Witnessed a pretty odd occurrence yesterday on Delta 802 from ATL-LGA. I had taken a 2 hour delay for a VDB voucher and swapped from a ATL-JFK flight to #802. Ended up being #1 on the upgrade list out of approximately 40+ people.
GIDS showed 0 available seats in F but one seat reserved but not checked in. So when I asked the gate agent about this and whether I should stick around in the gate, she said yes. So I watched nearly the entire plane board. Eventually and finally, the agent told me she was clearing me and that "a diamond medallion never claimed his seat," so I proceeded to board. By the time I got into the jetway it was so crowded it took 10+ minutes to reach the plane. They had long since told everyone they'd have to gate check their luggage but made an exception for me since I was in F.
I was shocked to find as I turned left after entering 2L that nearly half the first class cabin was empty... I'm guessing at least 8-10 seats in a configuration of 20. There was tons of overhead space available.. in fact it was nearly entirely empty throughout the forward cabin.
Given all of the empty seats, I was certainly wondering why the agent kept me outside in the gate area for so long needlessly. Eventually, a huge group of people boarded and filled up the seats... at least three of them were kids under 14 and another girl looked like a college student. One woman was wearing a leopard print fur. I don't want to make inappropriate comments, but trust me these were not HVCs. The way these people acted, they'd never set foot in first class in their lives... or even flew much at all. Ms. Leopard Print actually was talking and texting the entire time even as we were rolling down the active taxi-way at the #1 take-off position. Some of the behavior I was witnessing would have made Alec Baldwin blush.
Someone I know checked travelnet and it shows that I was the only one to clear an upgrade on that flight. So where did all of the other people come from, and why did they board last minute? Why were none of the other 40+ medallions on the list accommodated?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoVictor
Witnessed a pretty odd occurrence yesterday on Delta 802 from ATL-LGA. I had taken a 2 hour delay for a VDB voucher and swapped from a ATL-JFK flight to #802. Ended up being #1 on the upgrade list out of approximately 40+ people.
GIDS showed 0 available seats in F but one seat reserved but not checked in. So when I asked the gate agent about this and whether I should stick around in the gate, she said yes. So I watched nearly the entire plane board. Eventually and finally, the agent told me she was clearing me and that "a diamond medallion never claimed his seat," so I proceeded to board. By the time I got into the jetway it was so crowded it took 10+ minutes to reach the plane. They had long since told everyone they'd have to gate check their luggage but made an exception for me since I was in F.
I was shocked to find as I turned left after entering 2L that nearly half the first class cabin was empty... I'm guessing at least 8-10 seats in a configuration of 20. There was tons of overhead space available.. in fact it was nearly entirely empty throughout the forward cabin.
Given all of the empty seats, I was certainly wondering why the agent kept me outside in the gate area for so long needlessly. Eventually, a huge group of people boarded and filled up the seats... at least three of them were kids under 14 and another girl looked like a college student. One woman was wearing a leopard print fur. I don't want to make inappropriate comments, but trust me these were not HVCs. The way these people acted, they'd never set foot in first class in their lives... or even flew much at all. Ms. Leopard Print actually was talking and texting the entire time even as we were rolling down the active taxi-way at the #1 take-off position. Some of the behavior I was witnessing would have made Alec Baldwin blush.
Someone I know checked travelnet and it shows that I was the only one to clear an upgrade on that flight. So where did all of the other people come from, and why did they board last minute? Why were none of the other 40+ medallions on the list accommodated?
Probably Richard Anderson's extended family, coming to visit him for T-giving...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoVictor
Witnessed a pretty odd occurrence yesterday on Delta 802 from ATL-LGA. I had taken a 2 hour delay for a VDB voucher and swapped from a ATL-JFK flight to #802. Ended up being #1 on the upgrade list out of approximately 40+ people.
GIDS showed 0 available seats in F but one seat reserved but not checked in. So when I asked the gate agent about this and whether I should stick around in the gate, she said yes. So I watched nearly the entire plane board. Eventually and finally, the agent told me she was clearing me and that "a diamond medallion never claimed his seat," so I proceeded to board. By the time I got into the jetway it was so crowded it took 10+ minutes to reach the plane. They had long since told everyone they'd have to gate check their luggage but made an exception for me since I was in F.
I was shocked to find as I turned left after entering 2L that nearly half the first class cabin was empty... I'm guessing at least 8-10 seats in a configuration of 20. There was tons of overhead space available.. in fact it was nearly entirely empty throughout the forward cabin.
Given all of the empty seats, I was certainly wondering why the agent kept me outside in the gate area for so long needlessly. Eventually, a huge group of people boarded and filled up the seats... at least three of them were kids under 14 and another girl looked like a college student. One woman was wearing a leopard print fur. I don't want to make inappropriate comments, but trust me these were not HVCs. The way these people acted, they'd never set foot in first class in their lives... or even flew much at all. Ms. Leopard Print actually was talking and texting the entire time even as we were rolling down the active taxi-way at the #1 take-off position. Some of the behavior I was witnessing would have made Alec Baldwin blush.
