Was in F the other day and the FA was going around informing the passengers about what the 2 breakfast offerings were and taking our orders. I heard him talking to the 2 passengers across the aisle. To one of the two, after taking their orders, he stated that he would do his best to get this passenger the breakfast he wanted but that he might not be able to. He didn't say that to the other guy, just took his order. He came over to me and I told him what I wanted ... he made the same comment about doing his best to get me the breakfast I wanted but that he may not be able to. I heard him say this to another passenger behind me, but he didn't say it to all the passengers on that side of the plane.

I'm wondering why he said that to me. My only idea is that they have a list of the passengers and seat assignments, and that there is an indication on that list that differentiates upgrade 1st passengers vs. "paying" 1st class passengers and that he can't guarantee those of us with free upgrades that we'll get our first choice for breakfast. Have any of you encountered something like this before?

Thanks!

This is quite common practice on some airlines.

FAs will sometimes give preference of meal choice to some passengers above others based on elite status and fare paid.

It's not very discreet, and some people have rather strong opinions about it, but overall I am of the opinion that it makes fairly good business sense to reward your highly-valued customers.

Except, of course, when I get the short end of the stick.

some airlines have a more discreet protocol, where the fa takes all the orders and then sorts them out in the galley according to status.

in other cases the fa will go through the cabin and take orders by elite status, making the caste system very obvious.

First, what airline?

On UA this used to be the standard practice. Some of the FAs still do it this way instead of sorting meal preference priority out in the privacy of the galley.

I have also encountered this multiple times.

This was on Northwest, on the first upgrade I've received since becoming gold. Since it was the first time I'd seen or heard this type of "sorting" of passengers, I was really confused as to why he said this to some and not others. Silly me, I was under the impression that first is first is first, and why on earth would the FAs need to know who paid for FC and who was upgraded? We're upgraded because we've spent a considerable amount of money and our time to earn this reward, which I feel makes us no less deserving of a first class seat than someone who pays for a first class ticket once in awhile. If there are paying first class customers to fill the seats, I don't get upgraded. And if all the FC seats were filled by purchased FC tickets, who would get the short shrift if they ran out of a particular meal?

Guess I'm ranting but I'm in a bad mood, just spent a weekend from hell trying to get home from North Bend/Coos Bay, OR. Flew to Portland Saturday morning at 0530, circled for 45 minutes due to fog, turn around and flew back to OTH. That same plane then turned over and flew to SFO. My colleague, who has no FF status, was automatically rebooked on the SFO flight but I wasn't - that's a whole 'nother rant, though. Unfortunately, the GA wouldn't work with us passengers from the Portland flight, we had to go upstairs to the ticket desk and by the time the 1 person working got to us, the SFO flight had left. This place has 4 flights out a day, 2 in the a.m. and 2 in the p.m. Flying to Portland once again at 2:45 p.m., I was able to connect to SNA, then on to DEN, arriving finally at about 11:15 p.m. Flew home this morning at 10:00 a.m. Tried to redeem a voucher from a previously cancelled flight so I could fly my brother to FSD for my upcoming wedding, only to be told I had to pay $150 change fee. United is on my #&@% list right now and I will NEVER willingly take a bump with them again.

Doesn't have anything to do with upgrade or purchase. It has to do with status. On United I have seen the FA go to the 1K pax first then give the choices, if left, to the rest.