Captain Mike: Quite frankly, there was absolutely no basis for the upgrade. I was on a Q fare, a Blue member on BA, etc. Since gate agents have a lot of "power", I can only assume that he simply upgraded me just because he can. The first class cabin was only half-full. All I asked him was if I could get a better seat (since I was in row 19 or something like that). I didn't even have any small talk with him. Maybe it was my business attire and my desperate "can I have an upgrade?" smile. Take your pick.