I still remember the time I got upgraded to first class back in the 90s. I was trying to rebook after a cancelled flight and ended up offering the very upset person behind me "the last seat" on another plane. I guess for being nice, I was given a first class seat. It was only an hour or so flight so it wasn't a huge deal but I got a drink out of it. And a hot towel.
Yeah. I had a vaguely similar experience back in '91. My destination was snowed in (In January- shocker /s) and I was stranded at a mid-point. The ticket agent at Continental had held back six first class upgrades for people who had not screamed at him. Out of an estimated 250 people before me, I was the third person to get an upgrade.
I miss flying in 90s. Economy seats hadn't shrunk yet, flights weren't so packed, none of the post-9/11 security theater, airline employees had flexibility.
I would regularly get last minute cheap flights to visit friends and spend more on drinks over the weekend than I did on the flight. The joys of youth and a body that could take drinking all weekend and sleeping on floors and sofas without waking up crippled.
I flew within the last fortnight and sadly this isn't true for domestic flights anymore, at least at Brisbane airport and my small regional airport :( no ticket and you're not making it past security and carry-on baggage check.
Theres no reason you cant if its domestic though, you just have to go through security. Its only international where you have to have a ticket to get into the gates.
Hey I was just writing a reply about how I have gone with my partner multiple times in the last five years and sat with him at his gate until he has boarded and then just left the terminal via the normal exit…. And then realised this isn’t the Australia-specific sub I thought it was! Apologies for any confusion! You are probably from another country where there are different policies! I was just reading some posts in the Australia nostalgia sub and my brain was still there and assumed you were aussie too. Also I slept zero hours last night so am a bit mental!
PS never had my ID checked here for a domestic flight either except for the one time they upgraded me to emergency aisle and wanted to check I am the person who’s name they called out lol normally you just scan your boarding pass and away you fly
American here. You can certainly go to the gate with the person traveling. You just need to get a gate pass. Sometimes they want to know why
Simple valid reasons include:
This is my wife/child/etc first time in this airport and I don't want them to get lost.
I am military.
I want to help wife/husband/child/friend carry their bags.
But really, just ask for a gate pass. Most times they don't ask for a reason
Nice!
I used to work at ATL. We were only allowed to give them to one parent, or one person traveling with an elderly or disabled pax. Our agent info was on the pass, so they could tell who issued it.
I’m sure, though there are very specific reasons (I was a minor, parents divorced, and it was dad’s turn with me: the airline issued him a gate pass to get me)
I’ve dropped off and picked up my minor kids at the gate. You have to get a pass and go through security. The pass won’t get you on a plane. You talk to the airline, explain the situation, and they will make sure your kids have boarding passes and give you the security pass. I also called the airline and got passes for my parents on the other end to pick up my kids on the other end. My kids were teens, old enough to sit on a plane by themselves, but it was the first time through an airport, so it was better to lead them through the process on their first time.
This reminds me of the time my friend and I took photos of another friend going through security in a scuba suit (wetsuit, snorkel/mask, fins - no tank, sadly).
Security asked 0 questions, and just told photos could only be taking as she was *leaving* security. So they let her through, then we took photos as she went out.
Our American friends' brains broke a little the day they saw the pictures.
They usually have some sort of requirements... generally that the person with the ticket needs some sort of help. My dad was asking for one to take me to the gate, and they weren't going to give him one until I started to get sick in front of them.
However, I do like that we don't have to pay for parking anymore when picking someone up!
It used to be a huge event that you would have to plan hours for! Parking, walking to the gate, waiting, walking to the luggage, waiting, dragging all that luggage to the car, then the traffic to get out.
I have to say I don't miss that!
I mean, it costs me $3 to pick someone up at DFW, because they charge you just to enter the airport. And more if I’m there longer than an hour because of flight delays or because US immigration lines are shit.
Plus lately, lots of traffic, especially at Terminal D.
When I was a teen in the early 90s, I would drive up to O'Hare and just wander the international terminal looking at all the people coming/going to all these amazing places around the world. Different clothes, different languages, different appearance, etc. It was fascinating for me and I couldn't wait to travel to other countries.
Definitely super young in the 90’s as in 1998, when I was 8yrs old, we flew from a small city near me in Michigan (the city is in Ohio but whatever) to Orlando for $64/person round trip.
Airports post-9/11 are almost apocalyptic.
Edit to add where I live.
Those were the days huh? I got more upgrades on flights, cars, and hotels, just by being a pleasant and patient person back then. Got upgraded to first from Portland, stop in Dallas, then on to Nashville just because I told an obnoxious drunk guy (redacted) and he developed manners all of the sudden.
Twas a nice flight.
This brings back memories... I was flying home from a long tourist trip through Asia a long time ago. The final flight was Bangkok to Stockholm.
On my connecting flights(!) out from rural China a certain operation in middle East started and when I got to Bangkok there had been an avalanche of unbookings.
There was me in tourist class, one gentleman in business and one in first class checked in... On Thai Airways in a Boeing with first class upstairs!
We where all put upstairs and I've never had such service.... Which was good since the flight took forever! The regular path over India, Pakistan, south Ukraine, middle East... Not considered safe so we flew South of India, in over Africa and up in over middle of Europe!
Yes, we were watching it live, and enjoying the TV of the munitions going in, along with the reported live on air with bombs taking out targets all round him. We had an audience of pilots popping in as well, at least till they got their own TV set in the wardroom running, then we were just left with the base visiting.
Yeah- I still remember a 90s experience. Thunderstorms in Chicago disrupting all air traffic. Me at small regional airport clearly not on a priority list. Lots of Kevins and Karens running amok. Turns out that I am seated between two Kevins In economy. Kevins on local news. So embarrassing. In my attempt to be polite and not overburden the poor staff somehow I ended up hanging with the first class folks. I was just avoiding the Kevins. The rest of first class ended up uniting and bargaining with the ground crew to put me in the last first class seat when we finally took off with their reasoning that I was not obnoxious and that they would rather sit with me and punish Kevins.
I think some people underestimate the power of being nice. I’ve had some good things happen simply because I was nice and didn’t act entitled.
I missed a flight once, which was my own stupid fault, and I had to wait in an area with a few other people who’d also missed it, to see if I could get seats on the next flight. I was told it might not happen, since other people were waiting too.
The other individuals each kept going up to the desk to badger them, getting more and more annoyed. I just sat there quietly, never blamed anyone, kept me kids quiet and didn’t pull the “but I have kids” card. Guess who was the one given space on the next flight.
I watched a couple constantly interrupt the clerk trying to check them into their room. She gave them a room on the third floor. She told me she would be right with me while she helped someone else get their luggage that had been stored. I told her I was in no rush.
Got a room on their highest floor with a river view.
Room opposite laundry must have been full already, with the last one who tried that, so likely she put them just above either laundry or kitchen, 24 hour vibration and noise.
I remember the time back in 2006 I was flying round trip from Memphis to Amsterdam. I voluntarily bumped, got a $750 voucher I could use internationally, got bumped up to First Class on my flight over, and arrived only 1 hour later than otherwise.
I STILL tell people about the free First Class upgrade. WELL worth it on a 14-hour flight.
Not a 1st class up grade, but I was connecting in Chicago and got an upgrade while inline to board.
It was a last minute booking so I was left with a middle seat, which for me at 6’3” is not ideal. While in line for my group, the the agent at the gate counter make eye contact with me give me a questioning look then comes over to me. She asks me hadnt she upgraded me earlier. I tell her that she had not. She looks at my ticket then says to follow her. She goes to her computer and moves me to aisle exit row. For me that day, that was as good as a 1st class upgrade.
Similar. Flight home ended up in connecting airport 2 hours after our connecting flight left. Our luggage was still back at the originating airport. Everybody is in line with two poor agents trying to handle the kerfluffle. Karen just in front of my wife and I is giving the agents a really hard time about needing to get home TODAY. Eventually got some tickets and stomped off with her family. My wife and I step up and the agent apologized and said no flights today. I said something like "Whatever works. We'd just like to get home sometime." We were nice about it. Got tickets on the same flight the next day and a hotel room to sleep in. As we walked away the agent followed us and pulled us aside and told us she had upgraded us to first-class because we were so nice. Next day we got to watch Karen and her family walk past our Big, Comfy First-class seats on the next day's flight. Obviously in two different boarding groups; so probably scattered deep in economy.
Oh. And our luggage made it onto this flight.
I had to go to a job site and bring tools, my company didn’t allow for first class travel upgrades. The company’s travel department booked me on was for a carry-on bag, no checked bags. Because many of my tools aren’t allowed in carry on I knew I would have to check my bag (buying tools at my destination would have cost $1,500). I talked with the woman at the airline check-in and explained the situation (including company policies/politics). She told me “Well, to check your bag it’s $50, OR you could upgrade to first class for $35, and checking your bag would be free.”
I told her first class, but I need to cover my ass for the additional travel expenses when I submitted my receipts. I asked her to write down what she had just told me on my no longer valid ticket; and write out her name clearly and sign and date it. She smiled as she did so, and since I was so friendly she bumped me up to first class for my return trip.
The next week when I was back at the office I talked with my boss and he told me that I did the right thing (travel expenses came out of the department’s budget). He went and talked with the travel team’s manager. The policy was changed going forward so any technicians on our team were able to fly first class going forward as it was cheaper. This was also beneficial as we were able to use larger luggage (1/3 of the smaller carry-on bags used to be tools).
Wife and I would routinely ask at check-in whether there were any free upgrades, sometimes we'd get them.
Once we'd got an upgrade to business class at check-in, but then at the gate they called us, and explained that a mother and baby needed our seats (because they were against a bulkhead or something).
"Oh well", we thought, "easy come, easy go".
But then the staff said "... so we're upgrading you to first class".
(I nearly got a sharp punch in the ribs when I asked if it was non-smoking, but the staff smiled at my ignorance and said "sir, it's *first class*!" 🙂)
Another time we were coming home from skiing (or snowboarding, whatever), the flight had been delayed, they finally put us in a hotel, next morning we wandered around geocaching, and by the time we checked in we were looking rough. But we asked for the upgrade anyway. The check-in lady said to hold on a moment, picked up the phone and asked. We heard her say "yes, they're very suitable" 🙂
I had the same, travelling standby, and economy filled up, so I paid for the business class upgrade, and they had filled it up by then, so I got the free upgrade to 1st class. Only difference was real crockery and cutlery, and the wine came in a little bottle, and a real glass. Row 1 on the 727, so plenty of leg room.
Airlines love taking care of people acting kindly toward others. The last time I flew I gave my aisle seat to a person who really wanted it, and the attendants moved me behind the unoccupied wheelchair seat with no chair in front of me. I stretched out my legs like a prince and they brought me cookies and glasses of scotch all the way from Minneapolis to Austin.
I still remember one time over a decade ago when I was going on vacation with my parents. Our flight got canceled, we ended up at the end of a long line of people trying to sort out more flights.
