Friends didn't tell us they upgraded their flight

[artysnail]

Travelling with some friends and feeling slightly peeved. We all booked tickets together in economy. Usually DP and I go Premium or Biz but we thought it would be nice for us all to travel together.

Friends have upgraded their flight to Premium and there are now no upgrades left to buy. So we are stuck in economy.

Yeah dick move IMO why would they not just mention it and ask if you wanted to as well?

Was there ever a discussion about it when your first booked?

But you can't really chat or hang out on a plane anyway unless you book BC or FC and chat at the bar? Even if you were sitting in one of those long rows you still couldn't chat easily or "hang out" and several of you would be stuck in the shitty middle seats.

You go on holiday as a group to see a place together. Not to fly together. That's a bit weird.

You would expect them to tell you when they were upgrading "hey artisnail, we are thinking of upgrading. Should we all do it?"
Perhaps wait and try AUP at the check-in desk, you never know.

Was there a specific conversation with them about sitting together?

When I coordinate travel with other couples or families I generally think of “flying together” as just taking the same flights - this means everyone is on the same arrival & departure schedule, we can share ground transport, and delays or changes will be handled together. I probably wouldn’t think about another couple wanting to sit next to us on the plane unless that was explicitly said, especially if it wasn’t a long haul (6+ hours) flight.

@artysnail , I’d be absolutely incandescent with rage if friends did that to me. I would have to ask them why they didn’t discuss it with me. If I possibly could I’d upgrade to BC. As to it being a first world problem I’d ignore such unhelpful comments.
Do think about your friendship going forward though, sometimes it isn’t worth the hurt.

Switch the flight to upgrade? I would be unimpressed:

Have you checked the return leg to see if an upgrade is available?

Couldn't get worked up about this. You’ll have plenty of time together

I got the impression it wasnt about sitting together and chatting but more, we're all in it together so OP and her husband felt it would be bad form to book more premium tickets than their friends.

I'd be peeved in your position too, was a thoughtless thing of your friends to do - unless they didn't know you had booked economy specifically?

did you make a point that you usually go first class but this time your go economy so you can sit together
if so i can see why they done it

I'd be fuming, they will be nice and comfy and you're stuck in economy because you were being nice, have you said anything to them?

Upgrade the return flight if you can and don't tell them

I’m be annoyed but would just try to move past it. Deep breaths… enjoy your vacation OP.

I can see this being a fun holiday. Who goes away with friends anyway, can people not survive as a couple anymore? I would consider it if we weren't in the same hotel, so could meet up now and then, but other than that no. I'd feel too organised and "on and up for everything" otherwise. My idea of hell.

It's something teenagers do after A levels or GCSEs, not grown adults. OK if you are all members of a hobby group and are going away to participate in a joint event or something.

As for the flights, it was not a nice thing for your "friends" to do, and I would be miffed, but hey not much can be done now. See above for going away with friends....,

Do they know you usually fly Premium economy, perhaps they didn't and perhaps they have never upgraded so it was a treat and they didn't want to embarrass you in case you couldn't afford it?

@Havalona there are a thousand valid ways to holiday. If you’re this sneery about other people like to do it then that might explain why you’re not getting invited on many friends’ trips and don’t realize how common they are.

Yeah that's crappy of them.

book something fabukous whilst you're away without them.

We went abroad to ab specific place to meet friends... They cancelled hosting a meal one night after 1 cooked for loads of us. We arranged to got to a water park one morning.. Got to the meet up point early and they had already gone. Ime your mates are telling you something op.

Sounds like a lack of communication all round. If you usually upgrade, perhaps they expected to do so this time as well. They could have mentioned it to you, but equally you could have mentioned you intentionally hadn't upgraded in order to all travel together.

Ha ha. Thanks. But I am right just the same. Ask anyone. I don't go away with friends, I meet them there and we enjoy it on our own terms. I'm great fun and love life a lot. But I couldn't share a whole holiday with friends. Too many personalities to clash!

If this would leave you "incandescent with rage", how do you react when something truly bad happens?

They should have told you before doing it but presumably they knew it was the last two seats so did you dirty.

How long was the flight? Were you even sitting together with the other couple?

Great! I’m glad you found a way of holidaying that you enjoy.

It’s the way you speak so disdainfully of others’ preferences that reflects so poorly on you.

But they did tell you? It’s not their fault there are no upgrades left. How much time do you spend with friends on flights anyway? None.