try to pull a fast one. However, I would mention that you are newly-weds. After our wedding my husband and I flew London City to Luxembourg and my husband mentioned that we had just got married. Unfortunately, on a little Fokker there is no room for an upgrade but we did get lots of champagne and chocolates!
Reminds me of a little book of childrens' sayings 'My gran was a suffra jet- I think she flew a lot' lol
Whoever can afford to fly first class often would not have the time to be (and see your post) on EF.
Wrong place to ask, IMHO.
For business trips I take business class, private ones economy
I'm generally feeling so miserable on airplanes that the seat I'm in or the service I'm getting don't make a difference.
So true! They are too busy eating caviar, hob-knobbing with Robin Leach, bribing government officials, buying up London real estate, and plotting against Russian Oligarchs!!!!!
So in your "Humble Opinion" the EF is meant only for the benefit of the the dirt of the earth....?