First Class Fables

These Are the Lies People Tell to
Get an Upgrade to First Class
by Quentin Fottrell, Marketwatch, August 4, 2015

Economy leg room is getting smaller — and the tales people tell to get an upgrade are getting taller.

Free upgrades are harder to come by these days, but a new survey of 1,000 ground staff and cabin crew by Virgin Atlantic shows that many wily passengers are willing to give it their best shot. One famous magician — who the airline has refused to name — asked to perform magic tricks for the crew in return for an upgrade. (Alas, most people would need to pull a credit card out of their hat instead of a rabbit.) The survey is part of a promotional campaign for the airline, which is encouraging people to tweet their attempts to get upgraded — and to use the hashtag #BestRequest — for a chance to get an upgrade on their next Virgin Atlantic flight.)
Here are 5 of the most outrageous sob stories customers told Virgin staff to try to secure an upgrade:

Broken Hearted: One young man said that he had been dumped by his girlfriend on his birthday.

Well-connected: A passenger claimed that he was a friend of Virgin founder Richard Branson.

Honeymooners: A couple tried this trick from the TV show “Friends,” saying they’re just married.

Birthday celebrant: Travelers often mention that it’s their birthday, hoping for a first-class gift.

Tired parent: One father told staff he wanted a break from his crying baby. His wife was not happy.
Passengers could be forgiven for trying to blag – that is, lie – their way into first class. Travel in coach class is deteriorating: The average economy class seat width was between 17.2 to 18.5 inches last year, down from 19 to 20 inches three decades earlier, according to SeatGuru.com, a site that reviews airlines seats, and the Consumers Union, a nonprofit organization that publishes Consumer Reports. And the average legroom or “seat pitch” on a short-haul U.S. flight is 32 inches, which is approximately one inch less than it was two decades years ago, according to SeatGuru.com.
Still, some passengers have used less ethical means to emulate first-class travel. Last month, a commenter on the airline forum FlyerTalk.com said his friend books a cheap ticket for himself on Air France-KLM and two fully flexible “Y” fares in a row of three seats. He then assigns the seats so they are in a row of three. KLM has no penalty for last-minute cancellations on these tickets, so he cancels the fully flexible tickets while boarding is in process. This obviously prevents the airline from selling those seats, but it doesn’t stop standby passengers from taking those empty seats.

Comment by a Reader on-line:

I heard the most over the top lie this past weekend. A family was trying to get to a town in the northeast through Washington D.C. and the plane had just rolled away. The father flashed his passport, said he was a Rep. from Montana, was head of the Transportation Committee and had to get to Albany today. 

Not only did they stop the plane, open the doors and hand-carry all their luggage, they all got first class. Technically, none of what he said was a lie. He was, indeed, from Montana and as such was A representative of the state (he never said he was THE US House Representative). He was the head of his family and business's transportation committee, and did have to get to Albany. 

But he was a doctor, and counted on the fact that they would not know who the Rep. from Montana was. And they didn't.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-are-the-lies-people-tell-to-get-an-upgrade-to-first-class-2015-08-04?dist=afterbell