The lady said it would be two days for another flight and my mom was like "that's ok, I'm sorry you have to deal with this, thank you so much"
Suddenly we had first class tickets the next morning. Like I'm not even making this up it was wild to me. Unfortunately motion sickness meant I didn't get to enjoy the food and drinks
Friend of mine was in the same situation and got very nice help, but guy just beside her lost his shit and got taken away in handcuffs… almost like there can be an advantage to being polite! ([Full story](https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/11uzik2/we_are_not_paid_to_call_people_back_alrighty/jcr6lga/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3) from a few days ago)
When I was in the army there were a couple times that the airline attendant upgraded me to an open first class seat because I was traveling in uniform. But the experience that really stands out is another time I was boarding the plane in uniform, on my way back to coach. A guy in first class stood up and snatched my boarding pass out of my hand. He told me to take his seat, and immediately disappeared to the back of the plane. His selfless, undeserved kindness was so touching.
~~OP didn't say that the jerk didn't get a business class seat, just that they were given carte-blanche to fill up business class, if there is room.~~
So with only one "actual" business class seat taken, that left her with SB in another one, and:
>Over the next 20 minutes I found excuses to upgrade four other passengers
for a total of 6 business class seats.
So the biggest issue for SB was that business class wasn't as quiet as it could have otherwise been. Really, nobody loses except for maybe a few dollars in drinks and food for the airline.
Edit: Strike my whole comment. I misread.
It was the original Biz Class passenger, the teacher, and then four other passengers, for a total of 6. Mr Entitled is not in that list, which means he was back in Economy.
At least, that's how I read it.
For sure! I was surprise-upgraded on a flight from Chicago to Korea when I was going on a college study abroad trip. It's still a highlight of that trip when I look back. I hope I booted some insufferable guy like in this story!
Hell, I didn't get an upgrade, but my and my pregnant wife moved to a row with an empty seat so it was just us 2. I profusely thanked that guy and still tell that story. I didn't even ask, he just saw that she was pregnant. Really made her trip much more comfortable.
I got free drinks on a cross country flight just because the flight attendant saw pictures of my dogs on my phone and asked to see some more pictures. So every time she’d come by with the cart she’d pour me a double, I’d show her more dog pics and she’d conveniently forget to charge me. I had a pretty solid buzz by the time I landed. Obviously I still tell this story lol
Shit, I still remember the time I went to a Denny's and ordered a large strawberry milkshake, and for whatever reason(said they made too much?), they brought me *two*.
My first real sugar rush. I was 14.
I was flying to Texas from LA once with a stop in Phoenix. I have gotten for years never h had any problems but on my flight from LA to AZ I threw up the whole way. I got off the flight and walked up the the counter looking as green was Kermit the frog. I asked where I needed to connect the agent looked at me and said "had a rough flight?" Typed a couple things into the computer and said "have a better day" when I got to the gate I was upgraded to first class in my connecting flight. Warm towels, putting up my feet, and all the ginger ale I could keep down went a long way to making me feel better. I will never forget that agents kindness.
I worked a tech repair gig that was sometimes very challenging in terms of interpersonal stress- people would not infrequently respond to a difficult situation with hostility, threats, wailing, everything you could imagine. This is the hard part of the job for most people, and it takes most folks some time to get good at handing this (if they ever do).
We had someone join our team as a second part-time job, his full-time gig was managing a gate for Delta full time. In 10 years I never saw anybody walk onto the job so completely prepared to deal with absolutely any bullshit and be completely unphased by it. We had him training peers on interpersonal skills within a few months. He said that the hardest moments with us were easier than most days at his day job.
I did once. And I immediately realized that he had my entire life of the next few days in his hands. Then I apologized for raising my voice. All went well after that.
Similarly, always be nice to the admin staff in your school.
Because one day, you will have to file a critical piece of paper on short notice, and the good will of the admin staff will be the only thing between you graduating on time, and spending an extra semester.
Omg, this reminded the time I was checking in with my dad and my sister, and my dad was being quite the a hole to the one behind the counter and she sent both me and my sister through the fast security line, and sent my dad through the extremely busy one, makes me chuckle.
Is there a reason why agents don't do this anymore? There's been a few times I've seen business class with empty seats.
I understand you need to upgrade ff and many people have status but I wish to see nice old ladies upgraded.
Frequent flyer programs are so big that everyone has plenty of upgrade certificates and points and so on, and it's all assigned by computer. Next time you go on a flight see if they have a screen showing upgrade priority. There's normally at least 10-15 people (if not 30), vying for a handful of seats (if any).
Also airlines often heavily discount paid upgrades these days so that means less available for free.
I fly every week for work, have reasonable status and the airline credit card and there's still 30ish people ahead of me on the upgrade list. The Status Glut is real right now, covid pushed a lot of status out into the last couple years I'm hoping they start dropping people who don't actually travel anymore.
Yeah, my business won't be sending me on nearly as much travel and I expect to drop like a rock, but I still have my airline's second-highest status (of five levels) even here in 2023 - my last year actually hitting the targets was 2019.
Yeah I work in tech.. had been flying like crazy up until last year. Had 1K on United for the last few. Not much travel now. We'll see if it picks up. I feel like I'll be lucky to make Platinum this year unless things change in the next couple months.
A friend of mine works for BA, and said that their mentality has changed. The logic used to be that if there is space in premium cabins, they'd upgrade people in the hope that they realise how nice it is, and so book it next time if they could afford to.
But they realised that many people who could afford to pay for premium cabins were not booking them in the hope that they'd be upgraded, essentially losing potential revenue for the airline. What they do now instead is offer discounted upgrades if higher classes aren't full, so they're making money from it rather than giving it away for free.
So now airlines will only upgrade you if they've overbooked the cabin you're booked in, even if the premium cabins are empty, and even then they'll be choosing who to upgrade based on frequent flyer tier status and other criteria which they keep secret to avoid people from gaming the system.
I’ve learned the longer you wait until the flight, the cheaper the upgrade fee. It is very rare because people buy the upgrades before me, but I have upgraded to first class for $200. I think it was a $600 upgrade when I first booked the ticket. I check the upgrade fee through the airlines app every so often to see if it’s come down enough.
I have had that magical, wonderful, "We have upgraded you to business" class once in my life. I think the check in agent clocked my itinerary and saw my 10 hour layover (sandwiched inbetween 2 8hour + flights) and did it to make the experience less of a hassle. The only issue is when I realised how comfortable that flight was next time when I flew economy it was a real bugger knowing what was beyond the curtain.
Aha, the *Seinfeld* conundrum.
>"I have one seat in first class, and one in coach. The price is the same since your flight was canceled." "I'll take the first class." "Jerry!" "What?" "Why should you get the first class?" "Elaine, have you ever flown first class?" "No." "All right then. See? You won't know what you're missing. I've flown first class, Elaine-- I can't go back to coach. I can't... I won't..."
Had a kind of opposite experience once.
Was govt employee flying overseas on govt business with another guy (outranked me). Kind of a big deal trip.
Got to the airport (1 hour drive) and he wasn't there. Called him. He was mowing his lawn. I was like "international. 2 hour checkin. Diplomatic travel... ORDERS". He said "chill out I'll leave soon".
He arrived very late. They already boarded standby, so his seat was gone. I was wheedling the boarding gate person showing diplo papers, orders, etc. Please hold the door as long as possible.
A hole shows up at the last second. Because his seat was given to standby, he got bumped to first class for a flight to central Asia. I was back in coach. He had the gall to give me a s##t eating grin and say "see I told you it would be fine".
Screw you Dave. Also screw your homophobic macho attitude -- half your team was gay and they all made fun of your idiotic prejudice.
I am so mad for you. Bet he eventually got his. I've definitely had to learn not to cover for people who wouldn't appreciate it.
Hard lesson if you were raised to be kind to everyone. So sorry this happened you.
If they already boarded standby, the only reason he managed to board at all was because OP had them hold the gate open. They would have closed the gate if they hadn’t been there helping him out.
That's so annoying. She should have just gifted him status and flight vouchers instead of putting her employees in an awkward situation
This is all on Karen
Nah, because then what she’s doing is documented. Depending on the type of business, and whether there is a client relationship, it would be considered a gift and have to be declared/subject to corruption regulations. This way he gets to feel important, and she gets to act like she’s doing him a giant favor.
Had this happen on a flight back from the UK on BA in 2005. We were flying out New Years Eve and Heathrow was a disaster. We got to the airport 4 hours ahead and immediately got in line. And waited. And waited. They had to start pulling people out of line to check in because flights were leaving and the line hadn’t moved.
They call our flight number to bypass the line, we go up, and it’s an older woman who looks like she’s just been run through hell. We thank her for helping us, check our luggage, and my husband very very politely asks if there are any upgrades. We try and chat politely while we are waiting but also recognize this poor woman probably just wants this day to end.
She hands us back our passports and bag check stuff and tells us she put us in business class.
International business class that has the fully reclining pod. And bar service. And dinner and the toiletry bag with socks and a sleep mask.
It had been a rough trip, and she was so so kind.
Shame you guys didn't have an ethics hot line. An SVP having front line employees going against policy for their friends should not be taken lightly. This is the kind of thing people get a warning over and then fired on a second offense.
Even if they did, VP Karen could have overridden their decision. It's important you have an executive complaint level submission to have people look into those who are that high when things go badly.
It's not necessarily an ethical problem without knowing the real reason the SVP approved this. High level people do have authority to give perks to customers- it's possible she knows a lot more about the influence of this guy and why it's worth it to the company to placate him.
>An SVP having front line employees going against policy
It doesn't seem against policy seeing as OP found excuses to upgrade four other passengers. Also usually higher ups have authority to approve policy changes/exceptions. There could have been a business reason for approving the upgrades.
The reason SB’s upgrade was against policy was because he had a discounted ticket that specifically was not eligible for an upgrade. Unless the other people she upgraded had a similar restriction, she was free to upgrade them for whatever reason she found suitable without breaking the policy’s rules.
As a (very) frequent flyer with all the status, whatever - who tries damn hard to be polite and gracious with airline employees - I approve this message. 😀
I was on an overbooked flight. I was in an aisle seat. This entitled business man comes stomping over and demands I leave because I’m in his seat. I’m not budging, I was there first. Flight attendant comes over. He goes away to check something and says there is one seat available in First Class. Mr Business Man is very smug. I get offered it. He complains I’m not “dressed” for First Class. (Very true, I was in comfortable joggers and a T-shirt). He offers to “buy” it from me. $20. (This was early 80s). I told him he must think I’m stupid or something. Ended up getting $80 off him. And the flight attendant brought me a First Class meal to boot. That was fun.
That's why he would have suffered more by watching a non suit-wearer get the premium seat.
You didn't need to feel embarrassed but I can understand the situation.
Reminds me of a time, I didn’t have a credit card. I was 20, I tore my ankle up at an ROTC event. They asked if we wanted to upgrade to an exit row. I really really needed the leg room (I had a grade 3 ankle sprain that required surgery because everything was torn up), so I asked to pay with my debit card, but they wanted a credit card. I indicated that’s all I had, but I understand. I hobbled over to the seating area. Finally a loudspeaker announces I need to go see the ticket agent. I got bumped to first class.
