Best Xmas pressie

10/10 for sheer bravado for both of these techniques. I don't think I've
got the "front" to do either of these.

 

I can't see how this would work. The cabin crew have a roster of every
seat and every passenger name in it. This is downloaded to them from
check-in. I've been addressed by name in both cattle and biz class.

I've heard of this one. Never tried it.

Well, to repeat an earlier posting: dress smart, be very polite, smile,
carry some visibly expensive gear (in my case, some rather
expensive-looking Nikon bags), wear a hat or anything that just makes
you stand out, hand over passport, ticket and gold card and offer to
pay.

If they ask how much you're thinking of paying, simply shrug and say
you've no idea, but you're willing to pay something for the privilege,
and say: "Name a price. If it's too much for me, then I'll forget it.
But at this stage, if you can make me a reasonable offer, I'll take it."

Three alternatives: either they say: "Well, the price is (quote full biz
class fare) or they say biz class is full, sorry (as it may or may not
be) or they upgrade you. I've had all three happen.

Ben Blaney's ploy of always using a gold frequent flyer card is probably
the best, though, but if you don't fly twice a week, then I can vouch
for the fact that mine works as often as not.

 

Most airlines work on a default system. They only check seat and ticket
and passenger manifest is there is a problem. ie: "Someone is sitting in
my seat. Do something!" Problem.
If you can see cattle and biz are both, not full, you can be assured
they will be only counting heads on the way in to the plane. The
original manifest is never up to date due to standbys added at the check
in desk and is checked at the departure lounge check point. Here the
passenger list is checked against the updated (from check in desk)
passenger manifest and the loaded baggage. These must tally. After this
standbys with hand baggage only are added this is normally passed to the
senior steward as a number of extras counted in at the aircraft door.
The additional last minute passengers names have to be recorded by the
carrier but would not get necessarily be passed on the flight crew. This
would only be done if an unscheduled divert took place and the Captain
had to register the whole passenger manifest with the officials at the
landing point. At that point he would find out by radio from ops and
receive the list by data link or just ask the standby his details.


All of this above could of course be out of date as I stopped being a
long haul frequent flier in 2000. Now it's only two long haul a year and
the rest are under 4 hours.

I've always found that being polite is the most important. The staff do
get a load of sh*t from the public. Having a hard suitcase covered with
old "Security stickers" in several languages says a lot in your
favour.ie you do carry important things with you and you fly when others
don't due to "problems".

The problem here is when I was a frequent short haul flier:
London-Bremen. Bremen-Frankfurt. Frankfurt-Paris. Paris-Amsterdam.
Amsterdam-London.
And the return flights sometime in the same week carrying BA, LH, AF and
KLM frequent flier platinum cards meant less than having an up to date
copy of the "Yellow Book" the industries European all carriers flight
schedule with all interconnection flight details. Slap one of those on a
KLM ticket desk with your BA ticket and tell them you have missed your
flight and point out in the Yellow Book why they can get you back on
schedule and can they convert the BA ticket to KLM, would nearly always
put you up a class or two regardless of original ticket.

 

I think things have changed post-9/11. I'm sure cabin crew get a
complete list matching names to seat numbers although, as you say, they
probably only refer to it if needed.

Heh. I've got an old hard suitcase that still bears some old faded BOAC
stickers. I ought to try dragging that out. But yes, I agree that being
as charming and polite as possible is essential.

 

I knew I was putting my head on the block there....

I can do charming and polite. You cnut.

 

After I got myself and my brother in law into the "Paul Ricard" Bol
d'Or: Entrance, padock, pit lane and safety circuit with my FJ12 for
free he said I had more front than Brighton.

 

Curses - you got there first ....