Tonight on my short ERJ175 flight home, the F seat next to me was empty and they pulled a passenger from Y last minute.

The passenger was a BR Gold and for the longest we could not figure out why he got upgraded. Then it all became clear when the FA came to ask for drink orders. The FA had pulled the wrong passenger up.

Luckily it was a short flight and the "real winner" did not come to claim his or her prize mid-flight. (I have had a upgrade then downgraded, so he claimed, passenger come up half way into the flight asking my seatmate "how was my lunch".)

I don't think any Price Waterhouse accountant was involved