Sitting in a higher class w/o paying
 

Now I know this could be could construed as a slightly controversial thread as it is effectively stealing but I just wondered if this has ever happened or whether anyone's ever considered it?

It only crossed my mind a couple weeks back LHR-IAD, 5pm flight. I was sitting in my usual 2nd to front row seat in WTP, disappointed at not getting an OP/UP to CW (had them previous 5 trips so couldn't really complain). As I sat, and as I always take an aisle seat, I peered enviously at the lucky few folks who would be enjoying their flight far more I would for the next 8 hours or so.

At that point, I can't deny it. The devilish thought entered my head. I boarded about 80% into boarding and I just wondered whether if I went up and sat in one of the many empty CW seats would anyone notice? Now of course I didn't and I'm not saying I ever will but surely this thought has crossed the minds of others as well. You'd have to time your movements perfectly but I came to the conclusion it might just be possible. Having said that, I have very little idea about how much information the cabin crew have about specific loads, whether they check it often etc.

-Would you get caught?
-What would happen if you did? My thought was just to play a seemingly confused tourist who had sat in the wrong seat and then sort of sheepishly exclaim, 'oh I see' and move down to my original seat again.

I'm flying back to LHR tomorrow and this time I did manage to prebook an upgrade to CW so that thought luckily won't enter my head.

Yes, the crew would notice and you'd be asked to take the seat you paid for.

I think it unlikely that you would not get noticed quite quickly by the cabin crew, which would no doubt be followed by a "can I see your boarding pass, please Sir?" and then "let me take you to the right seat, Sir"

Years ago I did it on OS on the MSQ-VIE route. Sat there the whole flight, getting C service. Was actually quite surprised :D

I'm sure that the cabin crew would have looked at how many passengers will be in the cabin and which seats will be empty. They need to know how hard they are going to work!

My father once outed someone who sat in CE opposed to ET.

When the crew asked him how he knew the passenger was in the wrong cabin, he gave an answer which would cause far too much controversy for me to write!

On several occasions have I indeed seen CSDs go an speak to people when they were finding someone on a seat supposed not to be occupied according to the manifest. On a few such occasions, it was someone who had just gone to a different seat, but on many more it was indeed someone who thought that they would "get away with it".

I cannot tell you if the people caught in such a way felt humiliated at being found out and (sometimes not overly discretely) been exposed as belonging to another cabin as I was not in their heads, but personally, I certainly would have. I also could not tell you whether they get reported in any way, I assume not but I suspect that a few shameless people account for recurrent attempts at forcibly getting something that they are not entitled to.

I wonder how many people make the genuine mistake of sitting in a lower cabin than on their boarding pass...

Its an easy mistake to make. I wish they would us some kind of alpha-numeric seat identification system to stop this from happening ....

The manifest provides information as to the pax count in each cabin as well as which seats are assigned. If the count is off, crew know to look. Ultimately they can check individual BP's if need be.

Also, I would imagine that in this day and age they only have to look at their iPads which probably show seat diagrams (probably much like the seat selector diagram in MMB), indicating which seats should be empty. Am I right?

They sure do, and better still the passengers are coloured in with their status.

I might be cheeky enough to ask at some point (very much depending on circumstances - eg sat next to crying baby), but wouldn't consider self upgrading

In age of iPads I don't think your 'confused tourist' routine would fly - they'll know what your travel pattern has been. Hopefully (but probably not as may have data protection implications) any such behaviour gets tagged on the iPads these days

Having seen some chancers in the past while I find it every entertaining when they get turfed out before take-off

I sat across from a chap in 10J in WTP on a 767. The real 10J turned up later and turfed him out. Mr fake sheepishly walked forward to 1J.

pretty sure crew do a 'headcount' to tally up numbers and pax manifest (whether paper or iPad) will show which seats are occupied so they will spot you pretty quickly.

Even if they didnt at that early point, by the time they are getting ready to take your meal order, they are likely to be looking for your name and it'll become apparent.

I've even see crew (in CE) having the iPad on the trolley so all pax can be addressed by name.