Strange seat change request from purser
Sep 6, 2019, 6:29 am
#31
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Roswell, GA
Programs: AA EXP 2.8m,Lifetime PLT, Hilton Diamond, IHG PlLT, SPG Gold
Posts: 3,193
I really wonder why the price of the ticket the other passenger paid needs to known.
OP was right to decline. and sorry but I would not do it.
if you paid that much for the ticket.. well take it up with the airline
OP was right to decline. and sorry but I would not do it.
if you paid that much for the ticket.. well take it up with the airline
Sep 6, 2019, 6:33 am
#32
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Raddison Platinum, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 5,271
Im more curious about why she wanted to see your BP. Just in case you were sitting in the wrong seat? To see if you were Silver, Gold or Plat?
Did you see her go ask anyone else if they willing to switch? I would assume most in the cabin had paid less and/or is lower than GS.
Did you see her go ask anyone else if they willing to switch? I would assume most in the cabin had paid less and/or is lower than GS.
Sep 6, 2019, 6:57 am
#34
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,130
Im more curious about why she wanted to see your BP. Just in case you were sitting in the wrong seat? To see if you were Silver, Gold or Plat?
Did you see her go ask anyone else if they willing to switch? I would assume most in the cabin had paid less and/or is lower than GS.
Did you see her go ask anyone else if they willing to switch? I would assume most in the cabin had paid less and/or is lower than GS.
Did I do well piling as many abbreviations into this as possible?
Sep 6, 2019, 7:04 am
#35
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: UA GS ,QF Plat
Posts: 686
Agreed, just comp the GS appropriately for the situation as they would with any non functioning aspect of travel . The OP also paid for his seat just not with $12k....which also smells of BS
Sep 6, 2019, 7:05 am
#36
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,091
This is an odd request. Now, one time (and I've only been 1K), on a fully sold out 3 hour domestic flight in F, my seat would not stay in the upright position, and saying that needed to work for me to be on the plane, they got on the intercom and asked for volunteers to deplane for compensation, which went up to $800 plus a seat on the next flight about 3 hours later. I mean, if I had not been with family, I'd have taken that myself. So if this FA were serious, I think they would have offered substantial compensation. Though I also agree that on a long-haul overnight flight, I don't think I'd accept any amount of compensation to fly in coach, especially because I have a bad back and I am usually flying international for work.
Sep 6, 2019, 7:18 am
#37
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,630
Does anyone else think that this is a strange request? Is anyone really going to volunteer to move into a broken seat (in exchange for nothing -- no compensation was offered) just because the guy in the seat has high status and bought a full fare ticket? I hope UA compensates him well, but that has to come out of their pocket, not mine.
Why was someone "going" to be asked? What if there wasn't a single upgraded passenger sitting in business - are you suggesting that if a GS has a broken seat, the purser is going to start asking paying passengers with less status to change seats?
Last edited by halls120; Sep 6, 2019 at 7:30 am
Sep 6, 2019, 8:10 am
#38
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: CoUniHound 1K 1MM, AA EXP 2MM, DL Plat, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,625
And hopefully the GS learned an important lesson. Always, always, always, test the operation of your seat before the door closes. Much easier to deal with a broken $12k seat on the ground than an hour into the flight.
Sep 6, 2019, 8:12 am
#39
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: TX
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 729
Im more curious about why she wanted to see your BP. Just in case you were sitting in the wrong seat? To see if you were Silver, Gold or Plat?
Did you see her go ask anyone else if they willing to switch? I would assume most in the cabin had paid less and/or is lower than GS.
Did you see her go ask anyone else if they willing to switch? I would assume most in the cabin had paid less and/or is lower than GS.
Agree that this is a "strange" request, in the sense that is does not happen on most flights, but agree with those that say that the request was made, was declined, and that is the end of it. It seems OP agrees there too.
Sep 6, 2019, 8:14 am
#40
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: MFR
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,885
It’s hugely insulting. As the OP said, sure that GS is more important to UA, but why should he care?
