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Upgrading FAs Before 50 Medallion Members?
Thursday - flight MSP- DTW - I know short flight - anyway there was a delay as we waited for pilots. We were boarded and waited a good half hour before they arrived during which two first class passengers decided not to take the trip - we were at that point over an hour delayed.
To my amazement, rather than offer these two seats to the top two of the fifty people on the upgrade list, the gate agent came on and escorted two uniformed flight attendants who already had seats in coach to the front?
Well, there are folks here who are adamant that once you board you lose your place on the upgrade queue. By that standard, this was completely acceptable.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LBJ
Well, there are folks here who are adamant that once you board you lose your place on the upgrade queue. By that standard, this was completely acceptable.
100% agree, I am glad DL is following their policies and procedures.
Well, there are folks here who are adamant that once you board you lose your place on the upgrade queue. By that standard, this was completely acceptable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by turkeyRIOO
100% agree, I am glad DL is following their policies and procedures.
Right, that makes a lot of sense. Medallion members lose their place in the queue, but OK to move already boarded FA's up front. Good policy and business decision.
Well, there are folks here who are adamant that once you board you lose your place on the upgrade queue. By that standard, this was completely acceptable.
However, the FAs were already seated in coach and, by the above reasoning, thus lost their right to an upgrade as well. I would tend to agree with the OP. From this armchair, it appears there might have been some shenanigans.
To the OP, please write a letter to DL to point out this situation. Be sure to specifically mention day, time, flight # and route. With this info, DL can find the name of the GA working that particular gate. The situation you described has happened to many upper tier Medallions in the past and contnues to occur. The letter can only help illustrate to DL that some GAs are not playing by the rules. Personally, I wish DL would abandon this policy of eliminating the complimentary upgrade once the pax has boarded the ac and allow GA to move medalions upfront when F seats are available.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frederico
Thursday - flight MSP- DTW - I know short flight - anyway there was a delay as we waited for pilots. We were boarded and waited a good half hour before they arrived during which two first class passengers decided not to take the trip - we were at that point over an hour delayed.
To my amazement, rather than offer these two seats to the top two of the fifty people on the upgrade list, the gate agent came on and escorted two uniformed flight attendants who already had seats in coach to the front?
Just doesn't seem right.
Welcome to FT.
In this situation, AFAIK the FAs are allowed to move crew, but not revenue passengers, up into FC after the door is closed, so if the GA had done nothing to fill the two FC seats, the outcome could have been the same.
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However, the FAs were already seated in coach and, by the above reasoning, thus lost their right to an upgrade as well. I would tend to agree with the OP. From this armchair, it appears there might have been some shenanigans.
To the OP, please write a letter to DL to point out this situation. Be sure to specifically mention day, time, flight # and route. With this info, DL can find the name of the GA working that particular gate. The situation you described has happened to many upper tier Medallions in the past and contnues to occur. The letter can only help illustrate to DL that some GAs are not playing by the rules. Personally, I wish DL would abandon this policy of eliminating the complimentary upgrade once the pax has boarded the ac and allow GA to move medalions upfront when F seats are available.
FA's aren't governed by the silly marketing "status" stuff. They don't have a "right" to an UG just as a Medallion doesn't have a "right."
The rules governing rev pax are that you lose your UG potential when your BP is scanned. That's what happened here.
By all means, OP should write in. Maybe DL will give the GA a bonus.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LBJ
Well, there are folks here who are adamant that once you board you lose your place on the upgrade queue. By that standard, this was completely acceptable.
That's the first time i hear about it in an airline, EL-AL will keep the queue
as long as the doors are not closed, I think BA as well (I was upgraded once
while in the plane already...)
In this case, it seems you would have to wait until a half hour after the scheduled time of departure, and then watch two FC passengers disembark.
In this case, even if isn't Shena, it LOOKS BAD. The FA must have known there would be a hundred pairs of eyes watching the process, and many of them would be medallions.
For whatever benefit the FA got by pulling her friends up front, the corporation lost a lot more by the perceived insult to medallions.
Very shallow and selfish thinking on the FA's part.
I gave noticed as soon as the bp is scanned your name does in fact drop off the ug list. Hence, I wait if I am close. I also inform the game so I don't get marked as a no show. It has made a difference several times much to the shagrin of nrsa pax whom were hoping for myself and others to board
In this situation, AFAIK the FAs are allowed to move crew, but not revenue passengers, up into FC after the door is closed, so if the GA had done nothing to fill the two FC seats, the outcome could have been the same.
Actually it was the GA who came on board and moved the two FAs into First Class. WFBF, right?
David
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DiverDave
Actually it was the GA who came on board and moved the two FAs into First Class. WFBF, right?
David
Yes, in this case the GA did it, but my point is that if the GA had done nothing, the working FAs could have moved the FAs seated as coach passengers up into FC.
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That's the first time i hear about it in an airline, EL-AL will keep the queue
as long as the doors are not closed, I think BA as well (I was upgraded once
while in the plane already...)
So from now, I will be the last to board! 8-)
ebzed, this only refers to Delta domestic flights. On international flights, you are only upgraded if you paid with SkyMiles or SWUs (in which case you usually know before you get to the gate) or if there is an op-up, and passengers (even non-medallions) are supposed to be upgraded before non-revs.
I don't believe that El Al has any domestic flights, but if it ever starts them, and you fly into Rosh Pina, let me know so that we can get together there.
