I flew MSP/SEA yesterday morning with my teenage son. I was UG'd 3 days out to FC. I was a bit disappointed that I could not get my son UG'd with me using my Gold companion upgrade privs. There were, after all, about 12 open seats in FC at 12 hours out from departure. No biggie, however. I would rather have NW collect some additional $$$ at their check-in kiosks from PAX paying to UG day of travel and keep the airline financially stable.

However, I guess having said that, I was a bit miffed to observe two separate families in FC who took it upon themselves to invent new occupancy rules and have their youngsters up front with them for the entire flight, even though they did not have a seat allocated for them in FC. I think the next time I fly with my 15 year old son, I am going to waive him up front with me after the flight takes off (I guess he is a bit too big to sit in my lap for the take off) and allow him to either stand in the aisle by my seat or just sort of sit on my arm rest so I can enjoy his company as well as all of the amenities of FC. I may even try to palm him a few bags of Spinzels and Mixed Nuts, or maybe the meal of another FC PAX who has declined their meal -- what the heck? I might even be able to score him a Kiddie Cocktail from the FC drink cart.

Now -- All sarcasm put aside, I am not trying to be mean -- just make a point about fairness. Page 2 of this story from yesterday morning goes as follows: I voluntarily sought out the father of a 9 year old boy who had the window seat next to mine (the seat I hoped my son would have been UG'd into) so his father could sit next to him, and I took his father's window seat... all without being asked (I asked). I just thought that that was the right thing to do. The difference was that this boy had a legitimate seat assigned to him through the blessed, approved UG process. Nuff said?

-A

What a load of crap! Either those people get their kids upgraded w/ miles or as companions in a legit fashion, or they forego their upgrades and sit in the back! Where were the FAs during this fiasco?

Yes, where were the FAs during this mess?

ROTFLMAO!!

I noticed something kind of similar to this last Sunday flying JFK-MSP in the evening. We were about 2 hours late leaving due to ATC delays and my wife & I boarded and sat in 3 A&B. There were 2 seats left in FC and 2 people got on, the lady had 4D and the guy some seat back in coach. She made the comment that they were not sitting together and he took his seat in the back. A minute later she motions him up and asks the guy in 4C if he would move to 3D so she could sit with her companion. He did. She then made the comment to her companion that they were in FC and seemed quite giddy about it so I figured an OP UP since it was oversold in coach. About that time the guy in 4A gets up and goes to the FC restroom right when the last PAX boards and I hear the GA tell her to take any seat in FC as she was an Elite. She goes to 4A and the guy in 4B says 4A is in the rest room. She says she was told to take a FC seat but goes to coach. I thought about speaking up about the couple in 4 C&D but said nothing as the GA had already shut the door. I have not seen something like this for awhile and would have pressed the issue if I had been the lady told to sit in FC.

And the invisible FA strikes again. What's a GA doing telling someone to take any seat in F and not assigning a proper boarding pass??? Shouldn't the GA and FA be ensuring the count is correct, etc.?

Agree -- total failure by cabin crew.

I was on Mesaba yesterday (aaaah... ARJ) when a woman came up and said someone was in her seat, could she sit anywhere since it was fairly empty? I would unthinkingly have said yes, but the FA was on to her, said that this is first class and she could take an open seat in her assigned row.

Was a really nice crew BTW.

How about the family of 6 (including 2 very small kids) that boarded DTW-DCA at the last minute last night? Seemed odd to me considering the flight was still showing 8 empty seats an hour before the flight.

I'm confused. Your note implies there were FC seats available when the door shut. Did you not ask the GA to upgrade your son? If there are FC seats available within two hours of departure there should not have been a problem getting that done.

On a recent AUS-DTW flight the GA kindly upgraded both my teenage kids to sit with me. On the return, the GA would only upgrade one even though 12 of the 16 FC seats were empty ("rules are rules"). Once seated I asked the FA if my son could come sit up front after the meal service and she said he couldn't for "security reasons". No problem as far as I was concerned but I would have been irked to see others break the rule and get away with it.

You're telling me -- one of them was kicking me in my back the whole way. And nice of them to sit down so.... promptly, wasn't it.

I thought there was already a PoopDeck upgrade thread.

I was working a flight once where a Y pax stood in the aisle talking to a couple in FC. It was really difficult to work around him as I was serving a meal. He bumped me often and I spilled a drink on another pax because this man would not get out of the way. He hovered in FC while everyone ate and was generally in the way. The FC pax kept ordering him drinks like he belonged there so I told him that it would be $5 for the standing man's drinks. He finally went back to his seat in Y and later the FC pax gave me an earful! He told me that I had disrepected his friend (who was dr....not sure why that mattered) and that I should have treated him like he was a guest in my home.

He wrote a letter so I got the hear about it again later. I was of course reprimanded by my mgr. even though I did nothing wrong. I tolerated him until I could no longer work and then charged him for something he was not entitled to get for free.

The rotating seat issue bugs me but really what can you do? There is no rule that says a family can't trade seats during the flight (even though 1 member is in FC and the other 18 are in Y).

With all the other things that are not allowed in the name of "Security", I would have thought this would be a no-no too. After all, we're talking about someone sitting in a seat who isn't supposed to be. I guess that FAM's are overjoyed at having to witness a session of musical chairs.

Darn. I knew I missed something. I should have had my son sit in my seat for the meal service since he needed the breakfast more than I do, and then we could have switched so I could enjoy the post-meal bevarage service and leg room.

-Alan

There were about 12 open seats in FC, as shown by the seat map at check-in, approximately 12 hours before departure. In between that time and when my son and I arrived at the airport -- all but 2 of these seats were allocated. Given that EUA had run for Silvers before I checked in, I am guessing that most of these seats were obtained by other PAX traveling on qualifying coach fares who were asked at the Kiosk if they wanted to pay to UG, but I am not sure. The last two remaining seats were given to the traveling companions of two Plats, or so the ticket agent said.

-Alan