We Really Do Have Just An Amazing Amount Of The Politics Of Envy Loose In OZ!

This appeared this morning:

8.28AM 10 November, 2024

Mark Butler says he didn’t ask Qantas for upgrade

Andrew Hobbs

Health Minister Mark Butler says he didn’t ask to be upgraded by Qantas when he flew to Melbourne for a 50th birthday party.

“I was in Melbourne for a colleague’s 50th birthday on the weekend. Obviously, I paid for my flight. It was a quick go over on Saturday afternoon, come back on Sunday morning. I’d booked myself and to the best of my recollection, I simply sort of got to the airport and they had upgraded me,” Butler said on Sky.

“This happens by airlines to shift the load in their airline. If they have a spare business-class seat, generally, they’ll upgrade an economy class passenger up to that so that they can then on sell the economy-class seat, for which there’s always more demand than there is capacity.

“So I didn’t ask anyone for it. I simply arrived at the airport and got handed a ticket that was an upgrade. I declared it in the proper way.”

Here is the link:

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/australian-mining-ceo-detained-by-mali-junta-20241110-p5kpb5

 Who cares?

Can I suggest concern here is just a trivial expression of misplaced envy?

In another life I used to fly a fair bit for consulting engagements around the country,. Needless to say, being pretty junior then I spent a good amount of time at the back of the plane!

But after about a few months of 2-3 times a month flights I was upgraded occasionally and as time went on upgrades became more and more regular – some great booking computer in the sky seemed to be taking a personal interest – which was nice, and meant I always booked with the same airline as I assume was their plan!!! Needless to say when I stopped regular work flights, regular upgrades also vanished!

There is an algorithm I am sure keeping watch on all this and the more loyal you are the more upgraded you are it seems, and vice a versa..

Flying for work is not fun and as such if you get an upgrade it is just a minor source of pain relief – and nothing more.

To me public envy and frothing at the mouth in anger at upgrades is just adolescent and silly.

Why do others even care I wonder? The world has many more problems than who got upgraded!!!!

David.