Why you won’t get an upgrade even if first class is empty — psychologically speaking.
No one enjoys flying economy. And those of us who do so out of necessity all have a story about that time the flight was relatively empty, both business and first class had no passengers, yet were still packed at the back in cattle class.
Isn’t it true that an empty seat in business class is a sunk cost by the time the aircraft takes off? Meaning that the airline company could display some good will by upgrading someone to that empty seat? Not quite.
A friend, who is a flight attendant for a premier international airline explained to me, “You have to pay for service. In economy you’re paying basically for a meal and a seat. Business class you’re paying for a more intimate service, and a better seat. First class you’re paying for a shower, a fine dining on-demand service with a flatbed and your own personal suite.” But okay, so what if I take my crappy meal with me and don’t demand anything except to occupy a comfier seat? Well, turns out that doesn’t work either. This, despite the fact that even where a flight has no passengers booked in either first or business class, there would still be designated crew, as regulations mandate one flight attendant per door.
Airline companies in the United States recently had to get themselves out of the mess they’d…