Well I tried the "ask in different places" routine to get both my grandmother and my sister upgraded this afternoon, but it was a no-go. I think my biggest mistake was just being too honest, not doing enough to hide the fact that I was trying to UG two companions.

I did manage to get one of them upgraded, though, so we had 8D-E and 16J (bulkhead aisle) on the 777, which made for a pretty nice game of musical chairs going down to IAH. Hopefully we didn't annoy the other pax too much by our occasional visits to each other's seats. The FAs certainly didn't seem to mind, and were absolutely superb on this flight!

The 777 BF seats are pretty darn nice, too. This was my first time up front on the 777, and I've got to find a way to get myself up there for my next TLV trip.