As a business owner and frequent flyer I see both sides of this case. Sometimes the cheapest fare to a faraway place involves two plane changes, multiple airlines and a ten-hour layover; I wouldn't make people take that deal, nor would I take it myself. And I'm sympathetic to people wanting to boo a particular airline or alliance (I do too) as long as the price differential isn't too glaring... say, 10% to 15%. And if someone is flying discount economy but upgrades using miles or status, more power to them; it costs me and our client nothing.
But it is definitely over the line to book an upgradeable fare that is 2X or 3X the lowest discount fare and stick the company / client with the bill. It is meet and right that this person was apparently fired for this shenanigan:
Originally Posted by
croberts134
Coworker B takes the $1000 (our company's amount) to buy a Y ticket (to save the company money). The lowest available Y ticket is $1000. So, the company should save $2000. She, however, bought the lowest upgradeable fare and upgraded with miles. That ticket was $2400. The company only saves $600 (and spent $1000 to save that $600).
The introduction to the company policy on the $1000 payment actually reads: "This policy was created to give the employee an incentive to forgo premium class travel to save the company the maximum amount possible."
What
would work for me is this:
1. Worker has to go somewhere. Discount economy is $1,000, lowest upgradeable economy fare is $2,000, Business is $5,000.
2. Worker opts to fly economy and take the $1,500 credit. We buy worker the $1,000 ticket.
3. Worker calls airline and refares the ticket to lowest upgradeable class, spending $1,000 of his own money.
4. Worker then upgrades to business using miles.
To me, that's totally clean. The company / client paid the lowest economy fare, the worker sits up front and comes out $500 ahead, and everything is above board.
Originally Posted by
IEFBR14
...they told me I had to be in Las Vegas on Monday for a huge week-long convention. All flights were sold out; they finally found a Y-class ticket for $677 round trip. The usual fare is $78... I kept the Y-ticket and drove there myself.
If you worked for me and did that, you wouldn't be working for me any more. That's straight-up theft.