Stealth upgrade for VIPs?
I was on a IAH-DCA flight this morning and there was a US Senator on board. He was seated up front, and I ended up one row in front of his staffer in the back. I joked with her about how only the senator got to sit up front and she remarked that he had been upgraded, but that there hadn't been room for her. Curious, I checked the PDA site and the Senator's name and set number were not listed under the people who had been upgraded. I'm just curious if there is an official VIP upgrade policy, or if this is something done under the table. I'm not complaining, just curious.
On another note, after pushing back from the gate, despite there being about 30 planes waiting, we went straight to the runway and took off. I guess there are some advantages to having a VIP on board.