This has to be one of the craziest things I've experienced on the "new" United. I was booked on an H class fare on a flight to Mexico. This flight operates on a A319 from IAD-MEX. I applied to use a RPU and was wait listed. At checkin there were two seats available and I was #1 on the upgrade list.

About 40 minutes before boarding I was #2 on the upgrade list and then one of the seats filled up with what I expect was a TOD upgrade. Having flown way to much the previous week, I decided to check on a TOD for myself -- mentally thinking that anything around 150 bucks might get me to pull the trigger on this flight. Lucky me -- on-line re-checkin offered me a $169.00 TOD upgrade (or is that 16.9 :-) ) I took it.

My first mistake was getting my boarding pass re-printed at the gate by one of the two agents working the flight. While I was getting a re-print a very-very agitated flyer was berating the agent for "giving his/her" seat away to someone else... as they were Global Services and they were #1 on the upgrade list with one seat left.

My second mistake was telling "him/her" not to take it out on the agent, that I paid for the last seat just minutes ago for "about $150 bucks" and they should take it up with UAL for their ridiculous TOD upgrade offers.

Next thing I know the other gate agent tells me that the GS member should have the right to seat BEFORE me and if he/she is willing to pay for the TOD upgrade they have to offer it to her.

After several minutes of "intense" conversations and the request of a supervisor -- I relented and told the agent to give the seat to this other person who seemed to need it more than me -- I just wanted my old seat back and that I wasn't going to wait for the supervisor to show up 10 minutes before departure and bump me back to E+ and then have to check a bag.

My only request was that before the flight left that I be given a refund for the TOD.

About half way thru boarding a supervisor comes on the plane with my refund for the TOD AND a small token of appreciation for "taking the high road" (vouchers).

The supervisor must have informed the flight crew because the first-class purser must have visited me 3 or 4 times during the flight to 1) offer me a pre-depature beverage, 2) offer me dinner from the BYOD menu, 3) offer me yet another drink and 4) offer me a cookie. (for the record I only took them up on dinner).

Also for the record, the gate agent said she WOULD have bumped me back to E+ IF (and only IF) the GS member paid whatever their TOD amount would have been. I have no idea if the supervisor would have done the same.

It actually all ended up pretty well for me -- but yet another reason why TOD should NOT be offered when there are 1K or GS members on the wait list.

What would you have done? (aside from keeping you mouth shut during mistake #2 above :-) )