Northwest WorldPerks (Discontinued Program) - OK - so this is lazy [No elite upgrade - 4 emtpy FC seats]

Checked in at Midway (chicago) last night - P1 F0 - front desk says looks good for an UG. Gate says looks good for an upgrade. They board early. They don't clear any upgrades. I sit in 5E.

No problem as I was on a 40 minute flight and get 1000 miles for it but seriously - there were 4 open seats in FC and as a Plat, I should have been in one of them :confused:

Any thoughts?

Write a note to TTU with your flight number and date. This will only get fixed if the responsible GAs are reprimanded ... er ... "given additional training". They might throw you a few more miles as well.

Almost seems like we should have templates, for TTU submission. First template... Plats sitting in Y, with open F seats. Who volunteers to write it up?

Steve B.

Checked in at Midway (chicago) last night - P1 F0 - front desk says looks good for an UG. Gate says looks good for an upgrade. They board early. They don't clear any upgrades. I sit in 5E.

No problem as I was on a 40 minute flight and get 1000 miles for it but seriously - there were 4 open seats in FC and as a Plat, I should have been in one of them :confused:

Any thoughts?

Was the flight running on time? and did you cut this one close......

For 40 minutes, I'll take the extra 1k points any day of the week.

Just wish there was a WC at MDW

Bob H

Did you happen to board with elite boarding? Sometimes battlefield upgrades means having to wait till 30 minutes prior and asking the agent if you've cleared.

Almost seems like we should have templates, for TTU submission. First template... Plats sitting in Y, with open F seats. Who volunteers to write it up?

Steve B.

How about any elite sitting in Y with empty FC seats. Methinks this isn't a problem just for PE's.

If someone wants to write up some good TTU "letters", I'll put them in a sticky :D

How about any elite sitting in Y with empty FC seats. Methinks this isn't a problem just for PE's.

If the elite is traveling on an award ticket (this mainly goes for the silver types), then yes, it is possible to have an elite in Y with open F seats. Another scenario: gold or silver elite and spouse booked together, the EUA will bypass them for upgrade as will the SSD at check-in (it won't offer to waitlist or rebook an elite traveling with a non-elite).

This reminds me of the "no pre-flight drinks" on many flights in domestic F (happened to me last week). No big deal, but I thnk the NW employees are so discouraged/disgruntled with their work environment/relation with management that so much goes undone/unnoticed. Unfortunately I have little choice but to fly the red tail given where I live (no other service to my city).

Empty F seats and stuck in a middle Y seat!

MDW seems to have a rather lax attitude about battlefield UG. I flew MDW-MSP last Thursday and got the UG at the gate after asking several times for status. No pre-flight FC service either.

Some elites in FC got the UG even though they were 'standby' from a later scheduled flight. My colleague (gold) was in Y and not very happy either.

Did you ask again BEFORE you boarded? Some GA's will clear after boarding, though this seems to be an exception. Most will ask you to 'hang out'.

Since there are no scheduled 'connections' all NW at MDW and you obviously asked at the TC and the gate, should have cleared.

If the elite is traveling on an award ticket (this mainly goes for the silver types), then yes, it is possible to have an elite in Y with open F seats. Another scenario: gold or silver elite and spouse booked together, the EUA will bypass them for upgrade as will the SSD at check-in (it won't offer to waitlist or rebook an elite traveling with a non-elite).

Vegas Agent,

Thanks for the reply - it's good to see you're still active on the forum. Your insight as a GA is invaluable.

Yes, I am aware of the above exceptions. However, as one of the paying "victims" stranded in Y at departure, staring longingly at empty F seat(s), I can relate to the OP.

Perhaps not a problem in LAS, but it (not clearing the UG waitlist) happens elsewhere on occasion. Whether this problem is anything close to systematic is debatable, however, any occurance of not clearing elite UGs before departure is a problem IMO.

Hey all - it was a rather quick turn around, however I was at the gate 30 minutes prior. They boarded about 20 minutes prior. I did board with elites and when boarding asked if "first is checked full" and the GA said yes without checking.

As far as middle seat - it was a DC-9 X so only 2 seats on the right side of row 5 :) I may write to TTU but like I said it was only a 40 minute flight so no biggie - I just had to shell out a fiver for a beer.

Thanks all for the input. I agree I miss the WC when flying through MDW - as well as elite security lanes, but that's what you get when SW "owns" the airport!

P.S. It was a paid ticket in Q class and I was traveling alone.

Some elites in FC got the UG even though they were 'standby' from a later scheduled flight. My colleague (gold) was in Y and not very happy either.

