Originally Posted by
jsloan
FWIW, that is SOP. Passengers on the current flight are prioritized over standby passengers. However, if there had been an actual no-show — checked in, but not present at the gate 15 minutes prior to boarding — then you’d have had a chance; they could have cleared you into Y, and if they did it properly, as a business class passenger, you’d be ahead of all upgrades on the list at that point.
Well that's what I literally asked for. "If one of the first class passengers doesn't show up, can I get their seat?"
They offered me E+, and said any no shows would just trigger an upgrade.
It may be policy, and that's fine. Just the experience I had today.
But there was no way I was giving up a J seat on this route today just to be top of the list.