My boss is furious that I didn’t give her my first class seat and left her in the economy – despite using my own credit card points for the upgrade
- The Reddit user was flying home from a conference and not sitting with his boss
- Upon landing, she confronted him about his “lack of respect for protocol”
An employee faced an irate boss after flying with her on a business trip after getting a free upgrade to first class – and not offering it to her.
The man, who was a frequent flyer with the airline and also carried his own credit card, was offered the seat because of the flight points he had earned, trapping his boss in economy, The mirror reports.
In a Reddit post, he described how he was on his way home from a conference but was sitting apart from his boss.
But she was left furious after finding out he was upgraded to a flight of luxury – leaving her behind.
He acknowledged that the company paid for his plane ticket, but emphasized that he got the free upgrade due to the use of his personal credit card and travel.
The employee got into trouble with his boss after being given a free upgrade to first class, based on his frequent flyer points and use of his credit card, owned by the same company as the airline
But his boss, who was stuck in the economy, got angry and accused him of ‘disrespecting protocol’
The anonymous user described the situation as “insane” and asked others for advice on whether he had acted reasonably.
He wrote: “After the flight, when we collected our bags, she said she wanted to talk to me about my “lack of respect for protocol.”
“She thinks that because the company paid for my original ticket and she’s older than me, I should have given her first class.
“I think this is really insane. While the company paid for my seat, it’s my own personal credit card expenses and frequent travel that earned me the upgraded seat.
“Is this some kind of company standard I’m not aware of?”
In the comments, he clarified that his company “lets us use our miles, or personal money, to upgrade the economy tickets they buy” — making his boss’s objection all the more controversial.
The vast majority of Reddit posters fully agreed with the employee.
Several users suggested that he should report it to HR, with one advising him to describe the incident and mitigate the complaint by asking if there are any protocols he should be aware of in the future.
He replied, ‘This is a really useful suggestion. Thank you! She has retaliated against other employees who have previously raised concerns about her attitude to HR, so this tact feels a little more comfortable to me than an outright complaint.”
A second wrote, “Your boss’s entitlement is amazing.”
A third added, “Your boss needs to get a reality check.”
A user, who identified himself as “HR manager,” told the employee, “No employee is entitled to personal rewards from another employee.
“I had a general manager who traveled a lot for work, he used his personal credit card to pay for rooms.
“He always used the same hotel and won huge awards. They are his to keep and use. He was reimbursed for the rooms by our company, but he originally booked and paid for them.
‘(Your) company paid for the original ticket, but the upgrade was a personal reward. No company reward.’
