Originally Posted by
mysticalice
Yeah i know no one does it on international flights, but it doesn't make sense to me - an open seat is an open seat, and it gets frustrating watching a flight attendant and her boyfriend fly polaris business on a 13 hour flight, on standby, but me as 1K or GSC, spending tens of thousands of dollars each year with the airline, stay in premium economy
. OR i have to use pluspoints to get on a waitlist...
If you see a "FA and her boyfriend" sitting in Polaris as you trudge to the back, that's your choice. PlusPoints or a mileage upgrade would have put you ahead of them on the upgrade list and you would have been sitting in one of their seats. UA gives you the ability to use miles or PPs to upgrade at a cost far below the price of a Polaris ticket - if there's an empty seat, you had the chance to grab it. Not sure why you want to blame a "FA and her boyfriend" for taking the seat(s) you decided (for whatever reason) to pass on.
Can you provide the name of an airline that promise regular complimentary upgrades on long-haul flights to their elites?