Empty seats in 1st... how do you handle it?
If I am not #1 on the list, or near enough to the top for it to matter, I board in Y, secure my OH space and settle in. I don't lose sleep over another elite missing an UG.
If I am #1, I generally watch the F status either on the gate displays or the DL app. If its a short flight and I am on the bubble, I board and stow my bag. Not going to lose sleep over a missed UG on a <2 hr. flight, unless its an RJ.
Generally speaking I have developed a sense of if I am going to score a BF UG or not. If I am truly on the bubble and circumstances allow it, I will check my bags so that I can quickly and easily move up or hang out at the gate with just my laptop which goes under-seat.
I have consistently enjoyed >95% UG success for several years and I remind myself that I paid for coach so when an UG doesn't happen, I got exactly what I paid for. Over the last four years I am averaging >100 flights per year so I have been UG'd many, many times and have little to complain about when sheena or non-sheena puts me in the cabin I purchased.
Last edited by bwhite; Feb 18, 2012 at 6:33 am