SEAfarer

I have an upgrade received for tomorrow from Colombia to Atlanta, from a ticket purchased late last year. Another ticket for later this year, purchased around the same time shows upgrade eligibility.

I thought to search for another ticket on the same route and now see, via the Medallion Benefits page that Northern South America to ATL is no longer eligible, now lumped in with S. South America. (And yes, I have emailed myself screenshots of all these bookings and hopefully enough of the upgrade information in them.)

(Bad way to sell those new routes, but maybe a reasonable FCM will step in and keep me from using more of my Lifemiles this year? Or is this an attempt to sell Comfort+ ?)

The rules also show Central America as being upgrade eligible, and my prior booking still shows this, but when I go to search Costa Rica or Panama to ATL or LAX, it is showing upgrade not eligible.

Over-zealous reprogramming? An impending change in rules to consider Central America part of Caribbean?

If I have erred here, please let me know, but up to this moment, it looks like Delta is contradicting itself.

SEAfarer

And on a positive note, which might occur to some, I should do pretty well if my prior bookings of these future flights hold up as eligible, purchased before the date of whatever policy change this turns out to be.

Tomorrow's FC is still more than half empty. No higher-status Medallion who buys a future ticket on my flights is going to knock me back if it's no longer upgrade eligible, right? (Maybe I'll get to do a "It's Lonely Up Here" post?)

But I have had great luck on CR flights, and I hope they're not taking that away.

Now, just watch them downsize the plane, and clip off my Row 3. (as has happened to me twice already)

MSPeconomist

IMO it's unlikely, but DL could be considering switching these routes to D1 service (and increasing the premium cabin fares).

MSPeconomist

What DL aircraft has only two rows of FC seats?

BOSTransplant

I think you can still be upgraded on the non D1 routes to Latin America. The website just says "Excludes Delta One." Source: http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...-upgrades.html

I know at least for Costa Rica you are still eligible for upgrades, because I just booked a trip there. What happens is that when you initially see the page during booking, it says "Not eligible for upgrades," but then when you get the extra screen for international travel that asks about Emergency Contact and Passport info, you just select the "I want to be eligible for a free upgrade" button, and then the ATL-Costa Rica leg goes from Not eligible to Eligible.

SEAfarer

No, that was Row 6, or maybe 5, getting clipped off, and the most recent was on UA. I'm pretty sure they aren't going to change equipment down here tomorrow. Just looking out for Murphy's Law here, as I get nervous now whenever I'm put in the last row, have it all to myself, and so far today I could switch up to sit by someone else. Anyway, still plenty of seats if needed.

D1 is how different from int'l FC? They already don't allow TPAC and TATL upgrades, or Carib/Mex, right? Why throw these LatAm non-business routes into the trashcan? (Maybe some country-specific regs?) Or it's just a sweep for consistency, but they haven't updated the Medallion rules yet? My guess is it's an error, but someone here is going to search this more thoroughly than I have, and provide a better theory.

SEAfarer

Excellent news! And this is before -- or after? -- purchase, can't remember, and also a lesson not to believe initially everything you see on the DL site.

BOSTransplant

I didn't notice the upgrade eligible text until after I had purchased, but it's possible that it was present on the final confirmation screen after I selected the check box.

Pharaoh

It's linked from the Medallion Benefits page: http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...-upgrades.html

schadenfreude

noticed the same thing, which came as a surprise.

davetravels

Bumping an old thread. . . . .

ATL/UIO is on a standard 20F seat B752. If I'm understanding correctly, this would be eligible for Medallion UGs, even on an award ticket? Yes?

Secondly, assuming it IS eligible, any comments as to my chances?

Thx.

I haven't booked anything yet. Just started thinking about it.

btonkid12345

Another DM and I flew Atlanta to Quito and back in the last year.

We both cleared at the window in both directions.

SDQBound

xliioper

They have fixed the issues and the flight now shows as comp upgrade eligible on search page. Flights marketed as FC are comp upgrade eligible. Flights outside US50 marketed as D1 are not.

https://www.delta.com/content/www/en...html/#upgrades

kthomas

Is there a list of "northern south America" cities? (I remember it in the footnotes somewhere, but ... has it changed from "just Columbia?"