[FDOS_UK]

If an airline issues a passenger with a business class boarding pass, it has upgraded that passenger.

I am sure that BA is lawfully allowed to withdraw the upgrade and I very much doubt that EC261 downgrade compensation would apply.

Having said that, it seems crass behaviour – but this company does not seem to care about p*ssing off it’s customers.

[EU_Flyer]

Of course we’d all be annoyed at being upgraded then downgraded. But – unless we’ve paid for that upgrade – there is no basis on which to complain.

2 – for – 1 offers are used to entice passengers to buy a product. Operational upgrades are totally different in nature. No enticement. No promise. No entitlement. It’s all based on luck on the day.

Had the passenger purchased a £150 upgrade at online check-in which was later withdrawn at the airport, there would be a real justification for their demands on board. But this was a free upgrade and there was no entitlement to anything other than the WT+ seat purchased and the pressure placed on the crew – to provide a service that had never been paid for – was inappropriate.

[MartynSinclair]

“I am sure that BA is lawfully allowed to withdraw the upgrade”

FDOS – airlines are legally allowed to downgrade revenue passengers at the gate as well as change products from flat seats to well….anything (as you know 🙂 )

[Gold-2K]

A few years ago before Y+, a colleague was upgraded from Y to J at check in. Having trouble issuing the boarding pass the person on checkin made a few calls and eventually handed my colleague a pass for seat 1A and told him it was his lucky day.

At the gate his boarding pass was checked and rechecked and he was told unfortunately his seat had been changed and was handed a boarding pass for Y which of course is where he should have been in the first place. Worse was to come as he didn’t get his original aisle seat back but a window seat right at the back of the plane, and on top of everything else, a “walk of shame” past a number of work colleagues on the same flight who he had been merrily texting from the T4 First Lounge.

How that must have hurt …,,,,, ouch!

[FDOS_UK]

MartynSinclair – 11/01/2016 09:20 GMT

Yes….. and you can tell them to put their 737 where the sun doesn’t shine 🙂

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

I don’t think it is unreasonable once you have been issued with an upgrade to expect that service to be delivered. One could easily have cancelled hotel arrangements or other services on the basis of expecting a better travel experience to then find these could not be re-instated – especially if only done at the gate and has no time to do so.

Like LP says – you wouldn’t expect to sold a product and given an extra bottle free then get stopped at security because it wasn’t “properly” paid for and offer has been withdrawn between completing purchase and walking out of the shop (Completing purchase is checking in – security at door is the gate). So I believe what BA did was not acceptable nor handled very well.

Sure one can pick at how situation was handled by the poster and others may have done it differently. But sounds like BA made a mess of the situation initially as something like that really should not happen.

[BEYbrit]

It only takes one checked-in passenger to miss a connection and free-up their seat for you to lose the upgrade.

Knowing this, I’m surprised that anyone with any experience of air travel would expect that an upgrade due to overbooking – whether this is given at online check-in, at airport check-in or at the gate – is certain until the aircraft doors are closed.

Once the doors are closed, then you can breathe and be chuffed that, this time, the gods were smiling on you and the planets all lined up.

Don’t count your chickens until they’ve had their welcome aboard cocktail.

[FDOS_UK]

TimFitzgeraldTC – 11/01/2016 11:44 GMT

+1

[FDOS_UK]

BEYbrit – 11/01/2016 11:54 GMT

I can’t really agree with you.

In 39 years of business travel, until 2015 taking around 110 flights per year (last year and onwards will be less than 100), I’ve had a bucket load of involups from a range of airlines, including BA – I had one from BA as recently as 5 months ago.

During that period, once the BP was issued I have never been downgraded and would not expect to be.

If an airline was measly enough to put me back to economy because someone missed a connection, I would take steps to avoid them wherever possible – remember these upgrades are because it suits them, not as a favour to you – moving a passenger twice is messing them about.

[superchris]

If it were me, I would probably have done exactly what the OP did, right up until the point of threatening letters etc. I would have probably just pointed out how disappointed I was and begrudgingly made my way into Y+ (half expecting to be pulled back). This of course assumes that the seat number I had originally reserved in Y+ was still being offered. It it wasnt, I would complain more vocally.

I think having granted the U/G initially, BA were wrong to then pull it, despite the circumstances of Y+ then having no-shows.

Most U/G in my experience are done at the gate presumably to avoid precisely this kind of situation. When your U/G is done many hours before this tells me that it should be assumed its a nailed on certainty.

[SimonS1]

FDOS – I don’t disagree, although surely in this case the time to deal with it was at check in when the upgrade was withdrawn.

What I don’t support is keeping quiet, tearing up the BP and then causing a scene on board trying to pressure the crew.

[FDOS_UK]

SimonS1

You will notice that I have commented only on the behaviour of the airline.

[BEYbrit]

@FDOS_UK – I agree that changing a passenger’s seat twice is messing them about, for sure, no question. But since when have the airlines been in the business of not messing their passengers about?

In the good old days of being a youthful travel agency minion, I used to travel a lot on AD90s and AD75s. I would sit and hold my breath until the doors closed, knowing full well that I was one passenger away from spending the night on the airport floor.

Honestly, I’ve had my share of upgrades over the years on fully paid tickets and I’ve been downgraded again at the gate on more than one occasion. BA, AF and QF have all done this to me.

Remember, the good airline giveth, but the good airline also taketh away,,,,,

[rferguson]

I agree it’s not nice to be upgraded then moved back to the cabin that a passenger paid for.

In honesty, there was some deceptiveness here. OK,when using a mobile device to check in the crew have no idea whether a passenger has had need to see a customer service agent in the terminal, dropped a bag or been issued with a paper boarding card or not. For all we know the passenger could be travelling with hand baggage only. However, we know the passenger has had their boarding pass (mobile or otherwise) scanned at the gate, alerting the gate staff AND passenger to any seating issues. And if the OP used the same boarding ‘card’ at the top of the gate as he did at the aircraft door it would have definitely ‘bleeped’ and the passenger would 100% be aware of exactly where they are meant to sit.

To be frank – switching boarding cards between the gate and aircraft door is a little akin to the kind of antics that we used to encounter regularly on a LHR-Lagos flight.

I don’t see the debate here. This could have happened with any airline. But the timeline makes the issue clear.
1. Passenger buys Y+ ticket,
2. Passenger discovers at online check in they have INVOL u/g
3. Passenger drops bag and is given boarding card for original cabin.
4. Passenger gets to gate and produces actual boarding card.
5. Passenger gets to door and knowingly switches boarding cards.
6. Passenger knowing full well where he should be sat creates a situation to bully their way into J.

In all honesty – if I was on that flight and a passenger approached me and was honest and said ‘listen – i’m a bit unhappy, I was upgraded before my flight but when I arrived at the airport I was told I was downgraded again. Given there are empty seats and i’m on there own is there any chance you could move me forward’ the CSD would probably accommodate them.

However – if we found out someone ‘tried it on’ with a deceptive switch on the way down then made a scene on the aircraft there wouldn’t be a chance of that happening.

Don’t get me wrong I get the disappointment. And yes i’d complain at the check in desk. I’d ask to speak to a supervisor. I’d complain at the gate. And as a last resort if it wasn’t resolved to my satisfaction i’d plead with the crew. Chances are you would have received a ‘yes’ somewhere along the way.

But to switch boarding cards on the jetty – nah.

[Henryp1]

Thank you rferguson

Henry

[Author]

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