reamworks

Usually when I hear a story like this, I don't think someone should be fired over it. HOWEVER: This is a case where I think a firing would be in order, especially since they tried to steal a benefit you had paid for (an upgradable "H" ticket) out from under your nose.

You are probably "whole" since you accepted the offer of return upgrades. However, the culprit only did this because he was caught! So while you agreed to your compensation for this, Justice still needs to be served. I hope Continental obliges.

IAHtraveler

+1. This crap has been going on way too long and agents continue to do it.

Right. When the GA in EWR refused to do a Plat Companion (with 4 open F seats and nobody on the SBY list), nothing was done by anyone. He claimed I needed to use miles or call "OnePass" to have the miles deducted to upgrade a friend. We Don't Care and BBB complaints got the standard, "We don't guarantee companion upgrades" and "We don't offer compensation when they're not fulfilled" I had an issue with the GA lying or not knowing policy, but then was hot when I saw FA's friends in those "open" F seats.

BryanIAH

*Ring*

CO: Elite line.

Me: Hi I'd like to list a companion for an upgrade.

CO: First name?

Me: My.

CO: Last name?

Me: Cello.

CO:

To the OP, that's unacceptable & I hope this issue gets resolved.

cjermain

My apologies if sarcasm or irony was intended and I missed it... but there always seems to be someone who ends up defending CO or attacking the OP in this sort of situation, so I took you at face value. Might try a rather than a next time!

cjermain

Firing is definitely in order.

There is no difference between a GA who upgrades a friend who should not have been sitting up front, and a retail clerk who lets his/her friend walk out of a store with a DVD that was not paid for. In both cases, an employee is stealing a product from an employer. In the latter case, most everyone would agree with termination on the spot. But in the former case, people somehow have some sympathy for the offender, and think it's not a big deal. I've never quite understood why... perhaps it is because a GA is seen as a more prestigious/skilled position than a retail clerk?

hughw

missed the smile. I'm not much for emoticons. sorry

CopperSteve

+1

Stealing is stealing.

pptp

Ah, channa and your conspiracy theories about CO somehow condoning this behavior and everyone at CO being brainwashed to think they can do no wrong


Waaayyy back in the day (10 years ago or so) even FA's could do a little upgrade onboard the AC but it didn't take long after CO started cracking down for that to stop. As was said, CO could consider it stealing from the company and stealing has always been grounds for termination -- not something to mess around with, and we know it, and so do GA's. I would not take it for granted that the red coat was trying to sweep it under the carpet and excuse the GA; probably just trying to assuage the customer while still keeping a professional appearance in public (not like he's gonna discipline the GA in front of you).

And no, nothing should/can be done about whoever actually received the upgrade. Especially as a non-rev, we're just happy to be on the plane. we don't necessarily know the intricacies of the upgrade process and we do what we're told, up to and including giving up our seat on the flight for a rev PAX. This means we sit where they put us, even if it's FC and we weren't expecting it. Plus, not everyone uses the pda site so many don't know anything about the list. Even if they were an accomplice, they could just say they were doing what they were told by the GA and there's nothing CO could really say.

All of that being said, I love the transparency of the process as it is now. I like when everyone is on a level playing field. As non-revs, we could just as easily get screwed out of a FC seat and I daresay, sitting in front means even more to us. I won't say someone should be fired for a first offense but there is such a thing as termination-warning, and trust me, they would be walking on eggshells after that.
Was wondering too how someone might have been placed on the list incorrectly. I thought with all of this automation that would be near impossible.

belynch

Not to derail this thread or take it off topic, but I try to never miss an opportunity to point out how CO's companion upgrade policy is full of issues and problems. I sincerely hope this is addressed sooner or later (perhaps with the new mileage program: "Plus One").

That is all.

JFKSFOLAX_friend

Why? I think works/gets the point across just fine.

( )

J.Edward

it may be, but that's an internal issue for CO.

Our issue involves proper processing of upgrades, not HR, and it could be that there's a another explanation to this (not sure what, but just saying.)

Don't get me wrong -- CO does need to address this, and hopefully they can do so in a way that prevents this from happening again as well...and hopefully no one needs to loose their job.

JetAway

When in doubt rank incompetence is often the best answer.

Orion

Twice in the last two years I applied to use upgrade points for segment upgrades on American Airlines. I inquired with the G.A. I did not get the upgrade.
When I checked my upgrade point totals a few days later, I found that the appropriate number of points had been deducted as though I had been upgraded. I was charged and someone else got the upgrade.
I complained via email and had the points restored and received a letter saying that "in the interest of customer service they would restore the points".
I'm still miffed. The implication is that I must be confused. I paid in points for the upgrade and someone else rode in the first class seats. You can call it "borrowed cattle" but it is still stealing.

channa

As a customer, I've found it extremely difficult to get CO to bend a rule in my favor. It's happened from time to time, but it's far more difficult with CO than it is with say UA or DL (with whom I also hold status). CO likes to do stuff by the book.

That's fine, and that's part of CO's culture (I've even referred to the airline as Conthansa at times). I got it. But despite that, we continue to see CO bending rules (presumably in someone else's favor) when it comes to these upgrade shenanigans.

It's been going on for years, and it's still a problem. And as you point out, many don't use the PDA site, so us FTers are catching it enough of it. How many more instances are happening that are not getting caught?

At some point, CO's lack of addressing this issue is tantamount to condoning it. In my opinion, we're at that point.

sfogate

Automation can fail. When it does, the agents can add you to the upgrade list using manual check-in entries. When you use miles to upgrade a paid ticket, we use the PR-1 as your status. Or when you rebook for another flight on your F class reward ticket but can only be booked into Y, we need to add you to the upgrade list manually as a PR-1.

As I posted before, it is a wise GA that double checks that those listed as PR-1s are listed correctly before the battlefield upgrades are started.