Originally Posted by mudd_stuffin
I do not think you should jump to defend AC here so quickly. You were not privy to my upgrade request telephone conversation and I do understand that that it is based on availability (which was C class at the time).
At the time I paid for my fare, my TA assured me there were some C6 or more seats. The moment I received my ticket number, I called AC to confirm my upgrade and there were still C seats available.
At the time (and unlike now), no "official" M fare was available. The only "official" published fares were H then followed by Y. To get a B or M class, one would have needed to pay $100 for each class upsell along the way.
The AC agent was definitely not offering me my $200 upsell fare difference because he said "your fare basis is H******* so your booking class should be H" and "I am going to change your booking class to H which is what it should be". The AC agent was a French fellow and was one of the rudest I have ever encountered.
Upgrades are not based on "C" space. That was my point! You need to look for "I" space which is a virtual allotment of upgradeable seats in the front cabin. It is not uncommon for the front of the bus to show J9 C9 I0. If this occurs you cannot upgrade no matter what your TA tells you.
BTW if you depend on your TA for upgrades, you will spend a lot of time in the back, because most have no two clues about upgrades and upgrade rules.
AC does not need me to defend them, and I am not trying to as they are quite thick skinned based on my own experience. But if you have two parties both of whom are looking for a fight, you will have a fight!! You as the customer are always right, but I would suggest that a hollow victory really doesn't accomplish much.
Remember "I" space is the magic number
DF