United Downgrades Flyer to Accommodate a "More Important" Passenger
It's such an incredible feeling to know your upgrade has cleared, especially on a long flight — it's quite another to have it taken away as you approach your seat and to be denied outright by the airline that gave it to you. TPG reached out to me yesterday after reading about the incident on my blog and asked me to share my experience with you.
United Giveth and United Taketh Away
Yesterday morning, I was flying from Newark (EWR) to San Francisco (SFO) on United. Since the EWR to SFO route is a premium-service route, there are no complimentary premier upgrades given to elites, so I had a friend attach one of his Regional Premier Upgrade certificates to my reservation. I was over the moon once I boarded and found out that my upgrade had cleared, putting me into a new Polaris flat-bed seat for the roughly 6.5-hour ride.
I quickly headed over to my new seat, 2A, but before I even had a chance to sit down, the gate agent said that 2A wasn't in fact my seat and that I was never upgraded. I was rudely informed that I needed to go back to economy immediately so that they could complete the boarding process and close the door. Confused, I showed her a screenshot of my mobile boarding pass, which clearly stated my name and my business-class seat assignment in seat 2A. I was then told that "a more important" paid business-class passenger needed that seat because the one he was sitting in had a broken light (Note: Although the gate agent said the man was a "paid flyer," I later found out through the app that he'd just been upgraded like I was.). So I offered to sit in that seat with the broken light, but was told it wasn't an option. I even offered to take a later flight within five hours.
The real issue was that I was now an involuntarily downgraded passenger and United had banked on me being too naive to understand the nature of the situation (one gate agent even tried to explain "upgrades 101" to me at a kindergarten level ). Instead of delivering a proper customer service experience and taking accountability for its mistake, the carrier resorted to lying, belittling and acting disrespectfully.
I remained calm and polite the whole time and ultimately ended up complying with the request to return to my original seat, knowing that I could deal with the situation on the ground at SFO. Last month, a similar story surfaced involving a United passenger who was threatened with removal from a flight in handcuffs if he didn't give up his paid first-class seat to "a more important passenger." While I didn't feel like my situation was going in that direction, you just never know when a normal interaction can take a sour turn.
The funny thing is, many airlines don't really include downgrades in the contract of carriage, but there usually is a standard procedure in place involving compensation, a refund in the difference in fare or miles and the right of passengers to be re-accommodated on a later flight if space is available in the ticketed cabin. While it's also standard that "lowest priority" customers get booted before everyone else, don't be under the assumption that award ticket holders have fewer rights than other paying customers.
United's Response
I was pleasantly surprised by my interaction at United's customer service center at SFO, where an amazing rep, Kate Bartnett, handled my situation in such a heartwarming way. After I wrote a follow-up post on my blog, I received a 10-minute personal phone call from the United Executive offices and did receive an apology, which I thought was sincere.
At the end of the day, flying is not about upgrades and compensation. What really matters is acknowledging that passengers are human beings and more importantly, that everyone in every class is treated with respect. In the end, I received a $500 travel certificate — the standard compensation for a downgrade — which I plan to pay forward and use to book a flight for someone in need. Hopefully, we can start seeing some "friendly skies" again soon.
Angelina Aucello covers family travel for TPG and writes the popular blog, Angelina Travels. Follow along with all her travel adventures on Twitter and Instagram.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees