Delta employee upgraded instead of me (Diamond)?
Oct 25, 2014, 3:44 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 4
Delta employee upgraded instead of me (Diamond)?
I took an international flight a couple days ago that didn't qualify for a Medallion Complimentary Upgrade, so I applied a System Wide Upgrade Request to my reservation.
I couldn't see the list of passengers waiting to be upgraded but it said there were 5 seats available in Business Class (btw does this mean they haven't been assigned or they haven't been sold?) and was never upgraded automatically by the system and my status was "Upgrade Requested" all the time. I called the Delta Diamond Medallion line and the lady said there were 4 seats available and thought the chances of me getting upgraded were close to 100%.
When I get to the gate they tell me there aren't any upgrades left and that Business Class is now full. I'm a Diamond with close to 1mill miles in my account so I found it hard to believe there were other Diamonds in front of me specially on this route.
So I questioned the Gate Agent and the supervisor comes. They tell me that my name was never on the Upgrade List and that's why they hadn't upgraded me. She also inadvertently says that there are two employees (Non Revs as they call them) that have been upgraded.
To make the long story short they sent one of the employees to coach and upgrade me.
Is this pretty bad? I appreciate they made it right, but hate to have to fight for it with the amount of flying I do with them.
Look forward to any comments or feedback.
I couldn't see the list of passengers waiting to be upgraded but it said there were 5 seats available in Business Class (btw does this mean they haven't been assigned or they haven't been sold?) and was never upgraded automatically by the system and my status was "Upgrade Requested" all the time. I called the Delta Diamond Medallion line and the lady said there were 4 seats available and thought the chances of me getting upgraded were close to 100%.
When I get to the gate they tell me there aren't any upgrades left and that Business Class is now full. I'm a Diamond with close to 1mill miles in my account so I found it hard to believe there were other Diamonds in front of me specially on this route.
So I questioned the Gate Agent and the supervisor comes. They tell me that my name was never on the Upgrade List and that's why they hadn't upgraded me. She also inadvertently says that there are two employees (Non Revs as they call them) that have been upgraded.
To make the long story short they sent one of the employees to coach and upgrade me.
Is this pretty bad? I appreciate they made it right, but hate to have to fight for it with the amount of flying I do with them.
Look forward to any comments or feedback.
Oct 25, 2014, 4:00 pm
#2
Formerly known as jbalis
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Bangkok
Programs: Delta Diamond, Starwood Gold, National Executive, MGM Noir,
Posts: 342
see the last 2 pages of the "shena" thread I had a similar thing happen to me.
I have also for some reason not had the upgrade attach right to my folio in the past, and I might be wrong here it goes buy SUG then fare class then medallion level for the upgrade, so if a PM is using a SUG in in booked in M and you a DM are using a SUG booked in k it would go to them first......I might be wrong here.
I have also for some reason not had the upgrade attach right to my folio in the past, and I might be wrong here it goes buy SUG then fare class then medallion level for the upgrade, so if a PM is using a SUG in in booked in M and you a DM are using a SUG booked in k it would go to them first......I might be wrong here.
Oct 25, 2014, 4:07 pm
#3
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Join Date: May 2005
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First of all - - WELCOME to FlyerTalk - Delta forum! 
The shortest answer, is, that if the gate agent (GA) can't see you on the upgrade (UG) list, for WHATEVER reason, you will be bypassed for the UG! That said, there are TONS of posts here about UG certificates that are not coded properly, which cause you to NOT appear on the UG list!
The main thing is, that, they made it right for you. Should you have to fight for it? - - ABSOULTELY NOT! But, I believe that most of us who post here are used to having to "LOOK OUT FOR NUMBER ONE", so to speak, when it comes to these things, and be proactive in these situations.
I do believe that the situation is IMPROVING, believe it or not, with these things. In the past, the GAs would "Take care of THEIR OWN", and leave you stuck in coach.
There's a post from a few days ago, where, someone's flight was goofed up in Portland, OR, and the GA and RedCoat would not UN-UPGRADE non-revs for a BusinessElite passenger. The pax called the Diamond desk from PDX airport. The Diamond desk MADE the RedCoat seat him in Biz Class! - - There he is! VegasJosh just posted above!
The shortest answer, is, that if the gate agent (GA) can't see you on the upgrade (UG) list, for WHATEVER reason, you will be bypassed for the UG! That said, there are TONS of posts here about UG certificates that are not coded properly, which cause you to NOT appear on the UG list!
The main thing is, that, they made it right for you. Should you have to fight for it? - - ABSOULTELY NOT! But, I believe that most of us who post here are used to having to "LOOK OUT FOR NUMBER ONE", so to speak, when it comes to these things, and be proactive in these situations.
I do believe that the situation is IMPROVING, believe it or not, with these things. In the past, the GAs would "Take care of THEIR OWN", and leave you stuck in coach.
There's a post from a few days ago, where, someone's flight was goofed up in Portland, OR, and the GA and RedCoat would not UN-UPGRADE non-revs for a BusinessElite passenger. The pax called the Diamond desk from PDX airport. The Diamond desk MADE the RedCoat seat him in Biz Class! - - There he is! VegasJosh just posted above!
Last edited by davetravels; Oct 25, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Oct 25, 2014, 4:15 pm
#4
Formerly known as jbalis
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Bangkok
Programs: Delta Diamond, Starwood Gold, National Executive, MGM Noir,
Posts: 342
it ws from the PDX airport but haha ya it happens......