This is normal, there is only one waitlist for both standby and battlefield upgrades. If there aren't enough F seats, a Plat on standby might clear into F while a Gold or Silver already booked on the flight remains in Y. I've ended up in F every time I've done standby as Plat, and F was usually full when the door closed. Last time I did standby 3 Plats on standby cleared into F.


Did you ask again BEFORE you boarded? Some GA's will clear after boarding, though this seems to be an exception. Most will ask you to 'hang out'.

You shouldn't have to ask at all. The waitlist should be cleared as much as possible (unsold seats) at the 30-minute point before boarding ever starts. If additional seats become available due no shows and misconnects, there might be more BP's issued before they close the door.

Only in unusual cases (e.g. GE or SE being held back by companion at lower/non-elite level), should you need to bother the GA to get on the list.

Since there are no scheduled 'connections' all NW at MDW and you obviously asked at the TC and the gate, should have cleared.

Oh? I'm connecting NW-to-NW at MDW on a upcoming trip. How did that happen? I guess somebody needs to tell the computer & me not to do that.

Even if connecting pax were an impossibility, you can still have checked-in no shows, and those seats cannot be recycled until the 15-minute mark.

I was flying DTW-MSN two weeks ago. One F pax asked for an upgrade for his wife since there was an empty seat, but the FA's correctly said the GA would have to do it. Then they talked among themselves, with the more experienced FA telling the other that it is big-time trouble for FA's to take upgrading into their own hands, and he had found out the hard way once.

Then the GA comes on the aircraft, sees 4C empty, and says loudly, "There's an open seat here. Is anyone in that seat?" The guy in 4D, who did not seem to be a native English speaker, said, "My friend." She asks, "Your friend is in that seat? Where is your friend?" He replied, "He is sitting in the back."

Then a pax in row 5 says to the GA, "I had asked you about a first class upgrade--can I sit in that seat?" and she responds something like, "You're a Silver and he's a Plat--I think he gets the priority here."

Then she turns around, starts walking down the aisle off the plane, and says only half-audibly, "Well then he should get to sit there." I figured she had told the FA something, but she hadn't, and the seat went empty the entire flight! :eek:

I have to work on a form letter for that one.

I agree I miss the WC when flying through MDW - as well as elite security lanes, but that's what you get when SW "owns" the airport!

Agree - I do the MSP/MDW route weekly, and would love a WC. I spose there isn't really enough volume to make sense though. Re: security lanes, in my experience MDW is one of the best, especially with the new lanes they opened. I've never spent more than a few minutes getting through. ymmv of course

on a side note - I think that every flight I've been on since the first of the year has had at least one open seat in FC - last Sunday's trip from MSP to MDW (NW1290) there were at least two seats open.

gpg

I flew MDW->DTW->EWR on new years day as a lowly SE. I got upgraded for both segments 2 days before. But I got to the airport 4 hours early so I decided to stand by for an earlier flight. I told the GA I'd take whatever seat I could get. I still ended up with a F seat (cabinet was full). I had to stand by again at DTW and same thing happened. I thought that was pretty sweet. Only paid $170 for the whole round trip and got upgraded to F for all segments and got home early.

You shouldn't have to ask at all. The waitlist should be cleared as much as possible (unsold seats) at the 30-minute point before boarding ever starts.

Problem: they start boarding the 757's at T-minus 40 minutes.

If I haven't already been upgraded, I'll ask about the waitlist for F. Sometimes they'll tell me that my chances are looking good, and I should not board when they announce Elite pre-boarding. I snagged a battlefield upgrade from SEA to MSP (a tough route) as a lowly Silver last weekend this way.

Empty F seats and stuck in a middle Y seat!

MDW seems to have a rather lax attitude about battlefield UG. I flew MDW-MSP last Thursday and got the UG at the gate after asking several times for status. No pre-flight FC service either.

Some elites in FC got the UG even though they were 'standby' from a later scheduled flight. My colleague (gold) was in Y and not very happy either.

Did you ask again BEFORE you boarded? Some GA's will clear after boarding, though this seems to be an exception. Most will ask you to 'hang out'.

Since there are no scheduled 'connections' all NW at MDW and you obviously asked at the TC and the gate, should have cleared.


Which MDW-MSP flight were you on last Thursday (1/11)? I was on the 7:20pm and got my UG at the gate about 20 minutes before boarding. I was kind of surprised as the flight had been showing 0's across the board on KVS.

Problem: they start boarding the 757's at T-minus 40 minutes.

If I haven't already been upgraded, I'll ask about the waitlist for F. Sometimes they'll tell me that my chances are looking good, and I should not board when they announce Elite pre-boarding. I snagged a battlefield upgrade from SEA to MSP (a tough route) as a lowly Silver last weekend this way.
Congrats. SEA-MSP BF upgrades are quite the accomplishment as a SE.

