Dorian

I realize. Just wanted to be factual.

yvr76

I imagine that if Dorian was to send Ben Lipsey a PM, with details then it's likely to go somewhere.

ACYYZ/SD

The premise that it always must be an Employee....
Personally I cringe when Super Elite Million Milers are seated in the back when there is ample space in J, but these are the rules as mandated by Company policy, and I play by them. It's posts like these that prohibit people like myself from even contemplating and extending a discreet and appreciative one off gesture to a valued Customer.

superangrypenguin

We know ACYYZ/SD. I know of too many SD's who have gotten in trouble because of what you mentioned.

Are you able to share if SD's are allowed to move an employee to the J cabin?

keitherson

Why did the female pax have to wait until after takeoff to self-upgrade?

Dorian

No clue but she certainly knew to come up and her seat are and the SD seemed to be expecting her. The SD had even left her a wet towel in anticipation of her arrival.

Dorian

...and we know this policy, hence the reason I started this thread.

If the policy is the SD has sole discretion over the J cabin, this bread wouldn't have happened.

drvannostren

The problem is, you shouldn't hesitate to do things like this because of fear that it might be seen poorly by other pax/management. SDs should be empowered to do that, or told under no circumstances this should happen, regardless of who it is. Then it's cut and dry. If it's an employee, then he/she should've been upgraded before the flight knowing there was still 5-6 empty seats in J.

Sounds more like it might be 4A's lady friend who might not have status or whatever.

I posted a nearly identical story on AC 8108 and got a little bit blasted for people thinking I was made that I didn't get the upgrade.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-c...-ups-sort.html

To the contrary I was playing by the rules and in 12A on a CRA I feel fine, love that solo seat. But 2 people were upgraded on that flight, one because his wife was in J and the other...simply because he asked. "Sir would you mind moving back to row ____ so that this old lady can sit with her husband in row 12" (I paraphrased) I'm thinking, usually to accommodate people you move them to the less desirable seat, move the old man to row ____ with his wife and move the person next to her up. The guy being asked to move simply said "I'd rather sit up front if that's ok" AND SHE AGREED! I was blown away.

I really think the company needs to just set this policy out in stone so that everyone knows, then it's up to the SD to knowingly break the rules or follow them. I'm all in favor of the SD being capable of doing this, but I'm also for giving some upgrades here and there to SEs who just happen to be on a flight where J is pretty empty.

acysb87

I was on a flight on Thursday where 2 of 10 J seats were occupied. I was seated in 12D. Did not use e-credits to u/g ( I have 68 currently), was offered to pay at checkin ,IIRC approx. 85.00. I paid a fare that was flex and have no illusions about where I was sitting. I did not expect the SD to be discreet and offer something.
I am not offended by the IC moving people about. Likely many things we have no idea why it happens as evidenced by the numerous threads that always seem to take issue with the carrier.

why fly

The problem is most SD's (and gate agents) in the past were moving up employees. Many years ago AC tired to clamp down on any upgrades, employee or customer.

Now they have been successful and AC just announced a loss of business class passengers and empty J seats. Bad news is AC will reduce J seats on planes.

Wpgjetse

Never to short.

upgradesecret

You are just making up stuff again. They did not announce any such thing.

zorn

These threads only make sense when someone who should have been seated in J (upgrade waitlist, standby J due to flight change, etc.) is not seated in J.

Otherwise it's a case of a busybody taking too much notice of where other people are seated.

BlueMilk

Are we that confident in AC's procedures, IT, and ground staff service, that we cannot imagine a situation where an in-flight upgrade is an appropriate service recovery step?

I'm a big believer in empowered customer-facing employees dealing with service recovery using their judgement. A culture that supports this is to our benefit.

If any here have not experienced times when bending the rules is necessary to make things right, then that's good luck.

If any here have never met an AC employee willing to bend the rules to make things right, then that's bad luck.

Regretfully I don't think AC's culture facilitates this.

Threads like these make it harder for employees wanting to help us. Many times I've wanted to acknowledge employees for helping me out but I didn't, believing, as they do, that they're more likely to get a lecture than thanks from management.

I'm not saying that this situation was likely service recovery rather than shenanigans. I know Dorian to be both a keen observer and fair commentator. But, empowering people to use judgement tacitly acknowledges that that judgement may be used inappropriately from time to time.

superangrypenguin

This is still not permitted as per ACYYZ/SD. Service recovery or not, stuff like this is simply a no-no in AC's books. In fact, little things like....a SD giving a bottle of sparkling wine to someone in J from the Y inventory (which is where they'd have to get it from as we all know) = disciplinary action.