No need to take cover, SAWorldVoyager! You're not making any sweeping generalizations and projecting condescending opinions onto the laps of everyone else in the world. You're merely pointing out a preference that's in your best interest to want - and it's a preference I would certainly share on *any* flight if I were in a biz. seat on a plane configured like SA's. Or if I were in a steerage seat, period.

BUT, knowing that SA is a profit-chasing organization (depending on the who the CEO is in any given year), if they can squeeze an extra, say, US $1,000 out of a last minute impulse purchaser, it would likely make financial sense to do so. If they didn't, the unoccupied empty seat would yield no extra monies, and that's really like leaving money on the table.

Some might argue that they won't fly/pay for SA business class if they start to sell upgrades at the gate, but I suspect that there are very, very few people who will actually avoid them because of this. Those who fly SA are doing so based on price, schedule, and in some cases perceived service levels (I find the service on SA to be too hit-and-miss to fly them on purpose anymore). If I find myself on a SA bird in business class and I plan on an empty seat next to me based on that morning's loads, and then due to an upgrader I have a seatmate, I'll be pretty annoyed...but I would understand the rationale for SA doing this.

Btw, Delta has started doing this on some domestic routes, and many on the DL board are up in arms over it. I'm actually okay with the fact that even though I'm top of the list for domestic upgrades (I'm a diamond with DL), I may not get one because Delta is trying to sell them for real money. BUT I'm very much in the minority on that. And also, I never fly Delta for anything longer than 2 hours, so if I'm stuck in the back, it's always very brief.