Her Boss Wants Her To Give Up Her First-Class Seat To Her Superior

The issue of whether or not to give your first-class plane ticket to your boss who’s on the same flight has sparked a significant amount of debate regarding etiquette and protocol. A woman who found herself in this scenario is now questioning whether she made the right decision. The incident, which involved the woman being upgraded to first class while her boss was not, has resulted in a discourse on the appropriate etiquette in these situations.

She Flies To A Conference With Her Boss

The story began when a woman who was also a frequent traveler and her boss were flying home after a conference. The woman earned a free upgrade to first class, while her boss did not.

After the flight, the boss asked the woman to discuss what she saw as a “lack of respect for protocol.

“The company paid for my original ticket,” explains the woman, “but it was my own personal credit card spending and frequent travel that earned me the upgraded seat.”

The question now is, is the woman’s unwillingness to give the seat to her boss an act of disrespect, or something else?

I think this is absolutely insane,” the woman said, as she wondered if there is a corporate standard that the she is somehow is unaware of.

Others Weigh In

Many advise the woman to speak with the company’s HR department.

“If you want to be safe going forward you can always email HR and ask ‘X happened while on this trip and Manager Y advised that I should have done Z,'” suggested one commenter. “Can you point me to where I can review the protocols so I know going forward? It documents the incident without being accusatory and lets you be able to cite chapter and verse if there’s a next time.”

Another commenter is obviously very annoyed at the woman’s boss. The commenter asked, “Is your boss 5? What protocol says you have to give gifts to your boss?

“This was your upgrade, not a company upgrade,” added another. “I’d keep an eye on this boss from here and document anything in case of retaliation.”

“The upgrade was connected to your own personal credit card use,” commented another. “Your boss is a bully and she is being completely insane about this. If she brings it up again, I’d just tell her that she is wrong and leave it at that. Document this too, in case you need to take it to HR.”

“The entitlement of your boss is astounding,” wrote another. “As long as the company allows you to use your card for miles (not all do), you’ve done nothing wrong. You could have used those miles on whatever. She could have paid extra for the upgrade, as well, but she CHOSE not to.”