Location: Odessa, by way of El Paso, by way of Abuja, by way of Mexico City, by way of...
Programs: United Silver, Starwood Gold, AmEx Platinum, Hilton Silver, United Club, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 301
Press Release-- Silver Elite arrested for sitting in first class
(Houston, TX) Continental Airlines reported today the arrest of Silver Elite frequent flyer Johann Rodriguez for sitting in first class on a flight from Houston to Austin. The flight, which departed at 11:30 a.m. on a Tuesday, had an unusually low load factor. Rodriguez reported being offered a free “elite upgrade,” which Continental officials responded he should have known to be false.
According to a Continental spokesman, this “purported upgrade opportunity” should have been immediately discounted as false. Saying that it is well publicized that the airline is not responsible for fares which are clearly issued in error, the spokesman said, “Nobody in their right mind would believe that we would offer the opportunity for a mere Silver Elite to sit in first class for no additional charge. I mean come on. Really?”
Indicating that Rodriguez had the opportunity to upgrade to first class for a special discounted rate on check-in, the spokesman said that he should have known the new boarding pass to have been issued in error. Sitting in first class after having paid an economy class fare amounted to theft of services, and the airline intended to push prosecuting authorities to accept no plea deal which resulted in a jail term of no less than a decade.
When asked to comment on the situation from his jail cell, Rodriguez pointed out that documentation on the Continental website indicated that, technically, even Silver Elites are eligible for space available upgrades. The Continental response was lost in the midst of peals of laughter, and any proof of Rodriguez’ claims had been removed from the website at press time.
According to senior management officials at the airline, “The finest men and women working in the industry today are there for your safety. They do not have time to deal with the entitled mentality of our most valuable customers, and I intend to see it put to a stop.” The official then continued that these “particularly valuable customers” would continue to receive the gratitude of the company. That gratitude would be expressed in the form of allowing large groups of Silver Elites to huddle on a piece of blue carpet beginning an hour and 15 minutes before flight time.
Programs: CO Plat/ UA 1K (matched) / *A Gold / HH Diam
Posts: 358
Quote:
Originally Posted by westtexas
That gratitude would be expressed in the form of allowing large groups of Silver Elites to huddle on a piece of blue carpet beginning an hour and 15 minutes before flight time.
