A few years ago I had to fly USair for the first time. I joined their FF program before the flight. I knew that as a brand new member, there was no way I could upgrade.

But when I checked in, I asked the agent anyway and of course she confirmed that I couldn't. But then, she proceded to issue me a boarding pass. The machine jammed and she kept apologizing for the delay as she was struggling yo fix it. But I kept smiling and saying "it's OK, just take your time."

When she finally issued me my pass, it was for first class!! Once again, to prove what
the rest of you said, it's because I was so pleasant!

Neal