Only Diamonds can now request medallion upgrade JFK-LAX/SFO - effective immediately
Aug 4, 2015, 9:04 pm
#496
Join Date: Jan 2010
Programs: AA Plat 2MM/UA G MM/DL MM DM 2015/BA Silver/Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 3,103
which is fine. Different strokes for different folks. Some people prefer to fly Spirit Air, some prefer Frontier, UA and so on and so on. Everyone has their reason for choosing the airline they fly and the cabin they fly in. There is no right or wrong. Whatever fits your budget and your logic.
Aug 4, 2015, 9:14 pm
#497
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MSP
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Most, perhaps all, of those people are unlikely to pay $1200 rather than $400 for a tcon round trip, so Delta isn't cannibalizing its own revenue by allowing upgrades. (Would you refrain from buying J if you had, say, about a 10% chance of a free upgrade?)
Aug 4, 2015, 9:15 pm
#498
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Aug 4, 2015, 10:40 pm
#499
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: SEA
Programs: Delta TDK(or care)WIA, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,869
There are people who are more likely to fly DL on those routes (or on other routes to gain status) if upgrades are available. Making upgrades available for those people would tend to increase revenues.
Most, perhaps all, of those people are unlikely to pay $1200 rather than $400 for a tcon round trip, so Delta isn't cannibalizing its own revenue by allowing upgrades. (Would you refrain from buying J if you had, say, about a 10% chance of a free upgrade?)
Most, perhaps all, of those people are unlikely to pay $1200 rather than $400 for a tcon round trip, so Delta isn't cannibalizing its own revenue by allowing upgrades. (Would you refrain from buying J if you had, say, about a 10% chance of a free upgrade?)
For me, the issue is that the $1200 runs into money if you do it a lot and C+ isn't that bad (the flight isn't that long actually). It isn't upgrade possibility. Where's your 10% figure from? Your estimate of the upgrade chances now? I agree that it's at least that low, and right, that wouldn't keep me from buying J. And that's the main reason this may be misguided - taking away upgrades isn't actually going to change anything significantly, so why not let people have that (mostly illusory) possibility?
Aug 4, 2015, 11:01 pm
#500
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I dunno, $1200 seems to me to be a fair price for what is a pretty good product. It isn't like it was last year when Delta was much much too impressed with the quality of the service and charged much too much for it. In 2012, I worked my way from no status to silver to gold to platinum, and on the way to gold I flew a fair amount of paid J. Then in mid 2013, Delta started running the recliner seats pretty exclusively between SEA and JFK and I thought I wouldn't get any upgrades but they hiked their prices up to the moon.
For me, the issue is that the $1200 runs into money if you do it a lot and C+ isn't that bad (the flight isn't that long actually). It isn't upgrade possibility. Where's your 10% figure from? Your estimate of the upgrade chances now? I agree that it's at least that low, and right, that wouldn't keep me from buying J. And that's the main reason this may be misguided - taking away upgrades isn't actually going to change anything significantly, so why not let people have that (mostly illusory) possibility?
For Platinums, it's more like 1%.
I really can't see anyone not buying J due to such a small chance of a free upgrade. (In fact, I think it more likely that a DM will take RUCs and use them to upgrade if available at purchase, which would cost a J sale. Also, LAX-JFK upgraded in advance with RUC allows use of the special check-in area, etc., which presumably has some cost for Delta.)
Aug 5, 2015, 2:56 am
#501
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2009
Programs: Delta skymiles DM + 1MM
Posts: 8,144
There are people who are more likely to fly DL on those routes (or on other routes to gain status) if upgrades are available. Making upgrades available for those people would tend to increase revenues.
Most, perhaps all, of those people are unlikely to pay $1200 rather than $400 for a tcon round trip, so Delta isn't cannibalizing its own revenue by allowing upgrades. (Would you refrain from buying J if you had, say, about a 10% chance of a free upgrade?)
Most, perhaps all, of those people are unlikely to pay $1200 rather than $400 for a tcon round trip, so Delta isn't cannibalizing its own revenue by allowing upgrades. (Would you refrain from buying J if you had, say, about a 10% chance of a free upgrade?)
In using your example of say having a 10% chance of upgrading, it depends. I don't really think that is an accurate %. In all the transcons I flew after Delta reinstated upgrade status for DM's on the prem transcons, I would say my upgrade % was somewhere around 3 to 5%.
Aug 5, 2015, 12:06 pm
#502
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
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The same infallible data they used the first time and then had to backtrack on?
Aug 5, 2015, 1:01 pm
#503
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: SEA
Programs: Delta TDK(or care)WIA, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,869
Those were golden times. I missed ONCE from the first time I flew after the double secret upgrades were initiated until the put SEA-JFK back on the regular upgrade plan. I am sure that at least sometimes I got upgraded above people who would have been higher on the list if they had been put on the list.
Aug 5, 2015, 4:57 pm
#504
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I'm one of them. I exist. The chances that I'm unique in this way are rather low.
I would guess it's accurate for my schedule, which is mostly JFK-SFO Thursday or Friday mornings late in the year, and SFO-JFK red-eye Monday.
In using your example of say having a 10% chance of upgrading, it depends. I don't really think that is an accurate %. In all the transcons I flew after Delta reinstated upgrade status for DM's on the prem transcons, I would say my upgrade % was somewhere around 3 to 5%.
Aug 7, 2015, 2:40 pm
#506
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Los Angeles & New York
Programs: Delta DM
Posts: 7
As a diamond my upgrade rate on LAX-JFK was about 75%. I usually rode K or higher. Fare class was critical as was flexibility on day and time of travel. I'm currently on my last Delta transcon riding in comfort plus with one seat empty in the front.
Aug 8, 2015, 7:23 pm
#507
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Congratulations! You get to join us in the nonexistent club.
Aug 8, 2015, 7:36 pm
#508
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LAX/BOS/HKG/AMS/SFO...hmm, I need a life.
Programs: United1K, AA ExPlAAt, DL MM/Gold, Hilton Diamond, Avis First
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Aug 8, 2015, 8:02 pm
#509
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Programs: Delta skymiles DM + 1MM
Posts: 8,144
So, since the answer is so easy I am guessing your another one that will switch to AA. With all the people switching to AA, who the heck is going to be left on all those shiny Delta planes? I seriously doubt with all the flyers switching to AA that upgrades will be a cinch to snag as people claim they will be.
Aug 8, 2015, 10:29 pm
#510
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or, you can man up and choose RUC's. Those plus the GUC's give you plenty of opportunities to upgrade at sLUT fares.
So, since the answer is so easy I am guessing your another one that will switch to AA. With all the people switching to AA, who the heck is going to be left on all those shiny Delta planes? I seriously doubt with all the flyers switching to AA that upgrades will be a cinch to snag as people claim they will be.
So, since the answer is so easy I am guessing your another one that will switch to AA. With all the people switching to AA, who the heck is going to be left on all those shiny Delta planes? I seriously doubt with all the flyers switching to AA that upgrades will be a cinch to snag as people claim they will be.