crazy8534

Such a fascinating video- thank you so much for posting!

I have a some interest in this as I run a sideline YouTube channel (completely niche interest, absolutely NOTHING to do with BA or planes or travel!) so I have a slight idea of how the business works.
The issue of course is that he wants clicks and views, and at 1.5M this video is already doing well for him.

Of course, as with everything nowadays whether it be "Reality TV" or a "Docu-Soap", it is mostly fiction.
The evidence is of him being told no chance of an upgrade twice before he boarded (unless he wanted to pay)- pretty well the same as what would happen on BA.
Sitting in an economy seat with his new friend beside him.
And then about 30secs of footage of him in a dark business cabin and then putting the footrest back to upright and then him leaving the plane saying thanks to everyone.
My supposition is that he was in business for all of about 10mins and then ejected back to his usual seat (or even went himself), and the final result has been revenue from a video clip that will allow him to buy a couple of business class tickets to wherever he likes...

marconess

I reckon this is exactly what happened and after seeing the video, came to say this.
He is only shown in Business for all of a fraction of the video, with zero exciting elements of the Business Class you'd want to "show off". No champagne, no great food, the great TV. Instead, 30seconds in pitche darkness where he uses another phone light (not even the lights on the EK seats) to prove he is in business.

Fatdickie

Meanwhile, he encourages his 1,000's of brain dead followers to try it, as its sooo easy to fo and get away with

Waste of oxygen the lot of them

LCY8737

In all fairness, I doubt someone self-upgrading into a dark cabin after the main meal service and leaving before the second meal service would get caught. That would probably be the highest value element of the business experience.

And everyone of us who watched the video (that would include me) have supported the guy and indirectly caused more of the same... Should not have clicked.

RichieMc

Yeah. I regret clicking and feeding the beast. I'm still sure he got booted eventually. At first he's in a bulkhead row in the dark. Then after the plane has landed he's putting a non-bulkhead seat back upright on an empty plane with the music on. What a moron.

avatexrs

golfmad

There's a Seinfeld episode for everything.

fliegwech

I'm a gold member for 8 years and fly about 100 times a year. Often in economy: I never would even consider to place my butt in the europe club area if I don't have a ticket for it. From a legal perspective that would be likely a criminal offense. And from the crew perspective: as soon as they get aware and the doors are not yet been closed, kick them out. If the doors are closed, send them a full ticket price tag for europa club.

stevenshev

Well, if we are going to be pedantic, their is also grammatically incorrect. It should be his, or her, or his/her. (nb: all notwithstanding current trends in PC grammar).

OpenSky

This would be brazen if he did this on a long haul.

I routinely like to board last, and I've encountered a few seat poachers in my time. Never on BA though - most of them are stateside.

WSTC

This behavior baffles me. Were these folks raised by wolves? I grew up in an airline family and my poor father would turn in his grave if I were to attempt such a thing. In his book, it would likely be a crime superseded only by flying without jacket and tie.

ijgordon

Understandable, but the only way you're going to get your seat fee refund is to document that you were displaced, and really the only way of doing that is at least insisting you get a new boarding pass with the new seat. "I'm more than happy to move to accommodate this family, but since I paid extra for this seat, I kindly insist you contact the gate agent, change the assignment in the system, print out a new boarding pass, and then we can go on our way." If you don't stick up for yourself, nobody will.

gnomie

A few years ago I was traveling LHR-JFK in CW - I was seated and already working when a family of three boarded, which included a tall teenage boy. The father asked me if I was willing to change my seat to three rows back so the family could sit together and I agreed - it was the same seat, just three rows behind. He actually helped me move the bags. Ten minutes later someone else boards and informs me I am in their seat and produces a BP indicating such. I go to speak to the father who had asked me to move and he claimed that he told me his son's seat was in coach (in a middle seat!) and I agreed to the swap and then claimed he never helped me move my bags. The purser came over and the family insisted that I voluntarily gave up my seat and they were not going to move. Then the mother started crying that her son is a star basketball player and he can't sit in the back because he had an important game the next day. I was not going to give up my seat and fortunately for me there were other passengers who had witnessed the entire scenario and spoke out. Still, they were not moving until the pilot got on the PA and announced that due to a disruptive passenger, the plane would not be leaving and finally they relented and the kid moved to the back of the plane.

One would hope that was the end of the story, but no - during the flight the father was walking from the galley and "accidently" spilled two glasses of red wine all over me. This really angered the staff, who could not have been more kind - they brought me a pair of PJ's from First to be able to put on a dry top. At landing, the purser told the couple not to disembark the plane until he gave them permission to do so and when we landed, he was standing right there watching them.

I never filed any type of complaint or incident report, however about three weeks later I received a letter with a voucher from BA apologizing for my experience. - I don't think that would happen today but back them BA was a fantastic airline and my first choice for over the pond flights.

golfmad

Wow. Just wow. Well done to you and to BA for handling the situation. That's an astonishing cheek on behalf of the father.

Misco60

Actually, the use of they, their, them, and themselves as pronouns of indefinite gender and indefinite number is well established in speech and writing, even in literary and formal contexts. It is not incorrect.