Am I the odd one, or is this par for the course?
As a Plat Elite travelling with a non-elite last weekend, I was hopeful, yet uncertain, that we would both get upgrades on any of the four legs of our trip. I called a few days in advance, and the agent said, "I'll go ahead and upgrade you. Your companion will have to wait until the day of travel."
I declined, and I asked the agent if most people divide their records like that. She yes, "Yes, otherwise the elite member would not get the First class seat."
"But what if the other seat never clears? Do the travellers just sit in separate cabins?" I asked."
"Usually."
As it turned out, only one of the four segment cleared for both of us. On one segment, the FA came to me and said that 2B was my new seat. I declined, as I preffered to sit with my partner. The FA seemed stunned (and even annoyed) that I didn't want to move. It was as though it would be better to sit in F and leave my friend on his own.
(As a side note, whenever I checked in and asked about upgrades, the agent would always ask me what level elite I am. Can't they see this in my record? Or is it a different screen?")
Anyway, do other elites actually split their records and travel in separate cabins?