MSPeconomist

There's an easy appropriate technology solution: print a hard copy of the paper boarding pass (and plant a tree if you feel guilty).

BOSTransplant

I'm in my mid 20s. I have no idea what these mythical paper boarding passes are.

MSPeconomist

Think of them as an insurance policy, although my employer demands these antiquated things for reimbursement too.

CalVol

No. I'm a kettle now. Upgrades are no longer an option. So, I wanted first, bought first and spent an hour in coach hell.

I got to my LAX flight as they were doing pre-boards. Checked with the agent and I was still in 6B. I always put my electronic bp in my wallet. I think I will now always print one...just in case that fails one day.

javabytes

1) It's hard to know what happened at the time you were rebooked. If there were F seats in inventory at that time, and the agent didn't put you in one, they screwed up. However, it's possible, as mentioned upthread, that there was only coach availability on this flight at the time you were rebooked.
2) Continuing to the gate... if there was F inventory available at that time, the GA should have been able to put you in F, but this is a conversation I'd rather have with a reservations agent than a gate agent any day. If there were 4 empty seats up front but DL still didn't have any inventory in F (for whatever obscure RM reason), then you would remain at the mercy of the upgrade list. Before they merged all the priority codes, passengers who had paid for F but were confirmed in Y went at the top of the upgrade list, before even RUCs/GUCs/SWUs. I have no idea if that's still the case.
3) You paid for first class and sat in coach... you are due compensation for this.

Hoyaheel

I too need to upload my boarding passes for reimbursement at work. Required absolutely if I use my own credit card, 50% my expense report will be sent back if I don't include them when using the corporate card. And depending on who's reading/approving, they might accept an electronic version (therefore I've started saving pdfs when I check in on my computer- that way I don't have to deal with Android phone issues)

Also, I've had to fax (yes, fax) boarding passes to Delta to get mileage credit......

motytrah

As long as I've been in this forum I recall there being about 1 of these issues popping up a month. I think the reason it registers more these days is the mods have stopped putting them into some of the "A Fares are Y-UPs" threads.

I can't recall many of these threads where the PAX was actually made whole. Most of the time the fares are Y-UP in the fare rules and DL tells the PAX to pound sand.

Pharaoh

Delta is quite wonderful in this respect. I've had two experiences. One was being on an F award ticket and they put me in F at the last minute at the gate.

The other was trying to get back to the states from POM (Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea) via SIN, on a J award. Air Niugini cancelled the POM-SIN flight but put me on the next available flight, 2 days later, causing me to miss the DL flights. Of course, separate tickets (the Air Niugini flights not being an award) so Delta owed me nothing.

The nice Delta folks were swamped but found a seat on a flight out of SIN -- three days later (five from the original schedule). What I like about Delta is not only did they manage to accommodate me, they did it with a smile.

DCAproducer

I remember back in the early-to-mid '90's when TWA gave me an "e-ticket" for the first time and told me to just get a boarding pass at the airport when I checked in for my flight. I was like.. hmm what happens when I show up the the computer can't find me. Now I rarely ever have a printed boarding pass.

Back to the OP's issue, I'd complain to DL. You are owed a better explanation.
Even though the UP fare rules state you can be reseated in Y, agents have always done their best to find me that F seat.

To this day I have no idea why DL hasn't been challenged for deceptive sales practices. If you go to DL.com and search for an F seat it will show you discounted coach. Most people have no idea it's an UP fare. In fact, it shows you Economy and then First. I would bet the average person would think they are buying a First Class ticket, when that's not entirely true.

mattp1987

I've noticed this happening in two cases lately - delays and gate upgrades. I don't know why either of these cause it, but it does make me nervous to see flights disappear from the app/website.

I used to always print a paper copy at the kiosk when I was using the Android app because I didn't trust it to load when I needed it. Now I just add the BP to Apple Wallet which operates independently of the Fly Delta app. It even shows up on the lock screen once you get within 3 hours of scheduled departure which is really convenient for TSA and boarding.


As to the OP, it sounds like he absolutely was entitled to rebooking directly into F if available. Even if F was full and later opened up, it would be nice if DL had a way to automatically move him up at that time. I'm assuming a phone agent could have done it, but OP also doesn't have access to elite phone lines and might not have had time to get things fixed even if he tried. One thing to consider in this situation might be going to the rebooking counter where a first class ticket would provide access to the Sky Priority line and seeing if they could fix it.

aCavalierInCoach

A lot seems to get caught up on fare class at Delta. Even if it was an "up" fare my guess is the issue was the lack of A availability not F. I have tried to move to an earlier flight from an F fare to a flight where (for whatever reason) the biz seats available were being sold under a J fare; could not even waitlist.

rylan

Sounds like an F seat was either not available on that replacement flight, or the agent rebooked you incorrectly. The complicating thing is, if you are put in Y with an F ticket, they need to code it correctly so you are not in the 'normal' upgrade list but have priority as a pax holding an F ticket seated in Y... something like HKIF which would put you above everyone else regardless of status.
The whole 'A' fare thing shouldn't matter... especially since I see a lot of those now that state it is a first class fare and no longer the economy with instant upgrade.

Did you keep your original flight to LAX, or were you rebooked on a later one there too?

Zorak

They're this new kind of device that never runs out of battery, doesn't have brightness or auto-rotate issues and doesn't sleep the screen at exactly the wrong moment :-p

In all seriousness, I work in high tech, like the idea of mobile boarding passes and have used them a bunch, but just like having them on paper.

Cool, anyone have an Android version of this they like? Specifically where it just shows up on the lock screen I mean. I suppose I could always just change my wallpaper/background to my boarding pass but that seems inelegant

^ I have also been denied an F SDC because "you're on an UP fare" -> HUCA.

GRALISTAIR

Well I would have been miffed.

Widgets

It's my understanding that Delta now treats all First Class customers as First Class customers and all downgraded customers are due compensation (domestically: $200 transportation credit voucher at the airport and a fare difference refund through Customer Care if there is any difference to refund).

Is this not the recent experience of downgraded customers in 2016?