Upgraded to First with infant!
Dec 3, 2002 | 1:21 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: SYD
Programs: AA EXP 2MM; VA Plat; AccorPlus Plat
Posts: 413
Upgraded to First with infant!
Ok, the topic is a bit misleading, but here's the story anyhow ...
I just got back from CEB-HKG-LHR this morning travelling with my wife, 3yo and 4mo. HKG-LHR was booked in business. On arrival at HKG an agent is waiting to meet me and says "You have been upgraded to First Class to Heathrow" My wife, with children in tow, is still in the jetway and it looks like I'm on my own so I told the agent that I am travelling with my family. She says it is up to me and I might want to stay in business - after a quick chat with the missus we decide to accept the offer anyway.
Taking a look at the boarding passes I notice that this will split my wife and daughter up and might lose the bassinet position, and the agent says she will speak with control to sort it out.
At this point they realise I really shouldn't be upgraded (my 4mo son is checked in against my seat, so they'd have to upgrade him too) and after a little while she comes back and says "If we decide to upgrade you we will sort out your family". Note the new qualifier "if"
... I think she handled it pretty well, actually.
No surprise, when we arrive at the gate there is no upgrade. Having just come off the plane we probably could have worked it being split between cabins since it was a A340 with NBC and just the curtain between F and J, but it would have made any seatbelt time difficult with the kids and not been very fair on other passengers.
What I think it does show, however, is that upgrades are processed on status without looking at anything else (eg fare paid, travelling companions). I presume that a cursory look at my locator would have shown my son in the same seat. In this situation I could easily have taken the new boarding pass without mentioning my family and brought my son up to First with me.
While we've "legitimately" travelled in First with an infant before, an upgrade in this situation is unheard of. Of course, it didn't actually happen - but it almost did.
- Simon
I just got back from CEB-HKG-LHR this morning travelling with my wife, 3yo and 4mo. HKG-LHR was booked in business. On arrival at HKG an agent is waiting to meet me and says "You have been upgraded to First Class to Heathrow" My wife, with children in tow, is still in the jetway and it looks like I'm on my own so I told the agent that I am travelling with my family. She says it is up to me and I might want to stay in business - after a quick chat with the missus we decide to accept the offer anyway.
Taking a look at the boarding passes I notice that this will split my wife and daughter up and might lose the bassinet position, and the agent says she will speak with control to sort it out.
At this point they realise I really shouldn't be upgraded (my 4mo son is checked in against my seat, so they'd have to upgrade him too) and after a little while she comes back and says "If we decide to upgrade you we will sort out your family". Note the new qualifier "if"
... I think she handled it pretty well, actually.No surprise, when we arrive at the gate there is no upgrade. Having just come off the plane we probably could have worked it being split between cabins since it was a A340 with NBC and just the curtain between F and J, but it would have made any seatbelt time difficult with the kids and not been very fair on other passengers.
What I think it does show, however, is that upgrades are processed on status without looking at anything else (eg fare paid, travelling companions). I presume that a cursory look at my locator would have shown my son in the same seat. In this situation I could easily have taken the new boarding pass without mentioning my family and brought my son up to First with me.
While we've "legitimately" travelled in First with an infant before, an upgrade in this situation is unheard of. Of course, it didn't actually happen - but it almost did.
- Simon
Dec 4, 2002 | 2:35 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: SYD
Programs: AA EXP 2MM; VA Plat; AccorPlus Plat
Posts: 413
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Guy Betsy:
Shame on you!
You should have offered your wife your seat in First and you should have taken the back seat with kids and infant in tow.</font>
Shame on you!
You should have offered your wife your seat in First and you should have taken the back seat with kids and infant in tow.</font>
... we did consider that, but the problem is my son is breast feeding. Which meant he had to stay with her. If it had happened we would probably have moved back and forth, but in retrospect I'm actually glad the upgrade didn't happen - there were quite a few moments in the 14hr flight which needed one parent per child. The FAs were very helpful taking one or the other kid for short periods, but they have a job to do and you can't rely on them to help out all the time.
Just to get a little defensive, the reason I came off the CEB flight ahead of my wife is that I was carrying all the bags and she was carrying the (lighter!) children.
- Simon