Davetravels is right though, they do get coded weird and sometimes is straight up Shena as in my last case. Hard to say in this situation what one it was but it is good that you were on top of it and you did get what you should have. Its always hard to think it was on purpose cause its a pretty S****y thing to do, but it happens. When using the complicated SUG and delta system its always best to keep on top of things.
Davetravels is right though, they do get coded weird and sometimes is straight up Shena as in my last case. Hard to say in this situation what one it was but it is good that you were on top of it and you did get what you should have. Its always hard to think it was on purpose cause its a pretty S****y thing to do, but it happens. When using the complicated SUG and delta system its always best to keep on top of things.
Oct 25, 2014, 4:30 pm
#5
In memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
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I fixed it!
I feel it's important to explain what Shena is to a FlyerTalk newbie . . . .
We use the term Shena, as a short version of Shenanigans. Shenanigans happens when . . . .
In the case of a domestic "Complimentary Medallion Upgrade", when the gate agent is dolling out the last few available seats, they are supposed to go to Medallions first - then, if any are left over (HAHA!) - non-revs can have them. GAs have been known to give them to their friends, family, or whoever, ahead of Medallions. When this happens, we say - Shena has made an appearance - or the GA is playing Shenanigans!
In the case of a certificate UG, it's a bit more of a grey area. As you say, you weren't on the UG list, so they may not have INTENTIONALLY bypassed you to for the upgrade seat to a non-rev. The cert may have been coded wrong.
We use the term Shena, as a short version of Shenanigans. Shenanigans happens when . . . .
In the case of a domestic "Complimentary Medallion Upgrade", when the gate agent is dolling out the last few available seats, they are supposed to go to Medallions first - then, if any are left over (HAHA!) - non-revs can have them. GAs have been known to give them to their friends, family, or whoever, ahead of Medallions. When this happens, we say - Shena has made an appearance - or the GA is playing Shenanigans!
In the case of a certificate UG, it's a bit more of a grey area. As you say, you weren't on the UG list, so they may not have INTENTIONALLY bypassed you to for the upgrade seat to a non-rev. The cert may have been coded wrong.
Oct 25, 2014, 4:54 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 4
Thanks for the comments and welcome guys!
Feels good to read that I'm not the only one...
Also, I think I made a friend with the Red Coat (even though the individual wasn't wearing any red, but seemed to be the boss), and at the end we were laughing together. Hopefully that will help in the future.
Feels good to read that I'm not the only one...
Also, I think I made a friend with the Red Coat (even though the individual wasn't wearing any red, but seemed to be the boss), and at the end we were laughing together. Hopefully that will help in the future.
Oct 25, 2014, 9:19 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,636
So in the end the thread title is pretty misleading. Despite not being on the upgrade list, a non-rev was moved to make room for you, as they should have been. This is more of a cautionary tale to really make sure you double check that you are definitely on the standby or upgrade list to begin with.
Hope your next trip(s) go smoother, and welcome to Flyer Talk!
Hope your next trip(s) go smoother, and welcome to Flyer Talk!
Oct 25, 2014, 9:57 pm
#9
Formerly known as jbalis
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Bangkok
Programs: Delta Diamond, Starwood Gold, National Executive, MGM Noir,
Posts: 342
Oct 26, 2014, 3:47 am
#12
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Definitely NOT a good idea, to wait to the last minute to ask about your upgrade (i.e. after Non-Revs have already been cleared). I must say, as others have noted, I am rather impressed with how Delta "made this right."
In Boston, the GIDs do show international upgrades. This does make it much easier to double check at the gate. Below, a pic of the "cleared list," BOS-AMS.
Oct 26, 2014, 5:55 am
#13
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I feel it's important to explain what Shena is to a FlyerTalk newbie . . . .
We use the term Shena, as a short version of Shenanigans. Shenanigans happens when . . . .
GAs have been known to give them to their friends, family, or whoever, ahead of Medallions. When this happens, we say - Shena has made an appearance - or the GA is playing Shenanigans!
We use the term Shena, as a short version of Shenanigans. Shenanigans happens when . . . .
GAs have been known to give them to their friends, family, or whoever, ahead of Medallions. When this happens, we say - Shena has made an appearance - or the GA is playing Shenanigans!
Oct 26, 2014, 12:37 pm
#15
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Programs: Million Miles achieved | 2017 Delta Platinum, United NADA, Global Entry, PreCheck, NEXUS
Posts: 1,295
I always double check where I am on the "list" in the SkyClub. If that's not an option, probably best to arrive at the gate more than an hour prior to departure. I'm guessing, most people probably arrive more than an hour (at the airport) for international flights. I always leave myself a "bit" of extra time, if I'm expecting to clear for an upgrade (in AMS or USA). I do tend to cut it "very close," when I'm already confirmed in BusinessElite.
Definitely NOT a good idea, to wait to the last minute to ask about your upgrade (i.e. after Non-Revs have already been cleared). I must say, as others have noted, I am rather impressed with how Delta "made this right."
In Boston, the GIDs do show international upgrades. This does make it much easier to double check at the gate. Below, a pic of the "cleared list," BOS-AMS.
Definitely NOT a good idea, to wait to the last minute to ask about your upgrade (i.e. after Non-Revs have already been cleared). I must say, as others have noted, I am rather impressed with how Delta "made this right."
In Boston, the GIDs do show international upgrades. This does make it much easier to double check at the gate. Below, a pic of the "cleared list," BOS-AMS.