Originally Posted by
Nominal
Where exactly did I say that I expect free upgrades? All I'm asking is whether or not it happens with Star Alliance members. Seeing as during my past experiences with Silver status (SkyTeam), it did in fact happen, I'm wondering if the same occurs here.
On *A it differs depending on the airline. Some upgrade based on status whereas others (like Lufthansa for instance) upgrade
only based on the booking class. Others such as AF/KLM don't have a pecking order and chose whoever happens to be at the podium at the right time. If you fly US domestic on Delta then you'd might have a chance for a free upgrade since they treat FB Elites like their own with complimentary upgrades and such.
Needless to say upgrades are very very rare and they only occur for operational reasons, e.g if the flight is overbooked. Normally the upgrade chances as FTL are very slim, but if you travel during a peak holiday season (almost no status pax at all) you're more likely to get upgraded in case of an overbooking.
Originally Posted by
Nominal
Please tell me how that deserves a lot less respect than SOME people who have a higher status, purely because they are required to travel a lot for their job, and mostly get the flights fully paid for?
Airlines aren't charity organizations. A SEN is likely to generate more revenue than an FTL so it makes business sense to give them better perks. Most normal people (non FT:ers) who travel for work see it as a chore, so the benefits help making life easier for them even if they haven't paid for the tickets personally. Many others here on FT (including myself) also finance travels out of our own pockets. And yes we are a minority.
Originally Posted by
Nominal
How sad is it that I have to click on this topic every time a new comment is posted, fearing off-topic posts and trashtalk, rather than an actual helpful answer? Out of the 4 pages of comments, I can count them on 1 hand.
The fact is that this exact same topic comes up for discussion every other month, and people are quite tired of giving the same answer. In one thread the OP was expecting a free upgrade on SQ as FTL, so it's nothing against you personally.