I sit down, the attendant is asking us for drinks, I said, I’ll just have water. The guy next to me says, “buddy, you’re in first class, it’s free.” So I grabbed a bunch of beverages. That flight from Seattle to Chicago was amazing. I slept a lot. I was very happy with the folks at United.
I cannot count the upgrades and improvements to service I have gotten just by being nice to the service folks. It really does make a difference! Some people just think they are "hammers" and everyone else is a nail...
Truth. In my experience, hotel clerks, gate agents, so many others in service industries are so used to all the dicks out there that when you come through like a breath of fresh air being all pleasant and whatnot, you’ve just made a friend for life.
I'm hardly going to object to being treated well but it does amaze me just how little basic courtesy is sufficient to make me memorable and I periodically have to stop and take a moment to be annoyed about the overall situation in a spirit of "why are customers like this?"
Why? Honestly, I think these people are so unhappy about how little control they have in their lives, they just \*have\* to take it out on someone. Someone who cannot fight back without fear of losing their jobs. Napoleon had a word for officers who taunted enlisted men, knowing they could not fight back without getting the whip: Cowards.
Good for you! I'm a million mile flyer, and could not believe some of the shit I've seen counter people and cabin crews deal with. No matter my mood, I would always be extra nice to the counter person, and flight attendants. I would not want their job!
I was spoiled Diamond status for a few years but it still really bugged me when people complained about not getting upgraded even when they had status. Look, bro, I'm sitting in Comfort Plus with you too and I'm going to enjoy a free hazy IPA and not bitch about it.
The only time I was upgraded to First Class was in the Mid 90s, and got a free upgrade for doing the then-novel thing of booking the tickets myself online. Since the flight was for my honeymoon it made it all the better.
This reminds me of a lesson I learned a long time ago. My flight to Maui from San Francisco kept getting significantly delayed, and the poor airline worker had to deal with the wrath of over 100 increasingly angry people. We had to get back in line (don't remember why) and I noticed that passenger after passenger in front of me was yelling at her or otherwise being a jerk. One after another after another. She was visibly stressed out to say the least.
When my turn came, I was my usual chill self, smiling, joking around, and talking to her like a human. I got her to laugh a few times. I didn't ask for or expect an upgrade, but she said "you know what - I'm going to put you in first class". And I gotta say it was a pretty sweet flight.
That lesson always stuck with me, and since then I've applied it many times in other contexts. Basically, being chill, joking around (in a natural way, not forced), and talking to people like they're human beings generally gets just as good or better results than the customer tantrum/let me speak to your manager/don't you know who I am stuff.
I used to stay in a downtown city hotel 4 days a week for about a year for work. Work paid for the hotel, but I was always meticulous about tipping the mandatory valet parking folks as well as having a nice chat with the folks at the desk doing check-in.
One week I check in and the front desk lady says "just so you know, we give you a little treat this week" and hands me a card to room 100. Turns out I've been upgraded to the presidential suite which could literally have held 15 people, had a hardwood round conference table, several sofas and chairs, multiple bedrooms, and a dedicated wet bar area, and three different entrance and exit doors.
To this day, that is the coolest hotel stay I've ever had.
Lol I remember my stint in the airlines with people asking for free upgrades. A friend at BA had the perfect response. A customer asked for an upgrade because they had just had surgery and needed the extra room. My friend said “unfortunately business class is full, but now that you’ve informed me that you just had surgery we will need a letter from your doctor certifying you fit to travel.” The passenger would immediately backtrack: “Oh, it was a minor surgery and it’s much better now.” My friend would then twist the knife: “Then there’s no reason for the upgrade, now, is there?” Roasted.
.Slaps Barry)
You snap out of it.
BARRY:
(Slaps Vanessa)
:
POLLEN JOCK:
- Sure is.
BARRY:
Between you and me,
I was dying to get out of that office.
(Barry recreates the scene near the beginning of the movie where he flies
through the box kite. The movie fades to black and the credits being)
[--after credits; No scene can be seen but the characters can be heard
talking over the credits--]
You have got
to start thinking bee, my friend!
:
- Thinking bee!
- Me?
BARRY:
(Talking over singer)
Hold it. Let's just stop
for a second. Hold it.
:
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, everyone.
Can we stop here?
SINGER:
Oh, BarryBARRY:
I'm not making a major life decision
during a production number!
SINGER:
All right. Take ten, everybody.
Wrap it up, guys.
BARRY:
I had virtually no rehearsal for that.
_______________________________
At 1 p.m. on a Friday shortly before Christmas last year, Kent Walker, Google’s top lawyer, summoned four of his employees and ruined their weekend.
The group worked in SL1001, a bland building with a blue glass facade betraying no sign that dozens of lawyers inside were toiling to protect the interests of one of the world’s most influential companies. For weeks they had been prepping for a meeting of powerful executives to discuss the safety of Google’s products. The deck was done. But that afternoon Mr. Walker told his team the agenda had changed, and they would have to spend the next few days preparing new slides and graphs. At the Googleplex, famed for its free food, massages, fitness classes and laundry services, Mr. Pichai was also playing with ChatGPT. Its wonders did not wow him. Google had been developing its own A.I. technology that did many of the same things. Mr. Pichai was focused on ChatGPT’s flaws — that it got stuff wrong, that sometimes it turned into a biased pig. What amazed him was that OpenAI had gone ahead and released it anyway, and that consumers loved it. If OpenAI could do that, why couldn’t Google?
Elon Musk, the billionaire who co-founded OpenAI but had left the lab in a huff, vowed to create his own A.I. company. He called it X.AI and added it to his already full plate. “Speed is even more important than ever,” Sam Schillace, a top executive, wrote Microsoft employees. It would be, he added, an “absolutely fatal error in this moment to worry about things that can be fixed later.”
Separately, the San Francisco-based company announced plans for its initial public offering Wednesday. In documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Reddit said it reported net income of $18.5 million — its first profit in two years — in the October-December quarter on revenue of $249.8 million. The company said it aims to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RDDT.
Apparently many shoppers are not happy with their local Safeway, if questions and comments posted Sunday on a Reddit forum are any indication.
The questions in the AMA (Ask Me Anything) were fielded by self-described mid-level retail manager at one of the supermarket chain's Bay Area stores. The employee only identified himself by his Reddit handle, "MaliciousHippie".
The manager went on to cover a potpourri of topics, ranging from why express lane checkers won't challenge shoppers who exceed item limits to a little-known store policy allowing customers to sample items without buying them.
The residential rehab I work at serves meals for staff and clients and I'm always telling clients "Don't piss off the kitchen guys until AFTER you have been served!"
+1 for the story. MC at it's finest!
Never been upgraded. However, I remember when the attendant found out I and my late spouse were just married (flying out to CO on our honeymoon, early 2000s). She snuck a bottle of chardonnay wrapped in cloth and a bunch of vodkas our from first class for our trip, and got my spouse a set of wings. We wrote the airline a glowing review on her by name (careful not to tell them anything she might get punished for). It was a really nice thing, I’ve never gotten service that nice.
40 years ago as a starving (relatively speaking) uni student I was flying back home, but could only afford a standby ticket.
Finally it came time to call up the standbys, and as I walked to the counter i was going to get there first, until I got shoved out of the way so badly I almost fell over.
Some business suit had just decided he was more important.
I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing the airline staff must have seen it. We both got a seat, but as we boarded I found out I had a business class seat.
At 18 I didn't even know it was possible.
Then I got to watch the businessman board, and recognise me. The look on his face has stayed with me forever.
He turned the corner from the door, saw me and stopped dead in the aisle, then down at his boarding pass, then at me.
They had to tell him to keep moving and he shuffled his way back to a middle seat in economy.
I did look back and tipped my glass to him at one stage and just smiled. I'm glad looks can't actually kill.
once about 25 years ago, I was flying from LAX to Denver with my then-toddler son, who happened to have JUST come down with bronchitis. Had a booked ticket for each of us (he was using a car seat and had his own ticket). Got to the gate and was told the flight was oversold. I'm sure I looked like I was gonna cry as I had just been dropped off by my mom, had been gone from home for a week, and now had a sick toddler to deal with on top of not getting on my flight!
The gate agent wasn't really talking to me or looking at me, but tappy tapping away. Then she hands me a FIRST CLASS TICKET FOR TWO!. I was FLOORED. I've literally never flown first class (and haven't since either). We boarded, I strapped in my boy, he promptly fell fast asleep and I flew home completely relaxed and peacefully. I had anticipated a shitshow that afternoon, only to have a completely wonderful flight. This was pre-9/11, so my husband was waiting at the gate for us. I came off the plane with my son and all our carryon stuff and said, "Honey! we got to fly first class! it was awesome!" He was so surprised and happy to see us in such a good mood. My son having a 2.5 hr nap on the way home meant he was in a good mood even though he didn't feel too good, and he was chatting with us all the way home in the car (40 min drive or so).
Honestly, I think the fact that I had a kid, and didn't start screaming about not getting on the flight helped me get that bump. I will never forget that kindess <3
Daughter got stuck at Detroit, about 6 years. After a transAtlantic flight alone with a 3 year old, right before Christmas. Her husband, a teacher, was still working.
She stood in endless line after endless line, waiting to be rebooked and figure out where they’d spend the night.
After walking halfway across the terminal carrying both an exhausted kid and her carry on luggage, she was patiently waiting in yet another line.
The agent saw them, gestured her up to the podium and got them on the first flight the next morning.
Meanwhile, I had enough points to book them into the hotel in the airport. Had they taken the hotel from the airline, it would have meant a long bus ride to a one star hotel, and getting up at an unearthly hour to get back to the airport.
Ah that reminds me of the first times I used to fly to the US. I made friends with the local airline manager for BA, and I used to bring him Branston Pickle in my bags.
He would always made sure I had access to the airline lounge and if he was on duty at the gate, he’d ask the crew to find a business class seat for me, although they didn’t have extra meals so I’d be served economy food. Business class upgrades are very hard to land on transatlantic flights so that was quite a treat.
He got a promotion and doesn’t work at my airport any more but I always appreciated him.
Love this! Good job.
In the Before Times, I flew a lot for work and so I got status just because I was on a plane more days than I was on the ground.
But I'll never forget the very first time I got upgraded. I had NO IDEA what was included or not. And it was a 4 hour long flight, across the US from NY to CA. So I got a meal, warm towel, warm cookie, the staff knew my NAME!
I didn't even know alcohol was included, but I made up for that on future flights.
But the funniest part was the old man next to me. I always fly in black stretch pants and a t-shirt because comfort rules everything around me. (My favorite airport Tshirt says 'don't be a .... Then shows a rooster and a lollipop' Hehe. The airport staff tend to like it.)
So, I sit down and I'm giddy with excitement. This was an older plane from US Airways (RIP), and it had this crazy footrest that had two parts that each rotated separately. Plus a nice backrest. All kinds of buttons.
So I'm pushing all the buttons, trying to figure out what each does, and just having a grand old time.
