I took the original purpose of this thread to be about whether PITA behavior is more successful than polite behavior when seeking something extra - like a free hotel upgrade, for example. (Airline upgrades are so algorithm-driven that there aren't many cases where a GA has a bunch of upgrades to subjectively allocate.)

Dao was only seeking to get what he paid for. It wasn't a DYKWIA hissyfit for an upgrade or to get onto a flight he didn't have a ticket on. His resistance in the face of injustice was absolutely warranted, and all of us should be thankful he had the courage to do it.