Binro

To be fair to the OP, I once got upgraded to first on Emirates and at that time I was only silver! just to add to the mystery I checked business during the flight and it wasn't full. The only explaination I could come up with was that I had reserved a seat somebody with more 'clout' wanted. I went gold around 2002 and remained gold until '09 when I 'semi-retired'. I was also Gold on BA & Swiss and my favourite trick was to march up to the Emirates first class check-in (as one can even with a business ticket when a gold card holder) and 'mistakenly' produce my BA card. Out of an average of 5 long-hauls a year on Emirates I would get upgraded on at least one leg on over half of them despite never actualy asking. Compared with a similar number of flights on the other two, Emirates were far more generous with upgrades. I also found them very good at redeeming airmiles unlike BA! A few points worth mentioning which I'm sure contributed to my success with Emirates: 1) Because I invariably had a 'carnet' to be stamped by customs, I was always one of the first to check-in. 2) I always dressed smartly, i.e. collar and tie and jacket simply because I was on a working trip and needed 'smart'. 3) I was always stone cold sober when checking-in . . . . . I left the drinking until later LOL