Originally Posted by
Wombelero
Based on my experiences and mostly observations they have two situations. One is short notice were they just want to fill up their plane and give op-ups to the last persons arriving. Witnessed many times, but usually on short flights (one or two hours). Probably something like "in case person xy still arrives he will fly C as Y is already filled up.
Doesn't make sense shuffling pax around who are already seated to follow status levels. It would be correct, but what does the Gate agent cares, he wants to have an easy job.
Long haul they often follow status (at least those I witnessed).
W
I have been upgraded once when already boared -- they had shifted someone from Y to C and I arrived at my seat and saw a person sitting there ..
I went to the door - and asked the FA to check it out. She went out and the GA came back apologising saying the system should have caught it when I boarded - coming from the FCT the scan did not happen - but about 10 minutes earlier...
So 10 minutes prior to door close I was upgraded and obviously becasue I was HON - and you don't want to know my booking class.