The premise is that a couple was flying from Hong Kong to Manila on Cathay Pacific in economy class with two friends, and they were Marco Polo elite members. Both the couple and their friends received an operational upgrade to business class at check-in.
Continue reading: Would you refuse a double upgrade?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Heck! If I get an upgrade,I will simply say "Thank you" courteously and take it. What a BS ordeal they were playing!!!
Generally, I would not refuse the double upgrade. However, as in the case, if I were traveling with a friend or partner, and they were not offered the same upgrade, then it depends on the nature of the relationship and the social considerations.
It seems really strange that the GA couldn't have simply upgraded two other passengers so that the four would remain together.
It sounds weird to reject a free Upgrade to First Class, though i do understand the person's situation in that moment, who wants to be a good host and travel with his companions.
Given the different culture he would not want his guests to feel insulted by that.
I have declined upgrades on many occasions - usually because I don't want to split up a team traveling together. Sometimes, I also just don't want the hassle of moving from a decent seat in Economy to a poor seat in Business (eg. a middle seat) on a short flight.
My philosophy is always that I am doing the airline a favour by consenting to be reseated due to their oversale. It is no different than asking for volunteers for denied boarding, except the compensation type is different. Some people jump at the offer and others don't.
Arrogant assholes all over the world I guess :-).
Give the upgrade to F to your guests and enjoy the free C yourself. That's a good way to do business, instead of on the plane...
I wouldn't refuse the double upgrade to First but if I were the Vazquez's, I would offer my First class seats to my guests, and my wife and I would sit in business class. From my knowledge of Filipino culture, I doubt that would insult the guests in any way.
A similar experience happened to me when I was travelling with a friend in Emirates where I was given an op-up to business class since economy was overbooked. I simply offered that seat to my friend and she had an amazing 13 hour flight!
I think that if I and my guests were planning on conducting business as well on the flight instead of just flying, I'd refuse an upgrade. That being said, that's a rare case indeed!
I can see refusing an ungrade because it would seperate me form somebody I am flying with. One time I flew with my parents on their first time flying. I had given the trip to them as a gift, abd really had a hard time talking them into flying. The last thiing I would had wanted would have then to be that sepetated from them during the flight.
Why was the airline so insistent on forcing it? Let him have business class and give somebody else the 1st class. If there are no availaable seats in business. It was really stupid to say you can't fly if you don't fly the way we want you to.
In questions of custom and hospitality, often cultures don't understand each other. I have spent enough time in several different Asian countries to believe this could happen. Hopefully the more we travel, the more we recognize that our lens is different from someone else's.
It does seem like something went a little sideways here. As others have said, I too have given up upgrades depending on who I was with.
For a few years, I was travelling a lot more than my boss, and when we flew together, I gave him the upgrade if it came through.
I also once gave my mom the business class seat on a PS flight to SFO. That one hurt, but it was the right call.
Am just not really sure why they couldn't pull two other people out of C for F.
I have refused upgrades domestically when UA has split my wife (who is not elite) off my PNR. One time we were forced to sit apart (connecting from international and the Y seats had been filled), so I emailed UA and we both got miles as compensation. A lawsuit seems a little overboard...
I only refused upgrades when I was traveling with my wife and kids and I was the only one upgraded based on my status. I then preferred to stay in coach with them. I was once upgraded to first class on a CX flight from HKG to LAX. I had a business class ticket and once boarding when my boarding pass was scanned it beeped and the agent was "very apologetic" and told me she was sooooooo sorry but my seat had changed from 76G (CX747 upper level) to 1A. Well, I accepted her apologies and moved on to my first class seat. To "relieve the stress" of that situation I had to start with a glass of Krug. 🙂 An interesting situation happened when I was in business class on a flight to London on AA and once the door closed a gentleman came from the first class cabin and talked to a guy that was sitting next to a lady in business class. It happened that they were a couple and the guy had been upgraded to first class while his wife stayed in business. He asked the guy next to her if he wouldn't mind swapping seats with him and move to first class. The guy did in a heartbeat.
I think in this case, it wasn't a bad idea of him to refuse. However, had it been me, I'd have let the wives take the FC seats, while staying and conducting business with the other husband in BC.
I have rejected many upgrades; never offered a "double upgrade"; I guess I would reject that too if the circumstances deem so.
A little ot but I think the lower courts went overboard on compensation. Might have had to do with the couple being among the 'wealthiest and elite' being able to influence the ruling a bit.
A double upgrade would make me happier than a double rainbow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI
This actually sounds like a somewhat frustrating experience, if the FA was as brusque as they claim and would not let someone else take the upgrade. But suing over it seems like a major overreaction. I guess it's good to know that ours isn't the only legal system that suffers from frivolous lawsuits!
The opinion makes it pretty clear that the Filipino Supreme Court was not amused by the claim at all, and was especially annoyed by the decision of the trial court. It even goes so far as to make some references to the possibility of the trial court decision being influenced by corruption - a pretty strong inference, and about as big a "smackdown" as you'll see in the formal language of the courts. A very interesting read, indeed.
While this lawsuit is clearly frivolous, it does raise the question of why the airline staff insisted on upgrading them when they declined (and why they berated them for declining, if in fact that's what happened).
Surely they could have found 2 other passengers who would eagerly accept the upgrade?
I would have simply taken the upgrade, go to the person sitting next to my friend/travel partner ask politely ask: "Excuse me: Do you mind if we switch seats? I can offer you First instead of Business class". Problem (usually) solved...
Dave above is on to something IMO ..... MARIA LUISA MADRIGAL VAZQUEZ, the second plaintiff, is from one of the affluent families in the Philippines, and is apparently incredibly wealthy in her own right. It sounds like the whole family is highly entitled and litigious. Great Combination!
They actually sound like really disgusting people. I hope that CX puts them on a "do not upgrade list".
If anyone else has time to waste...... here is where I started doing "my research" https://remembranceofthingsawry.wordpress.com/category/current-events/page/category/the-global-crowd/page/16/ (A good place to start is the paragraph beginning "After the 06 June 1972 passing of Vicente Madrigal"
Where does this 'double' come from? The only person who was ever booked in Economy Class was the maid.
@everywhere -- They were booked into Y, and then all four persons were operationally upgraded to J. The Vazquezes were then further upgraded into F. Hence, the double upgrade.