How about this. I show up for my BA SEA-LHR an hour early (which is late) and wait while a couple of people at the counter struggle with the last couple of problem tickets. By the time I get to the counter they have giving away my seat. They seem to purposely take their time as if they want me to miss the plane. They tell me I should have showed up 2 hours early and call the gate to get a seat for me. I take my seat near the back of the plane in a middle seat of a 3-4-3 747 with no individual TV's. A woman approaches and has a boarding pass for the same seat. We compare our passes and the seat numbers match. The FA looks at the boarding passes, tells the woman to come with her and immediately wisks her up to the elite cabin...