jpasiczn

Short version
I'm an EP traveling to Orlando for some vaca with my and infant son. Booked coach fares, upgraded on first leg. 2nd leg from CLT to MCO looked like no chance of upgrade on A321. We are in lounge, agent said 1 pax was delayed coming in so as #1 on standby upgrade I may get it. I said no thank you my wife and I need to sit together to handle our infant son. I don't think anything more about it
Go to gate towards end of boarding process. We have 1 small carry on each so no worry about overhead bin space etc. I give my boarding pass and it errors as wrong seat. The Gaye agent says oh great news you've been upgraded. I said no I don't want the upgrade want to stay next to my wife. He said well I can't give you your seat back and there aren't 2 seats together. This is going to turn into a huge game of musical chairs to get us together. Agent is really ticked off. I said I asked the lounge agent to keep us together. I had no idea the PNR could be split at this point
So I say whatever, we'll get on and I give my wife the 1st seat. We decide if the kid is really being rough, we'll send the person next to me up to the 1st seat that my wife is in and she'll come back by me with the kid

So now I get upgraded on both legs of the return but not her. A call to EP desk reveals when the gate agent processed the upgrade for me, our reservation was split. No going back, no fixing it. So now there's an issue that they cannot fix. I've been upgraded and there's no way for her. I've been told NO multiple times. We intentionally booked travel so as to sit together. Additionally, I worked hard for EP status last year and feel like I am losing a huge benefit of having my travel companion share my EP upgrade benefits.
In this situation, it isn't the end of the world. We'll just split up and 1 person handles the kid. If he has a rough time I'll send the person next to me up to first and bring my wife back (again I'll let my wife have my upgraded seat). However there is a huge principle issue. Imagine if this wasn't a basic itinerary but some complex international trip that got messed up. The EP desk has not been very helpful and basically told me it's my fault the reservation was split

What do I do? Contacted customer care through twitter directly and they told me to call the EP desk. EP desk said they can't do anything, and I need to contact customer care

marlee1421

Has happened to me. Went through every possible avenue to try to rectify, but no success. Once they split the record there seems to be no recourse. You would think they would not be able to split without your permission, but not the case.

rjw242

It's almost a certainty that whoever's sitting next to you or your wife in coach will be willing to swap for a First seat, so I don't think the situation is particularly dire.

Yoshi212

This. It's simple and almost always going to get a Yes response. Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill.

They shouldn't have split your PNR but it happened as most EXP would complain that they didn't get an upgrade when there was 1 seat available.

AAExecPlatFlier

They can't put u back on one PNR.

DrinkRaiderade

Same thing happened to me about 6 months ago. Nothing that can really be done to prevent except specifically removing yourself from the upgrade list before the upgrades are applied. I wish there was a better solution, but there isnt.

nutwpinut

Now that the PNR has been split is it impossible for the OP to get both of them together on the upgrade list for the return journey?

jordyn

Presumably jpasiczn would have liked it even better if both he and his wife were upgraded, which may have happened if they were on the same PNR.

Having said that, I think it's theoretically possible to designate someone on a separate PNR as a companion for upgrade purposes, but it sounds like that didn't get set up properly when the agent split the PNR.

It's also the case that when GAs decide to ignore the preference of the person next in line for the upgrade not to split up their party, the net effect is that some random person who happened to get put in their seat gets upgraded to first instead of the next person on the upgrade list, so it's a particularly bad outcome for the elite who loses out on their upgrade priority.

WiscAZ

This is good advice. If you really want to set together and avoid the split then request at booking to not be on the upgrade list. Last time I traveled with the family I was offered this. I didn't remove myself and was upgraded but the family wasn't. I simply asked the person next to my family to switch.

It's funny because the person reluctantly switched seats. I don't think they lady traveled much and didn't realize she was getting a seat in First!

jordyn

I don't think it's very good advice. Almost all the time I've been in these situations, the GAs have asked if we were willing to split or not. The handful of times when a GA has preemptively split us up, as everyone points out it's not hard to get the new seatmate in coach to split. So, all this advice gets you is the guarantee of sitting in coach instead of the possibility of both of you being upgraded.

ijgordon

I'm about this part. Why can't you get her on the upgrade list as your companion?; AFAIK/IME, you don't have to be on the same record.

jay_dubya

Same here. I wonder if they can't link the records once the first upgrade cleared.

wrp96

I've never had an issue getting friends on separate records (because I was already booked in first) added to the upgrade list, so I can't see why the OP getting his upgrade would prevent the other record from being added to the list.

WiscAZ

It is if not splitting the reservation is important to you. This is more important to me than getting an upgrade for myself.

Edit: I'll add that I think it is good advice telling the OP that you *can* request to not be on the upgrade list. Maybe it wasn't the best advice as far as options go...

jordyn

Okay, but why would that be important to you? In OP's case, he seems to be upset because it messed with his upgrade chances on return flights so not upgrading really isn't an advantage.

Is this just for people who rely on status for other benefits for their companions on the same PNR?