Originally Posted by
phltraveler
The downgrade is not the real tragedy here, downgrades happen, there's a published policy (ecert as apology + refund of miles/instrument/dollar amount between fare paid and lowest available fare in the cabin the passenger ultimately flew in). It sucks especially if you get dropped to economy, but at least you got to fly, and theoretically the above should make you whole.
But downgrades, if they do happen, should happen at the gate at the latest, and the passenger should be told exactly what seat he/she is getting if he/she decides to board. If the airline is unsure about whether it has enough seats, then people who might have to stay off the plane should not be allowed on in the first place. If the airline is unsure about whether it has enough F seats, then passengers can be allowed on, but told to sit in Y. They can then be upgraded to F if conditions permit. You never give something to someone and then take it away, you always give them less and deliver more if you can. Not sure what is wrong with UA/YX that they can't learn this. When I go to a restaurant and I'm told that the wait is 30 minutes long, it is rare that I ever wait longer than 30 minutes. Typically, I'll get through in 15-25 minutes. See the pattern here? They always over estimate the wait time and get you in early if possible, and in the worst case, they get you in about when they told you they would. Under promise and over deliver, customers are happy. Over promise and under deliver, customers get pissed.