Wombelero

Based on my experiences and mostly observations they have two situations. One is short notice were they just want to fill up their plane and give op-ups to the last persons arriving. Witnessed many times, but usually on short flights (one or two hours). Probably something like "in case person xy still arrives he will fly C as Y is already filled up.

Doesn't make sense shuffling pax around who are already seated to follow status levels. It would be correct, but what does the Gate agent cares, he wants to have an easy job.

Long haul they often follow status (at least those I witnessed).
W

roundtheworld

I have been upgraded once when already boared -- they had shifted someone from Y to C and I arrived at my seat and saw a person sitting there ..

I went to the door - and asked the FA to check it out. She went out and the GA came back apologising saying the system should have caught it when I boarded - coming from the FCT the scan did not happen - but about 10 minutes earlier...

So 10 minutes prior to door close I was upgraded and obviously becasue I was HON - and you don't want to know my booking class.

skywalkerLAX

Your booking class cant be that bad when your seat in C was already taken.

Let me guess... "I"

riku2

I've seen this many times - it's a good reason not to board too early. Once (on KLM) several people had swapped seats and mine was taken. Since I was last on board and doors were about to close I was instantly upgraded to C by the flight attendant rather than get 3 people to play musical chairs.

Also (on LH) I recently saw a woman upgraded to C since a couple traveling in Y had received an upgrade for only one of them, but the guy just took his old seat in Y since they wanted to sit together. Another on board upgraded for the woman who should have been in his seat.

Another time I was boarding in front of a couple and the woman was given a new boarding pass for C and howled that she wanted to sit with her boyfriend in Y, so the gate agent asked if she'd like to move back to economy .. and she did. So someone else would have got the upgrade. Another reason to board late. This was GRU-FRA .. and the woman preferred to travel in totally full Y cabin !!

Triple3

I'm saying that since years. And even more: LH likes UA elites. The latter being an endangered species when looking at UA's balance sheet.

Triple3

It was probably 'E'. As HON he got his complimentary upgrade to C, there his seat was taken so he was op-upped to F.

A small step in the alphabet but a giant leap in terms of national disgrace...

skywalkerLAX

I dont think that any flight that is equipped with F class is actually bookable in "E"

Except I missed something, which happens on occasion

skywalkerLAX

Time for a status match to DL... !? Oh wait, forget about that idea

andre1970

Good point

Triple3

I though you prefer US?

Triple3

A possible escape route would be to argue that sometimes FRA-MUC is serviced with an A343 but I agree that would be a cheap excuse...

Rambuster

Two weeks ago on an LX (operated by LH) shorthaul flight 4 pax were upgraded to C at the gate, but did not receive C food, due to lack of meals. They only had one meal onboard and that was mine !

andre1970

Did they at least get Y food?

Triple3

'Y' and 'food' don't go together on LH shorthauls.

Rambuster

Actually, as it was an LX flight operated by LH, they served a sandwhich to Y pax on the AMS-ZRH route according to the LX cartering specs.