bostonbali

Last week, I flew DL SEA-DTW, as a Plat on a 'S' fare.
I was tickled pink when I saw that I was upgraded about 45 min prior to the flight. Aside from a couple of leisure routes, I have yet to receive an upgrade this year due to FCM, so was very much looking forward to this upgrade.
At boarding, the scanner beeped, and burped up a new boarding pass, and I took my new assigned FC seat.
About 12 minutes prior to push-back, the gate agent came onboard, and said that due to a problem in Honolulu, 3 first class passengers did not get their seat assignments, and he needed to move me (and two other Elites) back to coach. A bit shocked, and embarrassed, I moved back to coach, but requested a new boarding pass from the GA . He stated he could not provide me with a boarding pass, as he was trying to get flight out, and that he "knew what I was doing."
At the last second, he came back onboard and gave me a BP for my original, pre-upgrade seat (which I have been moved back to), but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
How could have this happened? If there were really FC pax with no seat assignment, why was there even inventory to upgrade me into? Was there really a glitch in the system, or perhaps some last-minute accommodations at my expense?


A few days later, I flew a return, SEA-DTW. An off-duty pilot was directed to 10A by the flight attendant. At the last moment, before the doors were closed, the flight attendant pulled him up, and moved him to 3A. I appreciate everything the crew does for passengers, but shouldn't the upgrade have gone to one of the 35 Elites on the upgrade list?

davetravels

According to this very recent thread, you should have at least gotten a $100 voucher:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...nks-delta.html

The off-duty pilot thing . . . . Many here will say that DL policy is, that, once you board, you lose your right to the UG, unless the gate agent decides that he / she wants be nice and UG whoever the original person was at the top of the list.

universitylad

Why would it have been a bad thing for the GA to give you a new boarding pass? What were you trying to do?

bostonbali

Exactly... I believe he was getting huffy that I was calling him out on his shenanigan, and 'egging him on' by asking for a new BP. I explained that if he put me in a new seat, I need to have a boarding pass confirming I need to be in that seat - as all I had was a boarding pass showing me in FC, yet was directed to coach... The whole thing smelled very fishy.

BNAChairman

I've seen the "ignore the upgrade list and pull a crew member into first" thing before. Sadly it happened when I was seated in first and remarked that we were going out with an empty F seat in spite of a very long upgrade list for an on time flight. The FA's action was to move a crew member up from coach.

Write to Delta. This isn't supposed to happen.

SSF556

I would have just sat there.....

TTT

FAS aren't supposed to upgrade pax on board. But they can pull crew up to empty seats. The GA is supposed to process the upgrade list and some will pull from coach if there ar empty seats. Some won't - you board you lose.

TrojanTraveler

And this can vary by GAs who are working the same flight.

Anudoric

It's Delta's policy to only process upgrades at the gate. If you board, whether you're a revenue customer or employee, then you lose any chance to upgrade. FAs aren't supposed to process any upgrades.

If everyone follows the published policy, then no one should ever be moved up to First Class after boarding.

The Gate Agent should notify the next on the upgrade list if someone in F hasn't checked in yet. Sometimes there's a no-show who did check in so the GA wouldn't have had any reason to tell the next on the upgrade list to wait to board since everyone was checked in.

Edit: Often times when the GA releases a First Class seat, the only people who haven't boarded yet are nonrevenue standby customers, so they get the First Class seat. If you never want that to happen as a Medallion, then always wait until everyone has boarded.

BNAChairman

I was upgraded once during taxi by an FA. I had been #1 on the list, so the GA must have notified the crew before pushback.

When I wrote to DL on the other occasion of seeing a crew member get upgraded they apologized and gave me miles. I think if it were a policy they would have identified that.

TTT

Yes it is. Really wish there was consistency in this process.

TrojanTraveler

Agreed. Most GAs are aware of the "official" policy (of boarding and losing your upgrade slot), but most (at least the ones I've spoken to over the years) also think it's not a smart policy from a customer service standpoint and ignore it (and pull people up from the back just prior to departure). The GAs are very much aware of the scarcity of overhead space and the desire of people wanting to board to secure it.

davetravels

I, also find that MOST - - when asked about "You board, you lose" - will say . . . .

"Oh, we don't do it that way here."

Asking them about the policy when you're "on the bubble" - (#1 or #2 on the list over the number of seats available) - lets them know you're kind of keeping an eye on them.

TrojanTraveler

Exactly. I had a red coat at JFK recently give the "this has been the upgrade policy in the 16 years (or whatever it was) I've been at DL" line, and as soon as she left, the other two GAs said, "is she gone?" and then "of course we will pull you up from the back if there is a no show" (the front was full).

davetravels

Nice!!!