Sep 6, 2019, 8:15 am
#41
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AS 75k, AA Plat, Bonvoyed Gold, Honors Dia, Hyatt Explorer, IHG Plat, ...
Posts: 16,863
My concern is whether the FA has the actual authority to downgrade a pax and offer appropriate compensation? We are not talking about the goodwill gesture, but close to thousands in ETC.
Unlike downgrade at gate, there is no documentation, nothing at all about the downgrade. So yes - I am skeptical.
Unlike downgrade at gate, there is no documentation, nothing at all about the downgrade. So yes - I am skeptical.
Sep 6, 2019, 9:00 am
#43
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: NYC/Northern NJ
Programs: 1K - UAL, Platinum DL, Marriott, Hilton, SPG
Posts: 1,815
The FA should be offended that the GS felt it necessary to CLAIM the recline is broken, and they paid $12K. In my mind, GS checked the seat map noticed an empty seat and prepared their sob story thinking it was empty and would be granted the verbal upgrade.
As I've seen the scam with passengers faking illness to upgrade during trans Pacific - it would be better policy to ban any inflight upgrade after door closure.
As I've seen the scam with passengers faking illness to upgrade during trans Pacific - it would be better policy to ban any inflight upgrade after door closure.
Sep 6, 2019, 9:12 am
#44
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: TX
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 729
The FA should be offended that the GS felt it necessary to CLAIM the recline is broken, and they paid $12K. In my mind, GS checked the seat map noticed an empty seat and prepared their sob story thinking it was empty and would be granted the verbal upgrade.
As I've seen the scam with passengers faking illness to upgrade during trans Pacific - it would be better policy to ban any inflight upgrade after door closure.
As I've seen the scam with passengers faking illness to upgrade during trans Pacific - it would be better policy to ban any inflight upgrade after door closure.
Sep 6, 2019, 9:15 am
#45
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
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Posts: 100,417
The reason is certainly relevant. If the FA came to pax and said - without reason - can you switch with lady in 3f?; would the response not be 'why'? There is a big difference between being asked to move because of a family wanting to be together and being asked to move because another passenger is being deemed more important than you.
Most likely it was because OP was the only seat on the manifest the FA was unsure about. GS makes an issue of the seat, FA looks at manifest for a nonrev, finds none, but sees one seat as "empty". FA goes to that seat to figure out what's up, and realizes it is a properly upgraded customer. Flustered, she proceeds through the request in a somewhat awkward way by mentioning status and ticket price, but then moves along and tells the GS 'sorry'. She does all of this in a very polite and professional way.
Agree that this is a "strange" request, in the sense that is does not happen on most flights, but agree with those that say that the request was made, was declined, and that is the end of it. It seems OP agrees there too.
Agree that this is a "strange" request, in the sense that is does not happen on most flights, but agree with those that say that the request was made, was declined, and that is the end of it. It seems OP agrees there too.
Not to mention, trying to convince me that the other passenger is more important than I.
I have no doubt that UA considers the other passenger more important. I'm ok with that. The strange part is that the FA thinks that I'd agree. It was presented to me in such a strange way... expecting me to act against my best interests for seemingly no reason. I don't have a problem with it (since I just refused and it was not brought up again); I just think it's odd.
I have no doubt that UA considers the other passenger more important. I'm ok with that. The strange part is that the FA thinks that I'd agree. It was presented to me in such a strange way... expecting me to act against my best interests for seemingly no reason. I don't have a problem with it (since I just refused and it was not brought up again); I just think it's odd.
The FA should be offended that the GS felt it necessary to CLAIM the recline is broken, and they paid $12K. In my mind, GS checked the seat map noticed an empty seat and prepared their sob story thinking it was empty and would be granted the verbal upgrade.
As I've seen the scam with passengers faking illness to upgrade during trans Pacific - it would be better policy to ban any inflight upgrade after door closure.
As I've seen the scam with passengers faking illness to upgrade during trans Pacific - it would be better policy to ban any inflight upgrade after door closure.