Originally Posted by LE4603

A couple of weeks again I caught EK21 (DXB-MAN) home.

Boarding time on my ticket said 02.15, but I happened to be running ahead of time and got to the gate at 02.00. I saw the queue for Y, and the J/F desk had the tape barrier across it, however I thought I would still see if I could at least get through and get to sit in the gate rather than wait outside.

So I ducked under the tape barrier, and the Emirates guy kindly let me through. However when he scanned my ticket, the machine beeped, and he said that I had been upgraded to First. So that was great (my first Op-Up!), unfortunately I slept most of the way, and so didn't really get to appreciate it fully. However, was still great.

But I was just wondering how that Op-Up worked. Do you think I had already been selected for the upgrade, and so whenever I came along to the gate I would have been upgraded. Or do you think it was a case of which ever Business Class passenger (maybe also meeting some criteria, tier miles etc) came first, got upgraded? As the tape barrier was across the J/F desk, and I was 15mins earlier that stated on the ticket, there is probably a good chance I was the first Business Class passenger to get to the gate.

Just wondering, because if it is likely that it was the latter, I will make sure I always get to the gate a bit earlier on that morning flight home! ;o)

Thanks for any help.