waltinsocal

+1 and very amusing. It is the corporation they work for that is high value. To say that one is of high value when spending someone else's money is beyond humorous. In many households, the owner sends the maid shopping with the owner's money. I guess you could say the maid is of high value. Perhaps there are many maids here and their hubris won't allow them to admit it. And the worst ones are the hub captive maids.

ILovetheReds

You're right, I forgot about Hawaii and Alaska. I wish I had to take business trips to Hawaii

DiverDave

In practice, it really means trips to AK and HI and even then from the eastern US. Still, during the summer, if you book shorter connections you can end up in coach to AK if you go to ANC. Somebody did that a couple of years ago, and booked First Class return flights ANC-HSV that were under 10 hours. The ticketing agency caught it and rebooked it into coach, which was a good catch.

But we mostly go to FAI and its always a double connection out of HSV. Well, except during the summer when you can go UA HSV-DEN and F9 DEN-FAI.

David

yohanson

AK and HI are in my territory but I've never been there for work. I would even stay the weekend.

bubbashow

Complaints on here seem to be that upgrades are harder to get (IDK because this year, I have bought nothing, but F, P, G, A, and Z). If they are tougher to get, DL is doing a better job at selling it (again an assumption, but I am sure the numbers are out there). They are making small, but noticeable changes to F.....warm options on shorter flights for breakfast, Luvo meals, upgraded catering, etc. Seems to me that when more of the people flying up front are paying, the better the product is getting. It surely isn't the meal quality, etc. as intra-Europe J, but it is a hell of a lot better than domestic UA. I flew them to HI over Christmas....the ORDSFO flight was an embarrassing fail for UA (years ago I had status with UA, but left after the employees sabotaged the airline in the summer of hell).

AA_EXP09

One of my coworkers did when SFO-HNL was delayed on UA by >3 hours and they missed their connection to NRT

StuckOnSegments

So in the quoted example, as long as you are connecting DTW to AMS and not originating, you will fly BE.

So in BK's example, you would be the firm that he would never hire.

StuckOnSegments

I hope you aren't referring to me, as the OP.

My entire point in posting this was that I would be much better off in the new system. I'm not bragging and I'm not a person who buys the most expensive ticket possible. I'm simply saying that in my situation I will by far prefer the new system.

I think Delta rewards whoever sends them the money, just like companies do to sales people. They don't care where it comes from.

keeton

Not always.

I travel for my company for sure, but I have a choice of what flights I book, pay for them myself and then get reimbursed by the company. I'm sure my situation is not unique. Not only have I steered business to Delta, but my method of payment (DL Amex, vouchers or PWM) have benefited me as well. My expenses are reviewed at three levels before the reimbursement is made and. as long as I follow the rules, no problem. Yes, I am high value to Delta because I am part of the decision process.

To extend your metaphor, if you sent your maid to the store to do shopping and she chooses one brand over the other, then the grocery store will be tracking this (via those "shopper's cards") and courting her to buy their specific brands via coupons, promotions etc.

gator21

Running the numbers for my regular trips to ANC, I'll lose about 5000 miles per RT under the 2015 earning rules. Spending $1400/rt. While it looks good, those that WFBF end up losing in some cases.

relangford

Oh, if only so. I am also DoD and just returned TPAC (DAY-DTW-ICN) in S fare class (middle seat on B474-400 to boot) since the Travel Office saw it was a lower fare than YCA-; no chance even paying for an upgrade.

FlyDeltaJets87

But you were still on the GSA contract carrier for the route (DL). (Note: I guess I shouldn't have said "If there's a YCA fare, you're requried to take it" but rather, "if there is a contract carrier for the GSA City-Pair, you're required to take it in most cases"). Some routes have "YCA" (Unrestricted) and "CA" (capacity controlled) fares, but it's still the same carrier for the city-pair. DAY-ICN is one of them, looking at the GSA City-Pairs site http://cpsearch.fas.gsa.gov/cpsearch...o?method=enter. Capacity controlled fares are a "discount" for booking in advance, but there's only so many available per flight and often the flight times are less desirable.

From my experience, "CA" fares don't book as a full Y-fare but work fairly similar (can be cancelled and are fully refundable - you may run into issues switching flights, especially day of though). The other difference is Elite Points and miles (which obviously isn't a concern to the government, nor should it be). I flew to SAT back in January from DAY on a GSA City Pair (AA). It was a "CA" and booked into "G" (or maybe it was "S"?), I think, which only earned 0.5 EQPs per mile flown (still earned 1 EQP and 1 AAdvantage mile per mile flown). A year ago I flew on a Capacity Controlled "CA" from IND to SAT and it booked into K on DL (DL was the GSA City Pair carrier for FY13 on IND-SAT).

yohanson

If I were your boss I would take a serious look at your DL spending. You spending that much money 3 weeks out in Y looks very odd to me.

StuckOnSegments

LOL, I love the accusations of me buying more expensive fares. Why would I do that? There's nothing that I get from it.

I guess you don't realize who uncompetitive some routs out of ATL are.

ILovetheReds

Fly AA first class sometime, much better than Delta. Not sure if it's due to their FC prices being higher on paid tickets, only upgrading EPs or some other factor (of course if you don't have paid/elites up front you have non-revs who also aren't bringing in anything to the airline).

Couple other reasons besides FCM as to elites not getting upgrades, such as Delta giving out status too easily and too many elites competing for upgrades (another issue I have with FCM, I feel G and A fares should be 100% MQM not 150%, I find it unfair that on a more expensive M fare I am getting fewer MQMs sitting in the back than someone up front on a higher seat, no problem with WFBF but don't be handing out MQMs so freely), and Delta removing a row of first class on some aircraft. My upgrades are still decent as a diamond and I love the new global upgrades. I would rather sit in back on a couple domestic flights due to FCM and be able to sit up front to Australia on a T fare.

I have never sat in United up front but am told domestic it is nothing special. However United makes upgrading on SWU's for their highest elite level easy on international and also give additional SWU's for people that fly a lot of miles. I would rather have a lousy first class domestic product and receive more international upgrades and see Delta eliminate rollovers and give more SWU's to diamonds who fly a lot like united