tplace1

First time living the DM life... I've been PM for some years, but it's seemed so far this year that I had a better upgrade % at this time last year as PM. Am I alone here?

What made it obvious, was as I consistently watched the available F seats diminish, the subsequent economy corollaries weren't opening up. Went from 11 seats to 3 at a timeline that seemed very coincidental to the upgrade window of T-5 hitting.

Happy to accept the "popular route" arguments, but maybe I'm just mis-placed in my expectations of the champagne wishes and caviar dreams of making it across the DM threshold this year.

Howste

It must just be you. I've been upgraded on every flight this year, even on CRJ 200s. Sometimes my friends and family are also upgraded around me too. I wish.

The reality is that last year as a DM I was just over 70% on UG eligible flights. The year before I was just shy of 85%. This year so far I'm at 55%. I'm not liking the trend.

GRALISTAIR

I have started this year the best ever for upgrades - so not sure.

andmoves

I was ~ 75% last year as a PM, and am ~ 50% this year as a DM, so I've had the same experience as you.

javabytes

More elites than ever (thanks Rollover MQMs), fewer FC seats available for upgrades (thanks FCM)... the math isn't too hard. While individuals may have different anecdotal experiences based on their travel patterns, upgrades are down, and the trend will continue as DL pushes towards a 70% paid load factor for the front cabin. If people strive for higher and higher status in pursuit of the upgrades they once received, the problem just compounds itself.

miraclebear2003

Was trying to understand your 2nd paragraph. You seem to be saying that at "upgrade time" F seats went from 11 to 3 so ecomony seats "should" have opened up. If DL made great FCM offers at that time economy seats would have also opened up. Would seem that it might have come from something else.

Regardless, Javabytes gave a good summary of the general situation.

GRALISTAIR

Sadly true and don't expect it to be much different for other airlines either.

Bowgie

Close-in, coach flights are very expensive. It's easier psychologically for someone to pay a $200 "up" charge when the last minute flight is $600 rather than when it's $200 months before.

Delta probably increases the first class up-sell price a little to go with the higher coach fare, but not nearly in lock-step percentage as coach prices rise close to departure and as the plane fills up.

As an example, I've seen an upcharge of $264 for First on a one-way SAN-ATL. That charge seems not to change up to departure, so people bite when the last remaining coach seats become prohibitively expensive.

I've seen zero or one upgrade seats available from west coast to ATL, and lots of upgrades seats on the commuter routes up and down the west coast. FCM exits on all Delta routes, but it bites much harder on some routes over others.

indufan

89% for the year (16 out of 18) and all of them in advance.

MSPeconomist

Do we really have more elites now? MQD requirements would suggest not, but MQDs might not make much difference. I suspect that there were a number of people who were shocked last year to lose all of their rollover because they didn't meet the MQD requirement for FO.

OTOH, if we examine the impact of rollover, I would believe this when rollover first started, but by now we're in some steady state for those who for example who would be PM without rollover but rollover enables them to be DM every second or third year.

Ysitincoach

Do you suspect that perhaps there's a burn off of RUC/GUC going on as well? I know I have six that expire late February. I'm burning them on some of the dumbest routes simply because I never had to use them on planned routes.

readywhenyouare

First class ticket prices have seriously decreased over the past few years. It's just easier to grab the GAP fare now. It was only $200 extra to upgrade all four segments of my last trip. I don't have to think twice at those prices.

moxielady

First time diamond after more than a decade of being platinum here. I don't keep track of upgrade percentages but even this early in, I know I'm upgraded more as a diamond.

nikitta28

As a DM with a reserve I'm currently 23 of 24 segments upgraded since January 1st when I started to pay attention. I fly some of the most intense routes for upgrades. I do have some RUC's in the mix making some of those UG's but I consider that part of my Historical PM/DM benefit. I think depending on how you pick your benefits and how closely you play the upgrade game you can do very well as a DM.

MonAmQB

I have been DM for a few years in a row. I used to get >90% upgrades, but have only been getting ~50% this year so far. However, I have receive two OP upgrades on TPAC flights without using GUCs this year, so I am not complaining too much...