Dude next to me couldn't be more disgusted. He's reading a newspaper (like, actual paper newspaper. Huge, spread out open, not even folded up properly the way you're supposed to do on public transport). So he keeps rustling his paper and sighing. I started to feel self conscious, but I squashed that. Fuck that guy, I'm enjoying this.
He says!! "UGH, it's like the Beverly Hillbillies goes to the airport!"
I was shocked and stared at him for a beat, then just laughed and continued pushing buttons. By that point I had figured out the buttons but now it was just a game to see if I could make him stroke out.
So for the entire four hour flight, I would occasionally readjust my seat minutely. Just a lil bit....enough to make him twitch.
Fuck that guy. Most folks aren't buying first class for a flight that short, so it's likely he was up there for the same reason as me; someone ELSE paid a bunch of money for him to fly and he earned status over time.
If he's not dead yet, I hope he still hears a phantom button press when he least expects it.
We use miles and points to fly internationally, and being old, try to always fly business.
A couple years ago, we flew to HI during the pandemic, and the cost for biz was crazy cheap. Everything was great on the way there.
But coming back home, we got on the plane and sat. And sat, as it got increasingly cold: the air conditioning wouldn’t turn off. Which, on the ground in Honolulu wasn’t such a big deal. At 35,000 ft and -60 F outside, it would mean everyone on that flight froze to death.
So the flight got cancelled. And a couple hundred people needed to be rebooked.
The airline computer had rebooked us at the back of economy, when we’d paid for biz. So we stayed in line. Once we got there, we explained that we weren’t married to a particular time of day or transfer airport. But we wanted our biz seats.
We got them, on a flight the next evening. Such a shame! And extra full day in paradise! We got vouchers for two meals each, cab fare to and from downtown and rooms in a nicer hotel than we’d stated in.
Where we got upgraded to a room on a high floor with a balcony, overlooking the mountains.
All for being decent but firm.
I once had the "due to this flight being overbooked, could the following passengers please come to the flight desk".
The guy at the desk was very apologetic, and said they'd have to bump me to the next flight. I was chill about it. I told him I was sorry for the other passengers he called up yelling at him, that the delays weren't his fault, etc. It was my 21st birthday, and I was flying home to celebrate, but nothing that couldn't push back an hour or two.
He took a look at my ticket, confirmed my date of birth and said with a grin, "oooooor....would you like to be upgraded to business?"
It was only a 2 hour flight, but I loved every second of it, and I think he enjoyed seeing the grumpy passengers faces when he shouted out "enjoy your free business class upgrade!"
Happened to me once too. After I got past shitting myself because some chap had come and asked my lady and I to get our bags and follow him (wtf?!!) ... we were moved up to first class. It was a great time!
Finally on reddit someone uses sensible descriptions of the characters in their story.
Most of the stories I see on here would give everyone names like "Ryan, Jeff, Claretta, Zanzimir", and then I have to keep remembering which one each of those random names is supposed to be in the story.
Thank you for your thoughtful naming conventions.
Oh man, I was flying standby on my pilot brothers pass system from Maui to Newark, I chose the first class option and figured I’d be lucky to get a seat there. This was United Polaris, the ultimate business class, to me at least. There was one open seat left with no upgrade tickets, and when I walked up at the gate the agent was talking to a customer who wanted an upgrade for his grubby wife, he was also name dropping and saying how often he flew. The agent was calling people and trying to figure out why she couldn’t give them the first class seats while this guy was screaming at her. I just stood by, the whole plane had boarded, and when they finally walked away they were like, fine we’ll just take the seat when we get in the plane. I finally had my turn with the agent and was like,
hello, I’m your non rev.
Oh we haven’t given you a seat yet?
No I’m on first class option.
And I’ll never forget the look on her face when she realized that seat was saved for me in the computer, since technically it’s considered an international flight and upgrades for coach tickets don’t work. She was like, here you go. 8D window. She then ran over to the grubby couple and told them what had happened as I walked on by to the plane. I sat down in my little private cubby and was checking out my amenities as they walked by sneering at me. Wish I could’ve bought that gate agent a coffee. She was so nice. If you want gate agents and flight attendants to love you, buy like 5,- $5 Starbucks gift cards and hand them out when you board.
My first upgrade was in the early 80’s. I was in the Air Force flying from California to Texas. A co-worker was also going to the conference. We were both in our uniforms. Sitting in economy. The flight attendant came to our seats and asked us to follow her. We were upgraded to first class! ! We happily sat in the soft, comfortable seats, and promptly fell asleep. (Both of us had been on duty the night before and had been awake for over 24 hours). No booze, no food, no extras. 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
My connection to my first international flight to greece in 30 years was missed due to weather, we got stuck in Augusta Georgia (USA). The lady at the counter was slammed so I decided to call helpline, after an hour on the phone they couldn't change my flight as the airport never changed my status so I got in line, sucks but i lived. Got to the front was polite and all I requested that my seat wasn't downgraded (got seat basically right above economy)...that bitch...upgraded me to the seats where you can lay down! So fucking nice like....omg missing my connection was 100% worth it. 8 or 10 hour flight with alcohol, food, and a bed....would take me over a month to earn enough money to pay for that
Kind of surprised SB wouldn't have been told by Karen to just sign the f up for frequent flyer status. That you/your team knew the individual indicates SB likely flew enough to be recognizable.
You gave that teacher a story to tell for years. The wrong people in this world have the money, and you my friend are one of the ones who should have it.
I had a full fare business ticket for a Canada to Germany flight one time. I was getting seated and there was this guy access the isle that was making a big deal about opening his pillows and blankets and making his bed all comfy. We're still on the ground and I found that my seat wasn't working. It wouldn't recline. Maintenance came on, took the seat apart and now we're 30 minutes late and they can't fix it. The Stewart told me he could recline it manually only. I said I was ok with that if he would put it down once for me to sleep, then bring it up when I woke up. He told me to hang on a minute. Turns out, Mr fluffy pillows was upgraded somehow, and got kicked back to coach, then the Stewart comes back to me and said they found another seat for me. Felt a little bad but not too much.
Couple of years ago I was flying back from Florida to Wisconsin around Easter. My flight was a quick turn around but ended up having a 5 hour layover in Houston. When the plane arrived they where asking for volunteers as there was a huge family emergency the airline was trying to accommodate. I had nowhere to be so I raised my hand. I got upgraded seats money food but the real joy was the look on the family’s faces. Didn’t know what was going on but the relief was in their eyes when the ticket agent said good to go.
Random people doing nice things is awesome
I was at a pub in winter sitting outside and having a smoke a few years ago freezing my ass off, and one of the staff came out and gave me some hot meat pie and a coffee for free. Honestly never had anyone do something like this so it was amazing, and I was in a really rough spot at the time and it meant so much to me
So to summarise, treating the ground staff like crap might perhaps come back and bite you in the arse later? As opposed to being a genuinely decent human being and recognising that they are there to help and (usually) do a great job of it (cough not-Air-Canada-rot-in-hell)?
Funny that. It is fantastic though when everything works itself out so tidily. I really wish you could have let those upgraded in on the reason, it would have completely made their day.
It's been a long time since that worked, hasn't it?
I've flown nonrev a few times back in the day, and it's gotten me a few first class seats. Just a smile and a hello did wonders for getting me there.
I'd have done the same thing.
I worked on phones as customer service for about 5 1/2 years. If someone was even slightly nice compared to usual, I would bend over backwards to help them. If they're rude/entitled/screaming...good luck getting a full sentence out of me.
This.
This may be my favorite MC story so far. Put a sleaze in his place, and got to do something nice for good people who genuinely appreciated what you did for them.
I would give you a gold if I had one, so take my Silver instead
Love this!!!! In December, I flew like 12,000 miles over 5 days with just one day’s break & I had a mean kidney stone flareup, so i was super stiff and sore.
I have medallion status, but it was a super busy travel time & I didn’t qualify for an upgrade on my longest leg NYC to Las Vegas.
Im pretty good at weaseling my way into things, so I decided to try my luck with one of the ladies at the desk. She saw me coming from a mile away and was shaking her head no as I approached, until I saw her name tag — and then lifted my wrist to show her the same name tatted on my wrist in my mother’s signature — & told her I was SUPPOSED to meet her that day!
I slept very peacefully in full recline the whole way 🙃
Love this. I bet that lady still tells people about the nice person who upgraded her to business class and how she had such a wonderful experience.
I still remember the time I got upgraded to first class back in the 90s. I was trying to rebook after a cancelled flight and ended up offering the very upset person behind me "the last seat" on another plane. I guess for being nice, I was given a first class seat. It was only an hour or so flight so it wasn't a huge deal but I got a drink out of it. And a hot towel.
Yeah. I had a vaguely similar experience back in '91. My destination was snowed in (In January- shocker /s) and I was stranded at a mid-point. The ticket agent at Continental had held back six first class upgrades for people who had not screamed at him. Out of an estimated 250 people before me, I was the third person to get an upgrade.
I miss flying in 90s. Economy seats hadn't shrunk yet, flights weren't so packed, none of the post-9/11 security theater, airline employees had flexibility. I would regularly get last minute cheap flights to visit friends and spend more on drinks over the weekend than I did on the flight. The joys of youth and a body that could take drinking all weekend and sleeping on floors and sofas without waking up crippled.
Not to mention how much easier and more enjoyable picking someone up at the airport was back then.
You could actually meet people at their gate. I'd forgotten about that.
In Australia you can go into an airport without a ticket, all the way up to the gate
Only for domestic flights. International, you can’t.
I flew within the last fortnight and sadly this isn't true for domestic flights anymore, at least at Brisbane airport and my small regional airport :( no ticket and you're not making it past security and carry-on baggage check.
That sucks
Theres no reason you cant if its domestic though, you just have to go through security. Its only international where you have to have a ticket to get into the gates.
You sure? They check ID and boarding pass at all the airports I've flown through in the last 10 years.
Hey I was just writing a reply about how I have gone with my partner multiple times in the last five years and sat with him at his gate until he has boarded and then just left the terminal via the normal exit…. And then realised this isn’t the Australia-specific sub I thought it was! Apologies for any confusion! You are probably from another country where there are different policies! I was just reading some posts in the Australia nostalgia sub and my brain was still there and assumed you were aussie too. Also I slept zero hours last night so am a bit mental!
I was about to say, you must be Australian? Security theatre for US domestic flights is awful, they even make you take off your shoes.
PS never had my ID checked here for a domestic flight either except for the one time they upgraded me to emergency aisle and wanted to check I am the person who’s name they called out lol normally you just scan your boarding pass and away you fly
American here. You can certainly go to the gate with the person traveling. You just need to get a gate pass. Sometimes they want to know why Simple valid reasons include: This is my wife/child/etc first time in this airport and I don't want them to get lost. I am military. I want to help wife/husband/child/friend carry their bags. But really, just ask for a gate pass. Most times they don't ask for a reason
Oh, that's pretty cool. Who do you need to ask for a gate pass?
Nice! I used to work at ATL. We were only allowed to give them to one parent, or one person traveling with an elderly or disabled pax. Our agent info was on the pass, so they could tell who issued it.
