Originally Posted by AugustusM

I had a pass poacher once. I had connecting flight back home through ORD which was a last-minute booking so I wasn't able to get a F seat on the final leg. I was already GS by then so I got on the plane and took a seat in E+. I refresh the app and lo and behold someone must have missed the flight as I had been upgraded seat 4A. I grab my carry on and head up only to find someone in it.

I politely say, 'you're in my seat'. He claims it his and whips out a boarding pass....with my name on it. I call the Purser over and she confirms it is the correct pass and person for that seat. I tell her to hold up and take out my NJ driver's license which obviously has my name and photo. She makes the guy hand over his (my) pass and sends him on his way back to steerage.

Turns out he grabbed it off the gate desk when the GA was trying to locate me. He claimed that he was me and probably figured I was a no show instead of having pre-boarded.