So heres the story:

Traveling from DFW to EWR my friend (non-elite, A Fare) and I (platinum elite, B fare) on the 5:45 PM, made it to the airport early enough to catch the 3:15 flight.

I ask for an upgrade and nothing is available, fully booked but one person is not checked in. We both get coach tickets and I am first on the wait list.

We go to the the gate and the agent says that since my friend had an A class he gets preference over me and gives him the first seat. How is that possible? Can someone explain how a non-elite with an A class on a previous ticket, gets ahead of a platinum elite on a full fare coach ticket? We were both in economy on the 3:15 flight. Should I complain or is the the new procedure (as of a week ago as the gate agent clearly pointed out).

An A fare means he was in paid First.

http://www.continental.com/CMS/en-US...ntinental.aspx

Ya A should be ahead, he paid for first

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Should the OP have been first on the waitlist with a PR-1 ahead of him?

For clarity, you we're on a discount full-fare ticket. A full fare ticket would have been Y not B. Either way it wouldn't have mattered...someone who paid for first, be it with cash or miles, would have priority over any complimentary upgrade.

Thats what I dont get, we were both in a coach ticket with both tickets showing Y fare. He was not even on the upgrade list so had he not talked to the gate agent, I would have gotten the upgrade.

yeah i misspoke, Originally I was on a B fare, but for some reason when I made the change it showed a Y fare on my ticket.

You should be happy that your friend, who is a non-elite, caught a break and got an upgrade to enjoy FC. He is your friend, so I don't understand this problem. Although, I understand the theoretical problem though if it was not your friend...

That is the cabin of travel, not the fare.

It sounds like you were both rebooked into coach on the flight as that is what seats were available. You were on the waitlist as an elite but the agent who rebooked you neglected to put your friend in as a displaced passenger. When the friend spoke to the agent they were confirmed straight into F as they were the top priority and the one entitled to the upgrade.

The only thing done incorrectly was the initial agent not noting your friend's status as a displaced F passenger.

this post was about the principal. What if I was just randomly traveling. I want to know the policy and that continental employees stand by it, not that gate agents do whatever they feel like.

If the policy is that a A class fare gets priority over a platinum elite B fare when the CURRENT ticket they have is for an economy seat in Y class, so be it.

That is the policy, and it should be as your friend paid for a seat up front and you paid for a seat in the back.

The only mistake made - as sbm12 said - is that your friend was not added to the list as a displaced F passenger.

cool, thats all i wanted to know. No other harm or foul