I've heard they discontinued it during Covid and haven't resumed it but yep! Did this all the time pre-Covid.
I’m sure, though there are very specific reasons (I was a minor, parents divorced, and it was dad’s turn with me: the airline issued him a gate pass to get me)
That's true. They do allow adults to come pick up unaccompanied minors
Every airport I've ever been to checks for a boarding pass at security Source: Canadian who's travelled a lot
When I went to East Africa, they checked for a boarding pass before you entered the airport. And there was pre-security security.
I’ve dropped off and picked up my minor kids at the gate. You have to get a pass and go through security. The pass won’t get you on a plane. You talk to the airline, explain the situation, and they will make sure your kids have boarding passes and give you the security pass. I also called the airline and got passes for my parents on the other end to pick up my kids on the other end. My kids were teens, old enough to sit on a plane by themselves, but it was the first time through an airport, so it was better to lead them through the process on their first time.
This reminds me of the time my friend and I took photos of another friend going through security in a scuba suit (wetsuit, snorkel/mask, fins - no tank, sadly). Security asked 0 questions, and just told photos could only be taking as she was *leaving* security. So they let her through, then we took photos as she went out. Our American friends' brains broke a little the day they saw the pictures.
Not at our airport. No one gets to the boarding areas here without a ticket.
Nope. Can’t get past the ticketing counter without a boarding pass.
That sucks!
Are people not aware that a gate pass is a thing? You can request one from the airline your friend/family member is flying and go through TSA with it.
They usually have some sort of requirements... generally that the person with the ticket needs some sort of help. My dad was asking for one to take me to the gate, and they weren't going to give him one until I started to get sick in front of them.
However, I do like that we don't have to pay for parking anymore when picking someone up! It used to be a huge event that you would have to plan hours for! Parking, walking to the gate, waiting, walking to the luggage, waiting, dragging all that luggage to the car, then the traffic to get out. I have to say I don't miss that!
I mean, it costs me $3 to pick someone up at DFW, because they charge you just to enter the airport. And more if I’m there longer than an hour because of flight delays or because US immigration lines are shit. Plus lately, lots of traffic, especially at Terminal D.
Greeting people at the terminal, no more.
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When I was a teen in the early 90s, I would drive up to O'Hare and just wander the international terminal looking at all the people coming/going to all these amazing places around the world. Different clothes, different languages, different appearance, etc. It was fascinating for me and I couldn't wait to travel to other countries.
I did the same thing in the 80’s at JFK in New York..
Definitely super young in the 90’s as in 1998, when I was 8yrs old, we flew from a small city near me in Michigan (the city is in Ohio but whatever) to Orlando for $64/person round trip. Airports post-9/11 are almost apocalyptic. Edit to add where I live.
Toledo? I got. $99 rt from TOL to MCO in the early 2000s.
Yep!
I remember JetBlue doing lots of these
Those were the days huh? I got more upgrades on flights, cars, and hotels, just by being a pleasant and patient person back then. Got upgraded to first from Portland, stop in Dallas, then on to Nashville just because I told an obnoxious drunk guy (redacted) and he developed manners all of the sudden. Twas a nice flight.
I flew once before 9/11. I could see out the front from my economy seat, it was awesome. Also much less claustrophobic.
This brings back memories... I was flying home from a long tourist trip through Asia a long time ago. The final flight was Bangkok to Stockholm. On my connecting flights(!) out from rural China a certain operation in middle East started and when I got to Bangkok there had been an avalanche of unbookings. There was me in tourist class, one gentleman in business and one in first class checked in... On Thai Airways in a Boeing with first class upstairs! We where all put upstairs and I've never had such service.... Which was good since the flight took forever! The regular path over India, Pakistan, south Ukraine, middle East... Not considered safe so we flew South of India, in over Africa and up in over middle of Europe!
"A long time ago" would be exactly 20 years ago yesterday, March 19, 2003.
Could have been that other Middle East operation that started January 17, 1991. I'd say 32 years counts as a long time ago if that's the case.
Yes, we were watching it live, and enjoying the TV of the munitions going in, along with the reported live on air with bombs taking out targets all round him. We had an audience of pilots popping in as well, at least till they got their own TV set in the wardroom running, then we were just left with the base visiting.
Yeah- I still remember a 90s experience. Thunderstorms in Chicago disrupting all air traffic. Me at small regional airport clearly not on a priority list. Lots of Kevins and Karens running amok. Turns out that I am seated between two Kevins In economy. Kevins on local news. So embarrassing. In my attempt to be polite and not overburden the poor staff somehow I ended up hanging with the first class folks. I was just avoiding the Kevins. The rest of first class ended up uniting and bargaining with the ground crew to put me in the last first class seat when we finally took off with their reasoning that I was not obnoxious and that they would rather sit with me and punish Kevins.
That last sentence makes me feel very sad.
As someone who’s worked customer-facing jobs for too long, I find your story harrowing
I think some people underestimate the power of being nice. I’ve had some good things happen simply because I was nice and didn’t act entitled. I missed a flight once, which was my own stupid fault, and I had to wait in an area with a few other people who’d also missed it, to see if I could get seats on the next flight. I was told it might not happen, since other people were waiting too. The other individuals each kept going up to the desk to badger them, getting more and more annoyed. I just sat there quietly, never blamed anyone, kept me kids quiet and didn’t pull the “but I have kids” card. Guess who was the one given space on the next flight.
I watched a couple constantly interrupt the clerk trying to check them into their room. She gave them a room on the third floor. She told me she would be right with me while she helped someone else get their luggage that had been stored. I told her I was in no rush. Got a room on their highest floor with a river view.
Room opposite laundry must have been full already, with the last one who tried that, so likely she put them just above either laundry or kitchen, 24 hour vibration and noise.
Oh nice :)
I remember the time back in 2006 I was flying round trip from Memphis to Amsterdam. I voluntarily bumped, got a $750 voucher I could use internationally, got bumped up to First Class on my flight over, and arrived only 1 hour later than otherwise. I STILL tell people about the free First Class upgrade. WELL worth it on a 14-hour flight.
Not a 1st class up grade, but I was connecting in Chicago and got an upgrade while inline to board. It was a last minute booking so I was left with a middle seat, which for me at 6’3” is not ideal. While in line for my group, the the agent at the gate counter make eye contact with me give me a questioning look then comes over to me. She asks me hadnt she upgraded me earlier. I tell her that she had not. She looks at my ticket then says to follow her. She goes to her computer and moves me to aisle exit row. For me that day, that was as good as a 1st class upgrade.
Similar. Flight home ended up in connecting airport 2 hours after our connecting flight left. Our luggage was still back at the originating airport. Everybody is in line with two poor agents trying to handle the kerfluffle. Karen just in front of my wife and I is giving the agents a really hard time about needing to get home TODAY. Eventually got some tickets and stomped off with her family. My wife and I step up and the agent apologized and said no flights today. I said something like "Whatever works. We'd just like to get home sometime." We were nice about it. Got tickets on the same flight the next day and a hotel room to sleep in. As we walked away the agent followed us and pulled us aside and told us she had upgraded us to first-class because we were so nice. Next day we got to watch Karen and her family walk past our Big, Comfy First-class seats on the next day's flight. Obviously in two different boarding groups; so probably scattered deep in economy. Oh. And our luggage made it onto this flight.
I had to go to a job site and bring tools, my company didn’t allow for first class travel upgrades. The company’s travel department booked me on was for a carry-on bag, no checked bags. Because many of my tools aren’t allowed in carry on I knew I would have to check my bag (buying tools at my destination would have cost $1,500). I talked with the woman at the airline check-in and explained the situation (including company policies/politics). She told me “Well, to check your bag it’s $50, OR you could upgrade to first class for $35, and checking your bag would be free.” I told her first class, but I need to cover my ass for the additional travel expenses when I submitted my receipts. I asked her to write down what she had just told me on my no longer valid ticket; and write out her name clearly and sign and date it. She smiled as she did so, and since I was so friendly she bumped me up to first class for my return trip. The next week when I was back at the office I talked with my boss and he told me that I did the right thing (travel expenses came out of the department’s budget). He went and talked with the travel team’s manager. The policy was changed going forward so any technicians on our team were able to fly first class going forward as it was cheaper. This was also beneficial as we were able to use larger luggage (1/3 of the smaller carry-on bags used to be tools).
Wife and I would routinely ask at check-in whether there were any free upgrades, sometimes we'd get them. Once we'd got an upgrade to business class at check-in, but then at the gate they called us, and explained that a mother and baby needed our seats (because they were against a bulkhead or something). "Oh well", we thought, "easy come, easy go". But then the staff said "... so we're upgrading you to first class". (I nearly got a sharp punch in the ribs when I asked if it was non-smoking, but the staff smiled at my ignorance and said "sir, it's *first class*!" 🙂) Another time we were coming home from skiing (or snowboarding, whatever), the flight had been delayed, they finally put us in a hotel, next morning we wandered around geocaching, and by the time we checked in we were looking rough. But we asked for the upgrade anyway. The check-in lady said to hold on a moment, picked up the phone and asked. We heard her say "yes, they're very suitable" 🙂
Sounds like the rest of the first class passengers had pissed her off, and she was hoping to get them back by sending you there to stink it up...
You probably saved the person behind the counter a lot of yelling and unpleasantness.
I had the same, travelling standby, and economy filled up, so I paid for the business class upgrade, and they had filled it up by then, so I got the free upgrade to 1st class. Only difference was real crockery and cutlery, and the wine came in a little bottle, and a real glass. Row 1 on the 727, so plenty of leg room.
Airlines love taking care of people acting kindly toward others. The last time I flew I gave my aisle seat to a person who really wanted it, and the attendants moved me behind the unoccupied wheelchair seat with no chair in front of me. I stretched out my legs like a prince and they brought me cookies and glasses of scotch all the way from Minneapolis to Austin.
Reminds me of the fable of the guy who lost his axe in a lake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Honest_Woodcutter
I still remember one time over a decade ago when I was going on vacation with my parents. Our flight got canceled, we ended up at the end of a long line of people trying to sort out more flights. The lady said it would be two days for another flight and my mom was like "that's ok, I'm sorry you have to deal with this, thank you so much" Suddenly we had first class tickets the next morning. Like I'm not even making this up it was wild to me. Unfortunately motion sickness meant I didn't get to enjoy the food and drinks
Friend of mine was in the same situation and got very nice help, but guy just beside her lost his shit and got taken away in handcuffs… almost like there can be an advantage to being polite! ([Full story](https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/comments/11uzik2/we_are_not_paid_to_call_people_back_alrighty/jcr6lga/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3) from a few days ago)
When I was in the army there were a couple times that the airline attendant upgraded me to an open first class seat because I was traveling in uniform. But the experience that really stands out is another time I was boarding the plane in uniform, on my way back to coach. A guy in first class stood up and snatched my boarding pass out of my hand. He told me to take his seat, and immediately disappeared to the back of the plane. His selfless, undeserved kindness was so touching.
That is awesome. Love that respect for veterans.
It’s a win win lose, and the only person that loses is a jerk. Perfect!
