New: Update to F Class for $$ Button on Existing Trips
Jun 15, 2014, 10:50 am
#31
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Jun 15, 2014, 11:02 am
#32
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Exactly. There's no deal to be had here. It equals out to the same price as if you had just bought first class, but waives the change fee - something I do regularly when my clients only pay coach. DL is just trying to make it easier to extract money from you for something you may want or are impulse buying.
Jun 15, 2014, 11:10 am
#33
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 5,292
Exactly. There's no deal to be had here. It equals out to the same price as if you had just bought first class, but waives the change fee - something I do regularly when my clients only pay coach. DL is just trying to make it easier to extract money from you for something you may want or are impulse buying.
Jun 15, 2014, 11:44 am
#34
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I would do this if Delta gave me the option. See my reply above.
Jun 15, 2014, 3:16 pm
#35
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Twin Cities
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My only F option is a personal trip booked on delta.com. The ones booked through Concur either don't have an option or the EC option.
Jun 15, 2014, 3:17 pm
#36
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If Delta really wanted to make some money, why not offer seats somewhere close to flight time (12/24 hrs) for a price - probably less than this deal - but still money/miles in Delta's pocket? And, per segment or at least one way.
Jun 15, 2014, 3:35 pm
#37
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Jun 16, 2014, 3:42 am
#38
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 13
When those normally high-margin seats are given to those with status, they are buying loyalty and legitimacy for the FF program. Or in the case of brief and dramatic airfare wars, they are buying ink on blogs and travel news media.
Selling under-market near the departure would encourage more to wait, leaving more open seats.
Jun 16, 2014, 5:23 am
#39
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: PBI
Programs: DL 2.8 MM/PM, AA MM/GLD, Marriott LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,746
For a trip next week, the A fare was $479 more than coach at the time of booking. After ticket purchase, the website offered me a buy-up at $379, which I passed on. When I opened up my reservation yesterday, the buy-up offer was now $105.00...which I took.
Last edited by pbjag; Jun 21, 2014 at 3:35 am
Jun 16, 2014, 5:43 am
#41
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: BDU
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Might it also be that on the flights where this is being offered all UGs will be battlefield? I've got a flight for tomorrow. DM on an M fare with no advance UG. Yesterday, all but one seats showed open in F, but today, there are ten of sixteen seats taken. The UG is offered online for $29.
Jun 16, 2014, 5:49 am
#42
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: PBI
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Posts: 1,746
Might it also be that on the flights where this is being offered all UGs will be battlefield? I've got a flight for tomorrow. DM on an M fare with no advance UG. Yesterday, all but one seats showed open in F, but today, there are ten of sixteen seats taken. The UG is offered online for $29.
At the time I received the $95 offer for my flight tomorrow (approx.9-10 days before the flight), there were only 3 seats left in First. For next week's flights, however, FC is wide open.
Jun 16, 2014, 11:58 am
#43
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: New York, western US
Programs: DM/3MM
Posts: 4,246
You might call them idiots, but there are lots of impulse buyers, and DL is taking advantage of that consumer behavior. I know a number of folks who do just waht you described. It's smart behavioral marketing (although it does reduce the valued upgrade perk).
Jun 16, 2014, 12:44 pm
#45
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For a trip next week, the A fare was $479 more than coach at the time of booking. After ticket purchase, the website offered me a buy-up at $379, which I passed on. When I opened up my reservation yesterday, the buy-up offer was now $105.00.
It's certainly possible they opened G inventory since you previously checked. (Of course it's also possible they're offering discounted buy ups, like UA's "TOD" program...)
As for the business travelers - I would think that if you purchase your coach ticket through the corporate TA, DL will not offer the buy-up. Generally the airline won't touch a TA-issued ticket until day of departure (or T-24h).