A United Airlines passenger flying from Houston to Austin on Monday found a self-upgrader in their seat when they boarded. They were supposed to be in a first class window seat, but a woman was already there.
United Airlines First Class Boarding
The first class passenger offered, “I’m seat F,” but the woman declared “I’m more comfortable here.” He left it at that and took what seems to be her middle seat in coach.
- He could have sought help from a flight attendant. They would have ensured the passengers sat in their assigned seats.
- But he decided not to fight over seating on such a short (50-minute) flight.
- And it actually worked out well for him.
The passenger assigned to first class was planning to rawdog the flight. He had headphones, but nothing else. And it turns out that the tv at his assigned first class seat wasn’t working.
The woman who stole his seat discovered this and asked to switch back to coach. The passenger now in back replied, “no, I’m comfortable here” in 26F.
Now I’m watching Bob’s Burgers and she just has to look out the nighttime window
You cannot self-upgrade. If you see an empty first class seat, you can’t just take it. This may be the first story I’ve heard of it actually working, and in the end it didn’t exactly work out.
What I’ve mostly seen is passengers who tried it being embarrassed, and I’ve seen passengers escalate matters when they’re sent to the back and get kicked off the plane.
At the end of the flight what the passenger bounced from their first class seat should have done was submit a complaint to United that their seat’s TV didn’t work. They’d probably have gotten miles as an apology.
(HT: Live and Let’s Fly)
Who needs inflight entertainment on AA flight that is less than an hour? Jesus what entitlement
I would have said get your fat ass out of my seat now. No f in way your taking my first class seat even for a short flight.
Unless I’m reading the Threads post wrong, the passenger just switched into the window seat from the middle seat. There was no first class upgrade involved.
TheJetsFan is absolutely correct. The confusion arose because the Threads poster used the term “F seat” which in flyer nerd parlance means first class fare, but the Threads poster actually meant F as in the window seat in the A-B-C D-E-F configuration of seats in economy class.
The actual, correct, story perhaps makes it a little more understandable why the affected window seat passenger did not choose to argue about the situation.
Gary is making a mountain out of a mole hill if @TheJetsFan and @Dick are correct. I mean, you’ve gotta admire his imagination at least.
When I read this one, it felt like one of those ‘that happened’ stories on Reddit, otherwise known as the ‘and then everyone clapped,’ a sarcastic reaction to an seemingly fabricated story for internet clout.
Anyway, flying from Houston to Austin—umm, isn’t it just a 3 hour drive?
What an awesome story that never happened.
Fatherless people doing fatherless things.
You have all missed the point!!! The person who paid for F/C should have never given into the interloper. All their had to do is show the FA their boarding pass and the FA take care of it. Instead, the original , actual first class get just incentivized the interloper to do it again. The interloper should have been removed from the flight and charged with attempted thefy
not really upgrading, but if you board late actually you can just take a United E+ seat.
Patrick Jacobs, we haven’t missed the point. You have.
First, even if the situation involved First Class, this is a 50 minute flight on which the hassle in dealing with the FA might not be worthwhile. Planes are single aisle and it’s inconvenient to even find an FA during boarding. You might lose overhead space and find yourself sitting in an F seat with your bag halfway back in Y. The most prudent, practical solution is not always the most “principled” – but those who insist on principles, with no regard for context, lack pragmatism.
Incentives work differently on different people so you can’t paint in such broad strokes. I would kinda agree that the passenger should be removed but remember airlines post-Dao have a policy not to enforce passenger removal with law enforcement unless the entire plane disembarks.
Much better for everyone involved if everyone just takes a seat during the 50 minute flight, and again, it is you who missed the point because the story does not involve First Class at all.
@AC. Where was AA mentioned in this article?
Why do you start off calling what you know to be a man, singular, a “they”? Was he Legion? You then switch to actual grammar a few sentences later.
Fake news, SHE could have sought help from a flight attendant if the man refuse to move.
The best part was that when the generous passenger deboarded, a Nigerian prince approached him saying that he had observed the story-teller’s goodness and had a van load of gold bars for him as a reward. Arriving at the prince’s Bugatti van, the recipient of the three seats expressed concern that the gold wouldn’t fit in his rusty, badly dented 2003 Honda Fit. “No problem” replied the prince. “Take my Bugatti. I always wanted one as a teenager and have never been able to afford one.”
How is anyone confused?
1st class passenger arrives at their seat, coach passenger is in their seat.
1st class passenger goes to sit in coach, in the seat of the person who took the 1st class seat.
Coach passenger on 1st class realizes they have no working TV, and tried to get their original seat. 1st class passenger in coach tells them no.
All over an hour flight, apparently.
many many years ago.. a couple of ladies tried a self upgrade. when confronted they said, “we’re travel agents (yes it was THAT long ago)and this way we can do a good job reviewing and personally recommending the F/c and increase you sales….”
sorry, no , not having it.. get back to your seats!
@jet, @larry,@1990
title ; ” self upgrade to First class.”
story:; asked to switch back to coach. in row 26.
fairly straight forward.
@ Dick that is exactly the problem with our society, Principles don’t matter anymore..
principles, manners, ethics, all by the wayside . just do what you want and to heck with everyone else…
I’m old, I still think principles matter.
@Doug
Check the link at the end for where the story was first written about. Clearly shows there was no first class seat involved.
@Doug — Ah, the ‘lone gentleman,’ resisting society’s degradation, one noble VFTW comment at a time. I admire your courage, old man. May your ‘ethos’ last a thousand years!
@TheJetsFan — I’m still with you, bro. You still ‘got’ it, dawg. Rock on, son.
I have swapped in the past, but only for the equivalent class of service.
At the same time, I always demand to “see” the boarding pass just to counter bluff pranksters.
Also, I would have let the FA handle the situation in case it got ugly. Therefore, I could state that it was in the hands of the FA.
I’ve had it happen before, more than once. I just yell, really loud, “I’m in no mood to argue Takeisha, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF MY SEAT AND OBEY THE RULES,,, HIT IT!” Works every time.
Humanity truly is f–ked!
People can’t sit still and reflect on life or meditate for 50 minutes without ‘entertainment’?
The Borg Collective is among us and has begun its takeover of humanity; how long until the silicon chips are planted in our heads and switched to overload? At least we won’t have to go to school today.
What low class trash
I posted about this, but my post is gone. So much for letting people opine, especially when they’re knowledgeable.
This should have been handled by asking the FA for help.
There’s no way the “F” traveler “magically knew” where the lady who took his seat was supposed to be.
When the “lady” wanted her ticketed seat back that’s handled by asking the FA for help.
This is one hundred percent made up. Google it. Nobody reported on it. Ever. United wasn’t asked for a comment and never offered one. Made up story.
As with most of you, I’m a picky traveler.
When I book flights I typically research the best seats by using the seatguru website.
My assigned seat is specifically researched, selected, and paid for by me.
I have no interest in allowing some freeloading deadbeat to acquire my seat.
They will be ordered to vacate my assigned seat by me and also the flight attendant if necessary.
Their failure to plan does not constitute any emergency on my part.
I’m very comfortable telling people NO.
Exceptions would be if I’m being offered adequate cash and/or a much better seat upgrade.
Haha – UA doesn’t fly their 777-200HD plane IAHAUS. It’s the only A/C in UA’s fleet with middle seats in FC!
Alex, I’ll take misleading headlines for 500.