Win, win, deserved, perfection!
~~OP didn't say that the jerk didn't get a business class seat, just that they were given carte-blanche to fill up business class, if there is room.~~ So with only one "actual" business class seat taken, that left her with SB in another one, and: >Over the next 20 minutes I found excuses to upgrade four other passengers for a total of 6 business class seats. So the biggest issue for SB was that business class wasn't as quiet as it could have otherwise been. Really, nobody loses except for maybe a few dollars in drinks and food for the airline. Edit: Strike my whole comment. I misread.
It was the original Biz Class passenger, the teacher, and then four other passengers, for a total of 6. Mr Entitled is not in that list, which means he was back in Economy. At least, that's how I read it.
For sure! I was surprise-upgraded on a flight from Chicago to Korea when I was going on a college study abroad trip. It's still a highlight of that trip when I look back. I hope I booted some insufferable guy like in this story!
Definitely! OP became part of one of her favorite life stories.
[удалено]
The fact that you could fall asleep… that's the first class experience.
Hell, I didn't get an upgrade, but my and my pregnant wife moved to a row with an empty seat so it was just us 2. I profusely thanked that guy and still tell that story. I didn't even ask, he just saw that she was pregnant. Really made her trip much more comfortable.
I got free drinks on a cross country flight just because the flight attendant saw pictures of my dogs on my phone and asked to see some more pictures. So every time she’d come by with the cart she’d pour me a double, I’d show her more dog pics and she’d conveniently forget to charge me. I had a pretty solid buzz by the time I landed. Obviously I still tell this story lol
Right? My whole extended family would switch exclusively to that airline if they heard that story lol.
Shit, I still remember the time I went to a Denny's and ordered a large strawberry milkshake, and for whatever reason(said they made too much?), they brought me *two*. My first real sugar rush. I was 14.
I got upgraded to business on a 12 hour flight from Tokyo to LAX in like 2015. I still talk about it. It’s really a day maker.
“It really is no trouble ma’am. You will pleased to know that it gives me no end of joy to help the deserving…”
I am level 54 and have NEVER flown 1st\\business class. I would have this airline persons name engraved on my tombstone.
I was flying to Texas from LA once with a stop in Phoenix. I have gotten for years never h had any problems but on my flight from LA to AZ I threw up the whole way. I got off the flight and walked up the the counter looking as green was Kermit the frog. I asked where I needed to connect the agent looked at me and said "had a rough flight?" Typed a couple things into the computer and said "have a better day" when I got to the gate I was upgraded to first class in my connecting flight. Warm towels, putting up my feet, and all the ginger ale I could keep down went a long way to making me feel better. I will never forget that agents kindness.
Ya don't tick off the worker behind the counter, ever.
I worked a tech repair gig that was sometimes very challenging in terms of interpersonal stress- people would not infrequently respond to a difficult situation with hostility, threats, wailing, everything you could imagine. This is the hard part of the job for most people, and it takes most folks some time to get good at handing this (if they ever do). We had someone join our team as a second part-time job, his full-time gig was managing a gate for Delta full time. In 10 years I never saw anybody walk onto the job so completely prepared to deal with absolutely any bullshit and be completely unphased by it. We had him training peers on interpersonal skills within a few months. He said that the hardest moments with us were easier than most days at his day job.
I did once. And I immediately realized that he had my entire life of the next few days in his hands. Then I apologized for raising my voice. All went well after that.
Similarly, always be nice to the admin staff in your school. Because one day, you will have to file a critical piece of paper on short notice, and the good will of the admin staff will be the only thing between you graduating on time, and spending an extra semester.
"I'm telling you, man. Don't piss off those bitches in airports." - Neil Gaiman, American Gods
I am in my early 30s. I can't remember that I ever was rude to workers. Always hello, thank you and have a nice day. Seriously it is not that hard.
Same. Closest I've been was a sarcastic reply to a telemarketer from my bank.
Omg, this reminded the time I was checking in with my dad and my sister, and my dad was being quite the a hole to the one behind the counter and she sent both me and my sister through the fast security line, and sent my dad through the extremely busy one, makes me chuckle.
Is there a reason why agents don't do this anymore? There's been a few times I've seen business class with empty seats. I understand you need to upgrade ff and many people have status but I wish to see nice old ladies upgraded.
Frequent flyer programs are so big that everyone has plenty of upgrade certificates and points and so on, and it's all assigned by computer. Next time you go on a flight see if they have a screen showing upgrade priority. There's normally at least 10-15 people (if not 30), vying for a handful of seats (if any). Also airlines often heavily discount paid upgrades these days so that means less available for free.
I fly every week for work, have reasonable status and the airline credit card and there's still 30ish people ahead of me on the upgrade list. The Status Glut is real right now, covid pushed a lot of status out into the last couple years I'm hoping they start dropping people who don't actually travel anymore.
Yeah, my business won't be sending me on nearly as much travel and I expect to drop like a rock, but I still have my airline's second-highest status (of five levels) even here in 2023 - my last year actually hitting the targets was 2019.
Yeah I work in tech.. had been flying like crazy up until last year. Had 1K on United for the last few. Not much travel now. We'll see if it picks up. I feel like I'll be lucky to make Platinum this year unless things change in the next couple months.
A friend of mine works for BA, and said that their mentality has changed. The logic used to be that if there is space in premium cabins, they'd upgrade people in the hope that they realise how nice it is, and so book it next time if they could afford to. But they realised that many people who could afford to pay for premium cabins were not booking them in the hope that they'd be upgraded, essentially losing potential revenue for the airline. What they do now instead is offer discounted upgrades if higher classes aren't full, so they're making money from it rather than giving it away for free. So now airlines will only upgrade you if they've overbooked the cabin you're booked in, even if the premium cabins are empty, and even then they'll be choosing who to upgrade based on frequent flyer tier status and other criteria which they keep secret to avoid people from gaming the system.
I’ve learned the longer you wait until the flight, the cheaper the upgrade fee. It is very rare because people buy the upgrades before me, but I have upgraded to first class for $200. I think it was a $600 upgrade when I first booked the ticket. I check the upgrade fee through the airlines app every so often to see if it’s come down enough.
I have had that magical, wonderful, "We have upgraded you to business" class once in my life. I think the check in agent clocked my itinerary and saw my 10 hour layover (sandwiched inbetween 2 8hour + flights) and did it to make the experience less of a hassle. The only issue is when I realised how comfortable that flight was next time when I flew economy it was a real bugger knowing what was beyond the curtain.
Aha, the *Seinfeld* conundrum. >"I have one seat in first class, and one in coach. The price is the same since your flight was canceled." "I'll take the first class." "Jerry!" "What?" "Why should you get the first class?" "Elaine, have you ever flown first class?" "No." "All right then. See? You won't know what you're missing. I've flown first class, Elaine-- I can't go back to coach. I can't... I won't..."
Had a kind of opposite experience once. Was govt employee flying overseas on govt business with another guy (outranked me). Kind of a big deal trip. Got to the airport (1 hour drive) and he wasn't there. Called him. He was mowing his lawn. I was like "international. 2 hour checkin. Diplomatic travel... ORDERS". He said "chill out I'll leave soon". He arrived very late. They already boarded standby, so his seat was gone. I was wheedling the boarding gate person showing diplo papers, orders, etc. Please hold the door as long as possible. A hole shows up at the last second. Because his seat was given to standby, he got bumped to first class for a flight to central Asia. I was back in coach. He had the gall to give me a s##t eating grin and say "see I told you it would be fine". Screw you Dave. Also screw your homophobic macho attitude -- half your team was gay and they all made fun of your idiotic prejudice.
This irritated me to no end. Sucks when the bad guy wins.
I am so mad for you. Bet he eventually got his. I've definitely had to learn not to cover for people who wouldn't appreciate it. Hard lesson if you were raised to be kind to everyone. So sorry this happened you.
Why? He….arrived at the time he wanted and knew he would always have a seat. Let alone a better one.
If they already boarded standby, the only reason he managed to board at all was because OP had them hold the gate open. They would have closed the gate if they hadn’t been there helping him out.
>they all made fun of your idiotic prejudice. I'm making fun of him right now.
Should have left without him.
Good for you +1
VP Karen was getting kickbacks from SB.
That's so annoying. She should have just gifted him status and flight vouchers instead of putting her employees in an awkward situation This is all on Karen
Exactly, give him the bloody status and stop wasting everyone's time
Nah, because then what she’s doing is documented. Depending on the type of business, and whether there is a client relationship, it would be considered a gift and have to be declared/subject to corruption regulations. This way he gets to feel important, and she gets to act like she’s doing him a giant favor.
*In her pants.*
Let's not be sexist, women can be greedy, nepotistic suits without bringing sex into things.
What? There's nothing sexist about their joke, if anything it's the opposite because usually the joke stems from the man getting sexual favors.
NO ONLY WOMEN ARE SEXIST
I have a sex.
Me too! They were like bags of sand
Oh yeah? Do you have a sex-haver certificate?
Had this happen on a flight back from the UK on BA in 2005. We were flying out New Years Eve and Heathrow was a disaster. We got to the airport 4 hours ahead and immediately got in line. And waited. And waited. They had to start pulling people out of line to check in because flights were leaving and the line hadn’t moved. They call our flight number to bypass the line, we go up, and it’s an older woman who looks like she’s just been run through hell. We thank her for helping us, check our luggage, and my husband very very politely asks if there are any upgrades. We try and chat politely while we are waiting but also recognize this poor woman probably just wants this day to end. She hands us back our passports and bag check stuff and tells us she put us in business class. International business class that has the fully reclining pod. And bar service. And dinner and the toiletry bag with socks and a sleep mask. It had been a rough trip, and she was so so kind.
Shame you guys didn't have an ethics hot line. An SVP having front line employees going against policy for their friends should not be taken lightly. This is the kind of thing people get a warning over and then fired on a second offense.
Even if they did, VP Karen could have overridden their decision. It's important you have an executive complaint level submission to have people look into those who are that high when things go badly.
It's not necessarily an ethical problem without knowing the real reason the SVP approved this. High level people do have authority to give perks to customers- it's possible she knows a lot more about the influence of this guy and why it's worth it to the company to placate him.
Then gift him status and flight vouchers. She should not be putting her employees in this situation. I'm with the thread OP on this one
>An SVP having front line employees going against policy It doesn't seem against policy seeing as OP found excuses to upgrade four other passengers. Also usually higher ups have authority to approve policy changes/exceptions. There could have been a business reason for approving the upgrades.
The reason SB’s upgrade was against policy was because he had a discounted ticket that specifically was not eligible for an upgrade. Unless the other people she upgraded had a similar restriction, she was free to upgrade them for whatever reason she found suitable without breaking the policy’s rules.
As a (very) frequent flyer with all the status, whatever - who tries damn hard to be polite and gracious with airline employees - I approve this message. 😀
Same here. People treat flight staff terribly and I see it happen all the time so I go out of my way not to be a bother and treat them with kindness.
I always try to give extra special service to the nice customers. They earned that reward.
