I recently boarded a plane only to find someone in my seat in economy, and it turns out that we both had boarding passes with the same seat number. So, I walked to the nearest available seat, which happened to be business class, and sat down. Within 60 seconds an FA comes up to me... and asks me if I would like something to drink! Needless to say, I had a pleasant flight.

Has anyone else tried this? Did anyone notice?

--Jon

Rarely ever will this work. The OP just got lucky and I would not recommend it as a way to get upgraded. Duplicate seats do happen and there is a slim possibility that if Y is sold out and J/F has an empty seat one of those paxs will end get upgraded for expedience sake of getting the flight out. This happened to me years ago on a JFK/SJU flight were a pax with no legs had also been given my same seat. Since it was not practical to move that pax the GA end up handing me a BP for F.

I've been on a UA flight where the FA approached the passenger with the creidt card machine in hand, quoted the 'upgrade' fare, and asked which credit card they wished to use as payment. When the passenger refused to move and declined to pay, they were advised that they would be greeted at the gate on arrival with a team happy to collect the appropriate payment.

I recall a similar story here on LH.

OP got lucky. Dupe seats seemed to happen to me once or twice a year in the 1990's but do not happen to me anymore. Back in those days, the GA would sort it out...and sometimes I ended up in F/J if I happened to be the one with some sort of decent status. (Seems like this happened a few times to me on AA as a regular Platinum.)

Most self-upgrading tales do not end well. Most of my flights go out 100% full in F/J - usually with a long list of people waitlisted to get the upgrades - so you wouldn't last long in a seat not rightfully yours. Besides, FA's would know if there was supposed to be an empty seat...the passenger names and locations are on their printed manifest.

Why are you bragging about stealing something?

Ahhh

I guess the person in his seat should be put in jail for theft and the airline for conspiracy to commit fraud.

I've had the duplicate seat number thing happen to me twice. In both cases, the other person in my seat was unaware that they had been upgraded (once from Y to C, once from C to F). So maybe the OP wasn't challenged for the seat because its rightful owner was back a class unaware of their good fortune and the FAs didn't say anything because they were expecting someone there.

I've seen UA go after scammers with the CC reader both for poaching E+ and F. On an oversold DCA-ORD, they used it to boot a guy off the plane and fill his seat with a SB !

I saw someone try this a few years ago on a flight. I believe it was HNL-SFO on UA. I was in F, and the two F seats behind me were empty. A guy snuck up from coach part way through the flight, nabbed a seat and immediately dozed off. An FA noticed almost immediately, came and woke the guy up and asked if he was in the correct seat. He readily admitted that it was not his seat and he'd upgraded himself. He slunk off to coach without any fuss.

It was like the classic Seinfeld episode when Elaine snuck into an F seat.

That doesn't surprise me a bit on LH. Zey haf vays uf makink you pay....

Had to post:

Years ago, 1990 when I was younger and not as well off (also single - between M), GF and I were in Narita and the line for check in was extremely long. I asked her to check us in and try and get exit row seats and I would go get something to eat. She said she was not hungry and told me to take my time and perhaps take a nap since the flight was hours away.

I came back after about 2 hours (I know, I know...I should not have left her for so long) and she said the ticket agent gave her (I am guessing the row number) seats 11C & 11D. I was a little upset that we were flying a "small" plane home to EWR.

We boarded and were directly to the "second floor" and did have exit seats but in FC.

All I can say is that I sweated it out until the plane started to taxi but the flight home was extremely comfortable.

The best thing about passengers attempting to self-upgrade is watching them get caught by a flight attendant and sent on "the walk of shame" back to their seat in y. I find this very entertaining.

That's the second best. The best is the walk of shame off the aircraft to the GA.

Na, these are third and second best.

The best was a removal by the local authorities.

No and if I am in F or C and see someone doing that, you bet I would report you right away.


Challenged or not, there is no right for anyone just take any seat that is open. OP should have just flag the FA down and let he/she sort it out. That's what I would do and I saw others do the same thing too.

Not to mention, there could be other open seats in Y too, by self upgrading yourself only show the person have no class whatsoever.

This scenario doesn't sound like any US or Asian carriers, as US carriers F would be full before any Y pax get on. And Asian carriers the FA which serve F or C would already know the pax well by name and face.