bretthexum

This is getting a lot tougher than it used to be. My LAX-OGG segment coming up has been F0 for at least 2 weeks.

FCM

Ayskuadl

I flew SEA-HNL-SEA 16 times in 2016. Until about mid-2016, I got upgraded every time, both ways. 2nd half of the year, only one upgrade. 1st trip this year a week ago, didn't get upgraded.

davetravels

Ya' mean there might be actually somethin' to this WFBF thing?

urww

Thanks everyone for participation and special thanks to 355F1, mpheels, hickmantitle, Night Flyer, sogi, bretthexum, Ayskuadl for sharing their personal experience.

First reports gave me a piece of mind about my upgrade clearance. Then the later half made me thinking of purchasing AS F again .

urww

Thanks for suggestion. I was thinking about that also. Though I'm not sure I would find a good use for the remaining 3 RUC. I've never ordered RUCs before, always opting for miles, coz RUCs just don't seem to fit my travel profile with DL (8 RT EUR-US annually with DL/KL/AF + approx 20 domestic DL flights, where for instance in 2016 there was only 1 tiny SLC-SMF where I didn't score comp upgrade). Trading 20,000 miles to 4 RUCs seems no brainer (like 1 RUC instead of just 5000 miles), but really don't see me reasonable using all 4 within 1 year.

Biscoff27

I was wondering when it changed. Two years ago I flew SEA-HNL as an FO and was upgraded both ways around spring break. Now a DM, flying this week, and chances look unlikely.

Of course, ex-SEA, that seems more and more common these days. Upgrade success has not been stellar lately.

flyerCO

I booked to HI for next week two months ago. I got last two seats in F on way there.

MSPDeltaDude

I'm 3 for 3 on HNL-LAX in last two years

curl

have had pretty good luck LAX-KOA and KOA-LAX the last few years as GM, so I'd say odds are pretty good for you. weekdays, weekends, hasn't seemed to matter. it's the LAX-MSP segment where we always sit in coach :P

urww

Report on my personal experience in May 2017.

Even though I asked here about HI-LAX routes I myself ended up booking a HNL-SEA-ANC ticket.

HNL-SEA on Thursday, 10.05 pm departure.

Comfort+ upgrade cleared right after the purchase.
First class upgrade cleared 3 days out.

I didn't get impression that an upgrade was hard to get. The flight was operated by 739 and was very lightly loaded in F from the beginning. When I booked my ticket back in January there were just a couple seats taken. A week or so prior to departure they managed to fill about half of FC cabin. Then 3 days out my comp upgrade cleared (together with a couple other pax, so we vacated 10ABC right at the same moment). I would assume those 2 were also Diamonds (at least one of them) in the same reservation. Until boarding there were still 3 seats available in FC which make me believe PM, GM or might be even SM got upgraded.

Not so bad so far. DL could easily have those F seats sold during check in to Y pax for at least $100 (you would assume $100 is still better than giving a seat away to a DM 3 days out). Luckily they did not.

The experience was surprisingly pleasant except for my seat mate (who was one of those upgraded at the gate) who behaved himself rather rude with flight attendants. HNL based FAs were fabulous. The service they provided was more like international longhaul business class like operated by an Asian carrier. It must be they do a lot of HNL-Japan flights and that explains where the service patterns come from. Despite 10.05 pm departure we were served legitimate meal. I opted for a cold salmon salad (the other option was hot, maybe chicken, can't remember). It wasn't really a salad, rather grilled salmon + rice. That might sound strange (cold rice, anyone?) but the dish was very well executed and flavourful.

739 wasn't that bad either. After a next flight operated by must be the oldest still flying 738 I dreamed about 739 .

PS. OMG! HNL SkyClub is a real dump. I get the state of the entire airport, but still it's too much.

aero0729

Just flew the 767-300 8am LAX-HNL. Here are some data points:

1. Applied RUC months in advance (Was PM) and it cleared 24 hours before the flight. There were only 5 seats left when it cleared, entire cabin open when I applied it.

2. On day of departure 5 people cleared the UG (Including a GM) I know because she was standing in front of me to board when she realized she cleared. Could see the GM I phone boarding pass from where I was standing without trying to look!

3. The service on DL to Hawaii is nothing special. Other than the mai tai the catering on the 2500 mile journey is exactly the same as flying form Salt Lake City to Atlanta. Nothing special at all. Most other airlines theme their catering more to Hawaii. Considering it looks like most the cabin was paid F and a few RUC and maybe a couple comp upgrades, Delta could invest more into this service.

No special pillows or blankets provided. Standard Domestic F.

Here is my big question.... WHY do they consider Hawaii low yield? I see most flights going out at high prices and lots of Paid F. I sued an RUC but $369 one way was barely a bargain for coach. These are not low yield flights.

urww

I honestly have an opposite impression. While Y doesn't seem cheap (then, hey it's 5-6 hours in the air, it can't regularly cost $99) it often can be had for as low as $199 (Virgin America or Alaska from the West Coast, others a little more expensive). I would say it's rather cheap for the duration of the flight. Then the revenue problems begin:
- last minute fares normally just few hundred bucks more than the cheapest ones (I regularly see fares in $300-400 range for a next day departure) which means there are no those business pax paying ridiculous full fares and subsidising an entire flight (like it happens on other markets)
- first class fares are also rather cheap and can be had for as low as $400 (Alaska) to $550-600 (DL, AA), so again those fares barely break even (I don't actually think they are break even just based of the floor space taken, not considering extra costs for service) and obviously don't help yields

Traffic is very holiday oriented. Folks are willing to cash out a $150-200 for a first class, but not $1000 or $2000 (like a couple of hundred pax do daily on coast-to-coast market). VX is the perfect example. On the way to HNL I took a VX flight. The experience was amazing and so much superior comparing to what others offer (except those very few flights offering flat beds). They try to charge more for their product with fares starting from $800 each way (and if you judge just by the product quality it's fair). On a Sunday LAX-HNL I was the only pax with confirmed F class ticket until departure. That says a lot about the market. Among dozens daily F class pax on HNL-LAX route there are not even 5 or 6 willing to pay $300-400 more for a good product.

SFCav

Just throwing in my data point:

Flying SEA - HNL on Wed and was upgraded to F at the DM window (Fri). There were consistently 10 seats available for the last few weeks on our 739, now there are 8. Seems like it was me and either a DM or PM who was upgraded at the 5 day window and there's a good shot for GM and FM to get the upgrade.

james318

On my last LIH-LAX trip, I was upgraded 5 days out as a Silver. I wish I had an explanation for why...

MCO Flyer

It seems like things have changed over the years. My trip to the islands two years ago (LAX-KOA on a 753) my UG cleared at the FO window and there were non-revs in F. This year however both of my flights to HI (LAX-OGG on a 75H) had zero seats at the gate with 16 on the list from LAX and 8 from OGG. My return from OGG had one seat when I booked the flight about a month out. Seems like there is quite a bit of FCM nowadays. However, someone I know who works with DL and has a seniority of 94 got F last Sun LAX-HNL on a D1 configured 763. So mabye it's just the luck of the draw when flying to HI now.