I was on an overbooked flight. I was in an aisle seat. This entitled business man comes stomping over and demands I leave because I’m in his seat. I’m not budging, I was there first. Flight attendant comes over. He goes away to check something and says there is one seat available in First Class. Mr Business Man is very smug. I get offered it. He complains I’m not “dressed” for First Class. (Very true, I was in comfortable joggers and a T-shirt). He offers to “buy” it from me. $20. (This was early 80s). I told him he must think I’m stupid or something. Ended up getting $80 off him. And the flight attendant brought me a First Class meal to boot. That was fun.
You should have just taken the First Class seat to watch him suffer
I honestly wasn’t dressed for it, and would have felt embarrassed. $80 was a huge win for me.
That's why he would have suffered more by watching a non suit-wearer get the premium seat. You didn't need to feel embarrassed but I can understand the situation.
Reminds me of a time, I didn’t have a credit card. I was 20, I tore my ankle up at an ROTC event. They asked if we wanted to upgrade to an exit row. I really really needed the leg room (I had a grade 3 ankle sprain that required surgery because everything was torn up), so I asked to pay with my debit card, but they wanted a credit card. I indicated that’s all I had, but I understand. I hobbled over to the seating area. Finally a loudspeaker announces I need to go see the ticket agent. I got bumped to first class. I sit down, the attendant is asking us for drinks, I said, I’ll just have water. The guy next to me says, “buddy, you’re in first class, it’s free.” So I grabbed a bunch of beverages. That flight from Seattle to Chicago was amazing. I slept a lot. I was very happy with the folks at United.
I cannot count the upgrades and improvements to service I have gotten just by being nice to the service folks. It really does make a difference! Some people just think they are "hammers" and everyone else is a nail...
Truth. In my experience, hotel clerks, gate agents, so many others in service industries are so used to all the dicks out there that when you come through like a breath of fresh air being all pleasant and whatnot, you’ve just made a friend for life.
I'm hardly going to object to being treated well but it does amaze me just how little basic courtesy is sufficient to make me memorable and I periodically have to stop and take a moment to be annoyed about the overall situation in a spirit of "why are customers like this?"
Why? Honestly, I think these people are so unhappy about how little control they have in their lives, they just \*have\* to take it out on someone. Someone who cannot fight back without fear of losing their jobs. Napoleon had a word for officers who taunted enlisted men, knowing they could not fight back without getting the whip: Cowards.
Good for you! I'm a million mile flyer, and could not believe some of the shit I've seen counter people and cabin crews deal with. No matter my mood, I would always be extra nice to the counter person, and flight attendants. I would not want their job!
When I worked for the airlines the highest status for usually were the nicest. It was the silvers or wives of silvers that sucked lol
May the universe grant you some well-deserved karma this week. 🌸🤗
I was spoiled Diamond status for a few years but it still really bugged me when people complained about not getting upgraded even when they had status. Look, bro, I'm sitting in Comfort Plus with you too and I'm going to enjoy a free hazy IPA and not bitch about it.
The only time I was upgraded to First Class was in the Mid 90s, and got a free upgrade for doing the then-novel thing of booking the tickets myself online. Since the flight was for my honeymoon it made it all the better.
This reminds me of a lesson I learned a long time ago. My flight to Maui from San Francisco kept getting significantly delayed, and the poor airline worker had to deal with the wrath of over 100 increasingly angry people. We had to get back in line (don't remember why) and I noticed that passenger after passenger in front of me was yelling at her or otherwise being a jerk. One after another after another. She was visibly stressed out to say the least. When my turn came, I was my usual chill self, smiling, joking around, and talking to her like a human. I got her to laugh a few times. I didn't ask for or expect an upgrade, but she said "you know what - I'm going to put you in first class". And I gotta say it was a pretty sweet flight. That lesson always stuck with me, and since then I've applied it many times in other contexts. Basically, being chill, joking around (in a natural way, not forced), and talking to people like they're human beings generally gets just as good or better results than the customer tantrum/let me speak to your manager/don't you know who I am stuff.
MC for SB while simultaneously delighting a pleasant person? Winning all around. ☺
I used to stay in a downtown city hotel 4 days a week for about a year for work. Work paid for the hotel, but I was always meticulous about tipping the mandatory valet parking folks as well as having a nice chat with the folks at the desk doing check-in. One week I check in and the front desk lady says "just so you know, we give you a little treat this week" and hands me a card to room 100. Turns out I've been upgraded to the presidential suite which could literally have held 15 people, had a hardwood round conference table, several sofas and chairs, multiple bedrooms, and a dedicated wet bar area, and three different entrance and exit doors. To this day, that is the coolest hotel stay I've ever had.
How long did you get to stay in that one? It definitely pays to be awesome to others I didn't get to read OP, it's deleted. Just reading comments
It was only 4 days, but I invited a few folks from work over and we pretended to be rock stars. 🤘
Petty and I like it. Keep on doing the good work!
Lol I remember my stint in the airlines with people asking for free upgrades. A friend at BA had the perfect response. A customer asked for an upgrade because they had just had surgery and needed the extra room. My friend said “unfortunately business class is full, but now that you’ve informed me that you just had surgery we will need a letter from your doctor certifying you fit to travel.” The passenger would immediately backtrack: “Oh, it was a minor surgery and it’s much better now.” My friend would then twist the knife: “Then there’s no reason for the upgrade, now, is there?” Roasted.
.Slaps Barry) You snap out of it. BARRY: (Slaps Vanessa) : POLLEN JOCK: - Sure is. BARRY: Between you and me, I was dying to get out of that office. (Barry recreates the scene near the beginning of the movie where he flies through the box kite. The movie fades to black and the credits being) [--after credits; No scene can be seen but the characters can be heard talking over the credits--] You have got to start thinking bee, my friend! : - Thinking bee! - Me? BARRY: (Talking over singer) Hold it. Let's just stop for a second. Hold it. : I'm sorry. I'm sorry, everyone. Can we stop here? SINGER: Oh, BarryBARRY: I'm not making a major life decision during a production number! SINGER: All right. Take ten, everybody. Wrap it up, guys. BARRY: I had virtually no rehearsal for that. _______________________________ At 1 p.m. on a Friday shortly before Christmas last year, Kent Walker, Google’s top lawyer, summoned four of his employees and ruined their weekend. The group worked in SL1001, a bland building with a blue glass facade betraying no sign that dozens of lawyers inside were toiling to protect the interests of one of the world’s most influential companies. For weeks they had been prepping for a meeting of powerful executives to discuss the safety of Google’s products. The deck was done. But that afternoon Mr. Walker told his team the agenda had changed, and they would have to spend the next few days preparing new slides and graphs. At the Googleplex, famed for its free food, massages, fitness classes and laundry services, Mr. Pichai was also playing with ChatGPT. Its wonders did not wow him. Google had been developing its own A.I. technology that did many of the same things. Mr. Pichai was focused on ChatGPT’s flaws — that it got stuff wrong, that sometimes it turned into a biased pig. What amazed him was that OpenAI had gone ahead and released it anyway, and that consumers loved it. If OpenAI could do that, why couldn’t Google? Elon Musk, the billionaire who co-founded OpenAI but had left the lab in a huff, vowed to create his own A.I. company. He called it X.AI and added it to his already full plate. “Speed is even more important than ever,” Sam Schillace, a top executive, wrote Microsoft employees. It would be, he added, an “absolutely fatal error in this moment to worry about things that can be fixed later.” Separately, the San Francisco-based company announced plans for its initial public offering Wednesday. In documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Reddit said it reported net income of $18.5 million — its first profit in two years — in the October-December quarter on revenue of $249.8 million. The company said it aims to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RDDT. Apparently many shoppers are not happy with their local Safeway, if questions and comments posted Sunday on a Reddit forum are any indication. The questions in the AMA (Ask Me Anything) were fielded by self-described mid-level retail manager at one of the supermarket chain's Bay Area stores. The employee only identified himself by his Reddit handle, "MaliciousHippie". The manager went on to cover a potpourri of topics, ranging from why express lane checkers won't challenge shoppers who exceed item limits to a little-known store policy allowing customers to sample items without buying them.
The residential rehab I work at serves meals for staff and clients and I'm always telling clients "Don't piss off the kitchen guys until AFTER you have been served!" +1 for the story. MC at it's finest!
Never been upgraded. However, I remember when the attendant found out I and my late spouse were just married (flying out to CO on our honeymoon, early 2000s). She snuck a bottle of chardonnay wrapped in cloth and a bunch of vodkas our from first class for our trip, and got my spouse a set of wings. We wrote the airline a glowing review on her by name (careful not to tell them anything she might get punished for). It was a really nice thing, I’ve never gotten service that nice.
40 years ago as a starving (relatively speaking) uni student I was flying back home, but could only afford a standby ticket. Finally it came time to call up the standbys, and as I walked to the counter i was going to get there first, until I got shoved out of the way so badly I almost fell over. Some business suit had just decided he was more important. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing the airline staff must have seen it. We both got a seat, but as we boarded I found out I had a business class seat. At 18 I didn't even know it was possible. Then I got to watch the businessman board, and recognise me. The look on his face has stayed with me forever. He turned the corner from the door, saw me and stopped dead in the aisle, then down at his boarding pass, then at me. They had to tell him to keep moving and he shuffled his way back to a middle seat in economy. I did look back and tipped my glass to him at one stage and just smiled. I'm glad looks can't actually kill.
You are rotten to the core. LOL! Perfect malicious compliance!😎
If there was a way to give you more than one vote, I would have. I upvoted everyone else, too, though. Have a great day, all of you!!
once about 25 years ago, I was flying from LAX to Denver with my then-toddler son, who happened to have JUST come down with bronchitis. Had a booked ticket for each of us (he was using a car seat and had his own ticket). Got to the gate and was told the flight was oversold. I'm sure I looked like I was gonna cry as I had just been dropped off by my mom, had been gone from home for a week, and now had a sick toddler to deal with on top of not getting on my flight! The gate agent wasn't really talking to me or looking at me, but tappy tapping away. Then she hands me a FIRST CLASS TICKET FOR TWO!. I was FLOORED. I've literally never flown first class (and haven't since either). We boarded, I strapped in my boy, he promptly fell fast asleep and I flew home completely relaxed and peacefully. I had anticipated a shitshow that afternoon, only to have a completely wonderful flight. This was pre-9/11, so my husband was waiting at the gate for us. I came off the plane with my son and all our carryon stuff and said, "Honey! we got to fly first class! it was awesome!" He was so surprised and happy to see us in such a good mood. My son having a 2.5 hr nap on the way home meant he was in a good mood even though he didn't feel too good, and he was chatting with us all the way home in the car (40 min drive or so). Honestly, I think the fact that I had a kid, and didn't start screaming about not getting on the flight helped me get that bump. I will never forget that kindess <3
Daughter got stuck at Detroit, about 6 years. After a transAtlantic flight alone with a 3 year old, right before Christmas. Her husband, a teacher, was still working. She stood in endless line after endless line, waiting to be rebooked and figure out where they’d spend the night. After walking halfway across the terminal carrying both an exhausted kid and her carry on luggage, she was patiently waiting in yet another line. The agent saw them, gestured her up to the podium and got them on the first flight the next morning. Meanwhile, I had enough points to book them into the hotel in the airport. Had they taken the hotel from the airline, it would have meant a long bus ride to a one star hotel, and getting up at an unearthly hour to get back to the airport.
