RNE

I'm flying somewhere to oversee a business matter. Meeting me there will be a VP from my company (arriving by train from another city). He and I will be returning to CLE together on the same CO flight. I've already been upgraded to FC on that flight. The VP has had hip replacements and suffers from chronic back pain. I would like to offer my FC seat for his (he has no elite status). Assuming he accepts my gracious offer to give up my FC seat (and he has not paid for a FC seat outright...VPs have the life, ya'know), do I simply hand him my boarding pass before boarding and tell him to walk on as me when FC is called? I assume the FAs know the names of all the FC passengers, right? But they have never checked names on board, not that I've seen. Do I go on with my FC pass but tell the FA someone else will take my seat? Or what? Please coach me on this in detail! I don't want to make any mistakes that might embarrass him or me. I like my job!

joyfulheart

No advice, but I think that is a very kind and generous thing to do! I love that you are doing this!! What a great guy (or gal) you are!

Savage25

Step 1: Make sure the VP is not in a middle seat if you're going to swap with him.

Bunchie

Why not just wait until general boarding and board together? Hold on to your own boarding pass, and tell him to take your FC seat once on the plane.

fly co to see the yanks

is this a continental question or a question that is really applicable to any airline?

just switch boarding passes. you should be fine. particularly on domestic flights, FAs rarely greet passengers by name (nor will they care).

craz

there might have been a problem if you were gonna be switching with the other person (keep it general) evry hour or so. The FAs will usually allow You to change 1 time with someone and that doesnt include reswitching back (depending on length of the flight).

You should switch BPs and let him/her board as if its You. At times I was able to take someone else with me to board once I told the GA I was going to be switching seats and just wanted to get them settled in. They went on as a FC pass, and I simply showed my Plat card , I explained what I did since 'Plat' wasnt going to be the BP I was then using.

Hey its a light load , maybe you can get the VP uped as your companion and that way You both end up in FC

dlen111

have him board with you during FC boarding. i always just tell the gate agent that the person is traveling with me and ask if it was ok if they boarded with me. never had a problem.

then switch BP's. make sure you've added him to the companion list. if he has your seat, simply listen for his name to be called or be sure to have his BP when an agent brings you his new one. then you're both up front.

Flyer_70

Very nice thing you want to do! You say colleague in the title but he actually holds a position higher than you, correct?

Perhaps go to the GA, explain what you would like to do and have her manually switch the seats so his name is on the FC one. Then go back to whereever you are seated (in the waiting area or PC) and indicate that there had been some new seating assignments (or whatever you want to say - make something up.. lol). Then say no more about it. This may take the direct heat off you while still giving you some credit as the message bearer.

Also - as you indicated this may be a non-issue since he is a VP and may already have an FC seat.

Regardless - last thing you want to do, as you already indicated, would be to make him feel uncomfortable. Worst case - go back to coach and sit with him.

theblakefish

I would keep the seat and watch him walk to the back of the plane with a smirk on my face!

Flyer_70

LOL! And while I am sure that is what many of us would prefer when traveling with upper management.. it would be unfortunate for said VP to have the same smirk on his face while the ever generous RNE walked to the back of the unemployment line.

freeupgrade

Who cares - I mean - really?

Syzygies

Here's an honest answer. Because of your status, FC is truly old hat, so you thought you'd share the wealth. My friends and family are always quite happy to buy this one...

climbermom

Call his assistant before the trip and find out where his seat is.

Xyzzy

Think about it -- more time to post on FT

pbarnette

I had the exact opposite thing happen to me. I walk onto a plane at some ungodly hour on a Saturday morning. I stumble to my seat and there is some lady sitting in it. I mumble something and all of a sudden my boss's boss turns around. He is there with his wife and 2 kids and he has been bumped to first.

Of course, his wife will have no part of him sitting up front while she handles 2 kids (and she didn't trust him enough to sit up front herself), and my seat was right in the same block as the rest of them. So he asks if I will be kind enough to switch with him. Being on better than good terms, I call him a sucker and grab his FC BP. I resisted the urge to drink myself silly and helped them find their connection at IAH.