My parents, who are both AA Gold (and so OW Ruby) were flying to Krakow the other day, and the flight was totally oversold, so BA upgraded them (at check-in). When on the plane, however (they were sitting next to another pax on the 3-side) the first thing the FA said to them was "congratulations on being upgraded." They (cleverly) responded "We didn't asked to be upgraded. You upgraded us so you could sell more seats on your flight."

The FA then explained to them, AND the pax next to them, that since he was on a full-fare ticket and they were upgrades, she would be serving him a meal first, and would prioritize him in her service on the flight.

This seems absurd to me. The reason my parents were upg**ded was because they loyally fly BA and its partners, and have in fact paid for Business class several times in the past. Surely an upgrade should be an opportunity to demonstrate the quality of a product, not to tell people that they're unworthy of it!

Have you had a similar experience?