Someone I know checked travelnet and it shows that I was the only one to clear an upgrade on that flight. So where did all of the other people come from, and why did they board last minute? Why were none of the other 40+ medallions on the list accommodated?
Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoVictor
Not college students. Not people with miles. Trust me.
You said "another girl looked like a college student." Maybe this was her first time in FC.
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Last edited by MSPeconomist; Nov 26, 12 at 7:03 am..
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoVictor
Eventually, a huge group of people boarded and filled up the seats... at least three of them were kids under 14 and another girl looked like a college student. One woman was wearing a leopard print fur. I don't want to make inappropriate comments, but trust me these were not HVCs. The way these people acted, they'd never set foot in first class in their lives... or even flew much at all. Ms. Leopard Print actually was talking and texting the entire time even as we were rolling down the active taxi-way at the #1 take-off position. Some of the behavior I was witnessing would have made Alec Baldwin blush.
Someone I know checked travelnet and it shows that I was the only one to clear an upgrade on that flight. So where did all of the other people come from, and why did they board last minute? Why were none of the other 40+ medallions on the list accommodated?
You have the answer to your own question in bold. Either they paid for the FC seat, or were re-acommodated from a previous flight. AFAIK, Non-revs cleared in FC will also show on travelnet, and you mentioned that you were the only one.
You do realize that in high seasons, airlines often sell their higher fare classes, and even UP fare classes (HUP for instance), and passengers DO pay for those high fares even when they don't know that they are flying FC until they step on the plane. I see this a lot around christmas time. For instance, I just bought a one-way ticket from SLC to SDQ that booked me straight into A and S. Economy was around $20 more expensive.
A few months ago I was flying MIA-SDQ on AA. The Business Class cabin was filled several weeks ago, only 3 seats open. My upgrade didn't clear until the gate. When pre-boarding started, the GA asked a large group of young men to step aside so Business could board. It turned out that at least 15 of the 22 passengers were these young men, members of a baseball club. I saw several passengers who missed their upgrade calling shena on the GA.
Another thing... what's the big deal with college students?I remember being in college, in the US, and being able to fly FC, most of my friends did too If their parents pay for their FC tickets, should they stand at the gate podium and give their BP to the Elite passenger who missed an upgrade?
...
GIDS showed 0 available seats in F but one seat reserved but not checked in...
Someone I know checked travelnet and it shows that I was the only one to clear an upgrade on that flight. So where did all of the other people come from, and why did they board last minute? Why were none of the other 40+ medallions on the list accommodated?
Cast of JerseyShore? Sounds like they were F pax w a tight connection. Other than them not meeting your standards, doesn't seem like any cause for alarm.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PRWeezer
Cast of JerseyShore? Sounds like they were F pax w a tight connection. Other than them not meeting your standards, doesn't seem like any cause for alarm.
I agree. You got the upgrade. What type of Shena are you saying happened here? A FC cabin with a bunch of (maybe) newbies? Not much to go on....
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You honestly cannot judge by the way people dress. I know a number of people worth well into the 7 figures that dress like they have no money and act like a 12 yr old. A lot of black gold money in the Midwest off of land. They fly 1-2 times a yr always in FC. Not everyone needs to wear a suite in FC.
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wow you guys are tough crowd on a monday morning after a 4 day weekend. Geez. Take a chilll pill!
I think the OP is trying to report an instance of Sheena. Indicated by his/her title in the post.
Granted some of the judgements of the OP could probably have been spared in arguing the case but I think what the OP is trying to say is that the 14+ people who were finally seated in FC did not buy FC and were not cleared into FC. Hence the Sheena allegation.
It's likely that the pax were paid F however. If you're buying a last minute ticket especially on a major travel holiday. last minute F will likely be only slight more (FCM) than an an economy fare and in some cases cheaper than fully Y fare. Therefore people who would not normally fly in FC see it as an option and probably think (wow I'm already paying $XXX for a flight we may as well spend a little more and sit in FC). I'd make the same choice as well.
wow you guys are tough crowd on a monday morning after a 4 day weekend. Geez. Take a chilll pill!
I think the OP is trying to report an instance of Sheena. Indicated by his/her title in the post.
Granted some of the judgements of the OP could probably have been spared in arguing the case but I think what the OP is trying to say is that the 14+ people who were finally seated in FC did not buy FC and were not cleared into FC. Hence the Sheena allegation.
It's likely that the pax were paid F however. If you're buying a last minute ticket especially on a major travel holiday. last minute F will likely be only slight more (FCM) than an an economy fare and in some cases cheaper than fully Y fare. Therefore people who would not normally fly in FC see it as an option and probably think (wow I'm already paying $XXX for a flight we may as well spend a little more and sit in FC). I'd make the same choice as well.
i think we are all quite chilled - we are simply expressing our opinions. Respectfully I personally didn't need your interpretation of what the OP was "trying" to say. IMO the OP was very clear.
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Sounds like they were F pax w a tight connection. Other than them not meeting your standards, doesn't seem like any cause for alarm.
