Originally Posted by
purple1day
You are correct in saying that it would be nice if we could use bank money for this situation, however, like you said those are the rules.
However for this above situation you are not completely out of luck if it ever arises again. You can always us the "Crew Travel Upgrade Form". Located in the Forms section of PFC. It allows you to book first class when it otherwise wouldn't be authorized, but you bear the difference between the coach and first class fares. In the above situation 10 bucks is worth it in my book!
Just fill out the form before you call global travel. Specify how much more you are willing to pay, in this case no more than $10, and submit. Global travel gets a email and will book the new class of service when you call. $10 will come out of your check, but the cost of the coach ticket get billed to your bank.
Careful you will pay the difference between coach and first on the same flight. The $10 difference in his example is likely between different flights.