First Class for a bribe?
 

A co-worker posed this question and my immediate response was "No way, you'd never pull it off, people could get fired". But I told him I'd post here and ask, so here goes.

He wants to fly from LAX to an yet undetermined airport in Brazil, flying yet undetermined dates "at the end of the year". He was wondering if bribing a flight attendant with $400 - $500 would get him upgraded to First Class. And if so, what's the chance of doing it again on the return flight.

Alternately, what are other things he could do to get bumped up (besides paying the 1st class fare, obviously). Perhaps buy a yearly membership to a specifc Airline club (though I'm not even sure that'd give you upgrade privledges)?

I'd say chances are slim to none. I have had my a$$ bribed into F, but it was at an airport in a 3rd world country and over 10 years ago. Most likely offering a bribe to an FA will have negative consequences.

Not having tried myself, but I'd suggest the best way to pull this off would be to offer the cash to someone who appears as a business traveller (eg they didn't pay for the ticket themselves) and simply swap boarding passes with them.

However, this being said, I can see making such an offer to someone going down the very wrong way. A quick whisper to the TSA, and you're gig is up.

Other than the fact that they like to stick their noses in lots of places they don't belong, why in the world would the TSA get involved?

Each passenger is given a boarding pass which identifies them as the traveller. For the same reason you can't go through security with someone elses passport.

If the plane went down for whatever reason, and the guy in 28B was found to be carrying explosive, they need to know who it was.

People have tried to slip me cash many times for upgrades. There is nothing more insulting to me than this - and I make sure to tell them so, preferably within earshot of other passengers. Idiots!

US carriers are already struggling...the cost of most tickets barely covers the gas bill for the flight, they can't afford to pay us the income they agreed to in our labor contracts. Given all that, these passengers actually think I'm going to help them STEAL from the company? As if!

I don't think it would work in the US...when I lived in Jakarta, Indonesia (a notorously corrupt place) I had a friend who offered the Garuda flight attendant some cash to allow another friend to move up to an empty first class seat next to him. Reportedly, the flight attendant was shocked and refused.

Good for him! There are honest people everywhere.

-steps up to soapbox-

Sure what your friend is proposing isn't like robbing a bank...but it's still stealing. Just because you pay someone to "give" you something that isn't their right to "give" away...

It's very similar to knowingly buying stolen goods. Pretty hard to justify by my way of thinking.

-steps down from soapbox-

Agree about 3rd world country many years ago. We once had a hotel driver tell us that he would check us in at the airport. We were not flying FC and didn't ask for an upgrade. However, the driver took our tix to the counter and called us over. The next thing we knew the airline agent said that he happened to have 2 FC seats for an "additional collection" of $50.00. Sounded okay to us. This was in the late 70's and we were flying HKG/DPS

Isn't the TSA supposed to prevent the guy in 28B from bringing explosives onto the airplane? ;)

Bribes including food has worked before but I have also seen an airline employee decline to accept such in exchange for an upgrade.

so, how do they know who was who in 28B on a Southwest, RyanAir, EasyJet airlines?

In case you don't know, the above airlines do not have assigned seating... :)

Good question.

Not really. Last I heard those carriers didn't have 1st/biz., thus they could get away with no assigned seating - there's no place to which one can upgrade.

Will

It is done all the time
 

All one does is ask a FA or gate agent if it is possible to buy an on board upgrade and hand them the cash.

It is not a bribe... its a question....BA have on board upgrades and you get a receipt..Now I'm sure some FA / GAte agents might give you that Op Up and pocket the cash but that is their choice

nothing wrong with asking

Re-read the thread -- this was not in response to upgrading. It was in response to TSA not allowing people to swap boarding passes because they wouldn't be able to identify who was in a specific seat.

The TSA (rightly) would not care who is in what seat -- proof: some airlines don't have assigned seats.