Re: Boarding 40 minutes prior and clearing upgrades. This is the method that those on the waitlist should follow. If the GA tells you that you're close to the top and have a good shot at an upgrade, one should not board until the check-in cut-off has passed. If you board, the GA could easily pass you by and give your seat away.

Of course, I've also rec'd some true BF upgrades, a SNA-MSP flight being the most recent. Was already settled in an exit row, GA hands my BP to the last pax to give to me (!) with an upgrade. I was seated next to my SO and she didn't want either of us up front, so the person handing me the BP got the upgrade.

Congrats. SEA-MSP BF upgrades are quite the accomplishment as a SE.

Thanks. :) I've been an SE before, then was a GE, and am now an SE again until Mar/01/2007, when I lose my Elite status. The common belief here seems to be that upgrades between SEA and MSP/DTW are hard to get, but during both of my "terms" as an SE, I'd say that my success rate was over 90%.

Why did I have such good luck? Well, I always do OLCI at T minus 24 hours if I haven't already been upgraded through EUA (although I'm now aware that some people suggest waiting until after a possible early-morning final EUA round). And some -- but not all -- of those flights to and from SEA have been red-eyes. Other than that, I have no idea. :confused:

Re: Boarding 40 minutes prior and clearing upgrades. This is the method that those on the waitlist should follow. If the GA tells you that you're close to the top and have a good shot at an upgrade, one should not board until the check-in cut-off has passed. If you board, the GA could easily pass you by and give your seat away.

Good advice. I suppose it would also be true that pax hoping to "upgrade" out of a middle seat and/or into an exit row should follow a similar procedure? Something like that happened during my most recent SEA-MSP battlefield upgrade. A woman asked about getting an exit row seat, but was told they were taken. A few minutes later, they did the T minus 30 upgrades and moved me out of my exit row seat. The abovementioned woman was walking toward the jetway to board, but they called her back to the podium and gave her the exit row seat that was now open.

Of course, I've also rec'd some true BF upgrades, a SNA-MSP flight being the most recent. Was already settled in an exit row, GA hands my BP to the last pax to give to me (!) with an upgrade. I was seated next to my SO and she didn't want either of us up front, so the person handing me the BP got the upgrade.

Good thing that last passenger was honest, or else he/she could have simply "self-upgraded" via your BP without telling you.

Good thing that last passenger was honest, or else he/she could have simply "self-upgraded" via your BP without telling you.
And had my BP with my WPs number on it + my full name... :(

I'm looking at two BP's from OLCI (printed on the same sheet of paper)... they've X'ed out all but the last three digits of my WP number. Are they not doing that yet with BP's printed at the podium? :confused: (Unfortunately, I don't have my BP from the abovementioned battlefield upgrade handy at the moment.)

1285 from MDW Thursday night (Jan 25) - at least one open seat in FC

I'm looking at two BP's from OLCI (printed on the same sheet of paper)... they've X'ed out all but the last three digits of my WP number. Are they not doing that yet with BP's printed at the podium? :confused: (Unfortunately, I don't have my BP from the abovementioned battlefield upgrade handy at the moment.)
It seems standard now that all BPs, printed at home, via the kiosk, and at the counters have all but the last three digits XXX'd out.

1285 from MDW Thursday night (Jan 25) - at least one open seat in FC

And were you seated in F or in Y?

was upfront in F - the seat was next to me :)

was upfront in F - the seat was next to me :)
So...they may have exhausted all the elite upgrades?

I've been on a lot of flights where there simply weren't enough elites to fill the open seats. Hard to believe, I know, but coincidentally, a lot of those flights were CHI-MSP or vice-versa. :)

So...they may have exhausted all the elite upgrades?

I've been on a lot of flights where there simply weren't enough elites to fill the open seats. Hard to believe, I know, but coincidentally, a lot of those flights were CHI-MSP or vice-versa. :)
During last summer, I was on two SFO-bound flights from HNL that had at most 8 people in the FC cabin (on a 753). So yes, miracles do happen. :D

My most recent flight from PDX to HNL was about half empty in first. Though there is no EUA on HNL-bound flights. It made meal service quicker.

I did on my flight to HNL for the DC-10 DO... untill they filled it with a NW non-rev :td:

During last summer, I was on two SFO-bound flights from HNL that had at most 8 people in the FC cabin (on a 753). So yes, miracles do happen. :D

Last Friday's DTW-PHX-DTW was F5 out and F3 back, and flew with empty seats out (didn't head-count on the way back). That might explain the $118 all-in special...

Steve B.