Originally Posted by sadiqhassan
Downgrading on EK is more common than on other airlines, but upgrading is MUCH more common.
I'm no mathematician but Sadiq, shouldn't the number of downgraded passengers equal the number of upgraded passengers.
Anyway, I'm sorry you got scammed in KHI. I can tell you what happened, because I've seen it dozens of times. It's actually an organized racket carried out by the EK check-in staff in concert with the porters. Being 12 and all, you wouldn't have noticed the porters offering passengers upgrades for Rs. 5,000 to 25,000 (which is where your seats went!).
FYI, The other KHI racket is the one where you are standing in line and your porter starts lifting your suitcases off the ground as if to mentally weigh them. He tells you they are way over the limit, quotes you his expert opinion of how much you will be paying in excess baggage charges, then tells you he can get the charges waived if you give him Rs. 5,000.
KHI is a pit of vipers, if you don't know how to deal with scam artists.