Can't get much more annoying than that. What sad people. Going into HK would have been much more interesting!

This. Is. The. Worst!!!!!!! If they happen to be on FT and are reading this, why on earth did you have to do this????

Sad but not as annoying as Neistat

And here's another one...

I always thought that SFO and other simmilar routes are DM super heavy,so it's incredible that he managed to get on the upgrade list,especially bypassing PEY.

Conspiracy theory: perhaps CX's PSS system has come kind of algorithms that "scores" each passenger not only by FF status and fare paid, but also does a google/social media search in the background to determine if each pax is worthy of an upgrade?

Those with social media profiles that relate to travel or have a large amount of travel/lifestyle posts will get scored higher?

You don't get access to the lounge if you get an opup? Sounds strange to me, so he isn't even SL and gets a Y to J upgrade but can't access the lounge

I think you are "slightly" overestimating the state of CX software

It depends on the airline. BA is known to let opuped passengers into the lounges corresponding to their "upgraded" class of service. At the same time my friend,an S7 Ruby member has recently scored an upgrade at a check in counter and they wrote "No lounge access" in big letters across his BP. I suppose he could have printed an OLCI BP and get in (it was a regional non S7 lounge),but it would not work with CX at SFO.

CX,QR and many other airlines will give you lounge privileges according to your original class of service,so an MPC GOLD upgraded J>F would not get F side access.

That said,there is nothing stopping an upgraded passenger from accessing OW partner lounges,because 99% of the time "other airline" lounge systems are not connected with your operating airline.

You might be surprised. He was an AA junkie and got CK from them for a while. When they cut him off due to "insufficient spend" he had a massive rant and started flying other airlines. He's got a huge following and if you don't think that the marketing department can put someone on the list who is otherwise unqualified then you're likely to be disappointed with reality.

Isn't it not possible go directly from Y to J, or was he on a PEY ticket or upgraded with AM to PEY?

CX marketing is probably using these people to attract more (positive) attention to themselves and negate all the FTers who continually bash them here. LOL

+1

your point makes sense in theory. it fails in reality given those of us who deal with CX on a near-daily basis. I've seen CX's system fail to identify the children of a head of state who were booked through the office of that head of state and flagged as such. I have many less interesting stories but which paint an equally unflattering picture of CX IT to count.

CX miraculously recognizing this (in the grand scheme of things) relatively irrelevant "vlogger" seems far fetched to me with everything I know about CX. At least of the folks I'm familiar with, who overwhelmingly pay for cash for their CX tickets (in all classes), I don't really think they're looking to that fellow for advice.

I watched the first 5 minutes of the video, here's my guess:

*He shows up 4 hours early.
*He doesn't show you any of the interaction with the check-in process.
*My bet is he explained who he is, what his blog is all about, maybe someone at SFO check-in even had seen his videos before. Or he has some sales pitch. They pull out the duty supervisor, they check and see they have J class wide open, they have a TON of time to deal with since he is there 4 hours early perhaps they make a call to HKG, and let him go to J class.
*I actually doubt this was even an op-up. But instead a "courtesy" upgrade that occasionally gets offered, like a birthday upgrade.

But I strongly doubt it was just totally serendipitous. I bet he asked during the check-in process - which he doesn't show, but we know he has heaps of time for - during which time he explained who he was in an attempt to get into J.

But are those people (exluding us,FTers ofcourse) watching these kind of blogs actually represent CX's target market?

Wow.

I have absolutely no respect for individuals who tear apart their face to get an upgrade like that whether he is "vlogging to show the general population" or not, sorry but I just don't condone such behaviour. It's one thing documenting your class of travel, while it's a totally different story if you need to pull such strings in order for an upgrade.

If he wants to fly J, purchase it or redeem it. Save up in either currency if he cannot at the moment.