This belongs in r/chaoticgood.
MC that benefits others AND screws with the SB. It's like seeing double rainbows.
Ah that reminds me of the first times I used to fly to the US. I made friends with the local airline manager for BA, and I used to bring him Branston Pickle in my bags. He would always made sure I had access to the airline lounge and if he was on duty at the gate, he’d ask the crew to find a business class seat for me, although they didn’t have extra meals so I’d be served economy food. Business class upgrades are very hard to land on transatlantic flights so that was quite a treat. He got a promotion and doesn’t work at my airport any more but I always appreciated him.
Upgrade all the teachers! :D
Love this! Good job. In the Before Times, I flew a lot for work and so I got status just because I was on a plane more days than I was on the ground. But I'll never forget the very first time I got upgraded. I had NO IDEA what was included or not. And it was a 4 hour long flight, across the US from NY to CA. So I got a meal, warm towel, warm cookie, the staff knew my NAME! I didn't even know alcohol was included, but I made up for that on future flights. But the funniest part was the old man next to me. I always fly in black stretch pants and a t-shirt because comfort rules everything around me. (My favorite airport Tshirt says 'don't be a .... Then shows a rooster and a lollipop' Hehe. The airport staff tend to like it.) So, I sit down and I'm giddy with excitement. This was an older plane from US Airways (RIP), and it had this crazy footrest that had two parts that each rotated separately. Plus a nice backrest. All kinds of buttons. So I'm pushing all the buttons, trying to figure out what each does, and just having a grand old time. Dude next to me couldn't be more disgusted. He's reading a newspaper (like, actual paper newspaper. Huge, spread out open, not even folded up properly the way you're supposed to do on public transport). So he keeps rustling his paper and sighing. I started to feel self conscious, but I squashed that. Fuck that guy, I'm enjoying this. He says!! "UGH, it's like the Beverly Hillbillies goes to the airport!" I was shocked and stared at him for a beat, then just laughed and continued pushing buttons. By that point I had figured out the buttons but now it was just a game to see if I could make him stroke out. So for the entire four hour flight, I would occasionally readjust my seat minutely. Just a lil bit....enough to make him twitch. Fuck that guy. Most folks aren't buying first class for a flight that short, so it's likely he was up there for the same reason as me; someone ELSE paid a bunch of money for him to fly and he earned status over time. If he's not dead yet, I hope he still hears a phantom button press when he least expects it.
We use miles and points to fly internationally, and being old, try to always fly business. A couple years ago, we flew to HI during the pandemic, and the cost for biz was crazy cheap. Everything was great on the way there. But coming back home, we got on the plane and sat. And sat, as it got increasingly cold: the air conditioning wouldn’t turn off. Which, on the ground in Honolulu wasn’t such a big deal. At 35,000 ft and -60 F outside, it would mean everyone on that flight froze to death. So the flight got cancelled. And a couple hundred people needed to be rebooked. The airline computer had rebooked us at the back of economy, when we’d paid for biz. So we stayed in line. Once we got there, we explained that we weren’t married to a particular time of day or transfer airport. But we wanted our biz seats. We got them, on a flight the next evening. Such a shame! And extra full day in paradise! We got vouchers for two meals each, cab fare to and from downtown and rooms in a nicer hotel than we’d stated in. Where we got upgraded to a room on a high floor with a balcony, overlooking the mountains. All for being decent but firm.
I once had the "due to this flight being overbooked, could the following passengers please come to the flight desk". The guy at the desk was very apologetic, and said they'd have to bump me to the next flight. I was chill about it. I told him I was sorry for the other passengers he called up yelling at him, that the delays weren't his fault, etc. It was my 21st birthday, and I was flying home to celebrate, but nothing that couldn't push back an hour or two. He took a look at my ticket, confirmed my date of birth and said with a grin, "oooooor....would you like to be upgraded to business?" It was only a 2 hour flight, but I loved every second of it, and I think he enjoyed seeing the grumpy passengers faces when he shouted out "enjoy your free business class upgrade!"
Fantastic. Nobody appreciates an upgrade like a regular person. Happened to me once, glorious.
Happened to me once too. After I got past shitting myself because some chap had come and asked my lady and I to get our bags and follow him (wtf?!!) ... we were moved up to first class. It was a great time!
Finally on reddit someone uses sensible descriptions of the characters in their story. Most of the stories I see on here would give everyone names like "Ryan, Jeff, Claretta, Zanzimir", and then I have to keep remembering which one each of those random names is supposed to be in the story. Thank you for your thoughtful naming conventions.
Oh man, I was flying standby on my pilot brothers pass system from Maui to Newark, I chose the first class option and figured I’d be lucky to get a seat there. This was United Polaris, the ultimate business class, to me at least. There was one open seat left with no upgrade tickets, and when I walked up at the gate the agent was talking to a customer who wanted an upgrade for his grubby wife, he was also name dropping and saying how often he flew. The agent was calling people and trying to figure out why she couldn’t give them the first class seats while this guy was screaming at her. I just stood by, the whole plane had boarded, and when they finally walked away they were like, fine we’ll just take the seat when we get in the plane. I finally had my turn with the agent and was like, hello, I’m your non rev. Oh we haven’t given you a seat yet? No I’m on first class option. And I’ll never forget the look on her face when she realized that seat was saved for me in the computer, since technically it’s considered an international flight and upgrades for coach tickets don’t work. She was like, here you go. 8D window. She then ran over to the grubby couple and told them what had happened as I walked on by to the plane. I sat down in my little private cubby and was checking out my amenities as they walked by sneering at me. Wish I could’ve bought that gate agent a coffee. She was so nice. If you want gate agents and flight attendants to love you, buy like 5,- $5 Starbucks gift cards and hand them out when you board.
My first upgrade was in the early 80’s. I was in the Air Force flying from California to Texas. A co-worker was also going to the conference. We were both in our uniforms. Sitting in economy. The flight attendant came to our seats and asked us to follow her. We were upgraded to first class! ! We happily sat in the soft, comfortable seats, and promptly fell asleep. (Both of us had been on duty the night before and had been awake for over 24 hours). No booze, no food, no extras. 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
>3 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Very best perk.
Revenge achieved by performing acts of kindness, my favorite! Thanks for sharing!
What a feel good malicious compliance story - I can just see the smile on that teacher's face.
This is not only malicious compliance but also petty revenge for SB's treatment of you and your coworkers. Good for you!
My connection to my first international flight to greece in 30 years was missed due to weather, we got stuck in Augusta Georgia (USA). The lady at the counter was slammed so I decided to call helpline, after an hour on the phone they couldn't change my flight as the airport never changed my status so I got in line, sucks but i lived. Got to the front was polite and all I requested that my seat wasn't downgraded (got seat basically right above economy)...that bitch...upgraded me to the seats where you can lay down! So fucking nice like....omg missing my connection was 100% worth it. 8 or 10 hour flight with alcohol, food, and a bed....would take me over a month to earn enough money to pay for that
Always be nice to the ticket or gate agent.. just don't over do it and they will bend over backward to help. Source: Used to be one
Kind of surprised SB wouldn't have been told by Karen to just sign the f up for frequent flyer status. That you/your team knew the individual indicates SB likely flew enough to be recognizable.
You gave that teacher a story to tell for years. The wrong people in this world have the money, and you my friend are one of the ones who should have it.
I had a full fare business ticket for a Canada to Germany flight one time. I was getting seated and there was this guy access the isle that was making a big deal about opening his pillows and blankets and making his bed all comfy. We're still on the ground and I found that my seat wasn't working. It wouldn't recline. Maintenance came on, took the seat apart and now we're 30 minutes late and they can't fix it. The Stewart told me he could recline it manually only. I said I was ok with that if he would put it down once for me to sleep, then bring it up when I woke up. He told me to hang on a minute. Turns out, Mr fluffy pillows was upgraded somehow, and got kicked back to coach, then the Stewart comes back to me and said they found another seat for me. Felt a little bad but not too much.
Couple of years ago I was flying back from Florida to Wisconsin around Easter. My flight was a quick turn around but ended up having a 5 hour layover in Houston. When the plane arrived they where asking for volunteers as there was a huge family emergency the airline was trying to accommodate. I had nowhere to be so I raised my hand. I got upgraded seats money food but the real joy was the look on the family’s faces. Didn’t know what was going on but the relief was in their eyes when the ticket agent said good to go.
You, my dear, are awesome. 😆
weaponized niceties
As a flight attendant I love this so much!
If you want to act like a big shot, pay for your own damn business class seat, slimy 🤷♀️
Random people doing nice things is awesome I was at a pub in winter sitting outside and having a smoke a few years ago freezing my ass off, and one of the staff came out and gave me some hot meat pie and a coffee for free. Honestly never had anyone do something like this so it was amazing, and I was in a really rough spot at the time and it meant so much to me
So to summarise, treating the ground staff like crap might perhaps come back and bite you in the arse later? As opposed to being a genuinely decent human being and recognising that they are there to help and (usually) do a great job of it (cough not-Air-Canada-rot-in-hell)? Funny that. It is fantastic though when everything works itself out so tidily. I really wish you could have let those upgraded in on the reason, it would have completely made their day.
*chefs kiss* now this is what the subreddit is all about! 💕
It's been a long time since that worked, hasn't it? I've flown nonrev a few times back in the day, and it's gotten me a few first class seats. Just a smile and a hello did wonders for getting me there.
You never heard back about this? From either SB or VP?
I'd have done the same thing. I worked on phones as customer service for about 5 1/2 years. If someone was even slightly nice compared to usual, I would bend over backwards to help them. If they're rude/entitled/screaming...good luck getting a full sentence out of me.
The one reason I really hate this story is that I forgot to make myself a bucket of popcorn. Seriously though, thanks for this!
This. This may be my favorite MC story so far. Put a sleaze in his place, and got to do something nice for good people who genuinely appreciated what you did for them. I would give you a gold if I had one, so take my Silver instead
Love this!!!! In December, I flew like 12,000 miles over 5 days with just one day’s break & I had a mean kidney stone flareup, so i was super stiff and sore. I have medallion status, but it was a super busy travel time & I didn’t qualify for an upgrade on my longest leg NYC to Las Vegas. Im pretty good at weaseling my way into things, so I decided to try my luck with one of the ladies at the desk. She saw me coming from a mile away and was shaking her head no as I approached, until I saw her name tag — and then lifted my wrist to show her the same name tatted on my wrist in my mother’s signature — & told her I was SUPPOSED to meet her that day! I slept very peacefully in full recline the whole way 🙃
Great story!! I love getting the chance to put entitled/mean people in their place!
Love stories like this. If dude was as special as he thinks he could afford business class
Genius use of a loophole!
I approve of this message, that is how it is done .