About 1996 or so on an SFO-DFW flight, I got op-upped from G to J. I was working as an intern in a U.S. Attorney's Office, and wasn't even an AAdvantage member; the AUSA I was working for checked in immediately after me, and got to keep his G seat in the back of the plane.

Of course, while I greatly enjoyed my first taste of better-than-economy class, karma kicked in and I got to spend the flight next to a nice elderly lady who was very airsick for the whole flight.