International Upgrades - Platinum Medallion
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 23
International Upgrades - Platinum Medallion
So I know there is no official upgrade policy (well there is and its that there are no upgrades regardless of medallion).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
#2
In memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PIT
Programs: DM life is over 2MM PM now & NW MillionAir Wyndham Rewards Plat -Hotels.com Silver -Accor Silver
Posts: 15,408
They will either fill those seats with Diamonds - ONLY THOSE - who are using Global Upgrade Certificates, and their companions. Then <in theory> after they're all upgraded, they'll seat employee non-revs and their companions, etc, in those seats.
#3
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep. / Washington, DC
Programs: AA PPro/DL PLT, PPass, Marriott / Hilton Gold, JetBlue Mosaic, Hertz Presidents Circle, Amex Plat
Posts: 4,630
You are not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade... Delta is not willing to sell a premium cabin seat for a cheap price (are they really crazy?). Upgrade offers are very rare and only seem to happen when Economy is oversold.
Enjoy your seat in Economy^
Enjoy your seat in Economy^
#4
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,947
So I know there is no official upgrade policy (well there is and its that there are no upgrades regardless of medallion).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
It's more a highlight that business class award redemptions are a much greater value - at 60-80k miles one way, that's how I prefer to spend my mileage.
Delta wants people who value business class to pay for seats, and believes that upgrade availability at attractive prices will cause those people to instead book coach and gamble on availability. I question that somewhat - KLM's day of departure upgrade policy seems to work well for them, even on the ex-AMS DL flights it applies to. But it's not an irrational strategy and I can at least understand what they are going for.
If upgrades were in the 30-40k range one way from lower Y fares, I'd spring for them on every flight...
#5
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: San Diego
Programs: IHG Spire Amb, HH Diamond, DL Diamond and 1MM
Posts: 3,611
So I know there is no official upgrade policy (well there is and its that there are no upgrades regardless of medallion).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
To answer OP's specific question, the unsold DeltaOne seats will go to any non-rev's who want them. It's part of their compensation package. To Delta, it's just money in another form. It doesn't bother me or have anything to do with me as a Delta customer.
At the end of the day, Delta is perfectly fine with DeltaOne seats going out empty to protect their perceived exclusivity.
#6
Join Date: May 2015
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP, DL FO, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 6,712
60,000 miles *is* an insane price. BenA mentions that's worth $600. That's true for pay-with-miles, but I have no trouble getting 2 cents and better in value for Skymiles. $1200 for an upgrade is nuts just like the OP says.
To answer OP's specific question, the unsold DeltaOne seats will go to any non-rev's who want them. It's part of their compensation package. To Delta, it's just money in another form. It doesn't bother me or have anything to do with me as a Delta customer.
At the end of the day, Delta is perfectly fine with DeltaOne seats going out empty to protect their perceived exclusivity.
To answer OP's specific question, the unsold DeltaOne seats will go to any non-rev's who want them. It's part of their compensation package. To Delta, it's just money in another form. It doesn't bother me or have anything to do with me as a Delta customer.
At the end of the day, Delta is perfectly fine with DeltaOne seats going out empty to protect their perceived exclusivity.
Just be glad that DL isn't charging 100K miles or something for the upgrade. It's a take it or leave it sort of thing. They already have your money for the economy ticket, so paying that price is the only option if you want to upgrade w/o paying fare difference.
#7
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: MSP
Programs: DL DM, PMNW 1MM, DL 1MM
Posts: 557
I have gotten several upgrades as Platinum. MSP-AMS and AMS-MSP exclusively.
#8
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Orange County, CA (SNA)
Programs: Delta - PM , MM; Hilton - Diamond, Marriott - Peon
Posts: 911
#10
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: Delta PM, Delta Reserve, Amex Plat, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold ;)
Posts: 1,775
I'm all for Delta protecting D1 and making it cost $ or miles for those seats. I fly in D1 several times a year and I pay for all of those seats because I want the lie flat seat and no one reclining in my face.
I've also seen FA's tell non-revs in D1 they will take their meal orders last to ensure the paying passengers get first choice. Another thing I agree with.
#11
Join Date: Dec 2016
Programs: Delta Gold, Eurobonus Diamond, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Gold
Posts: 46
Coach was way oversold and somehow there were still two seats in front left by the time they'd gone all the way down to our PNR.
I had a very happy wife once we turned left upon boarding
#12
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Seattle
Programs: DL DM; Hyatt Globalist; etc
Posts: 540
DL is fine letting D1 seats go out if people haven't paid for them. As others have said, they would have a much harder time getting people to pay for them in the first place if they made upgrading easy.
I flew LAX-JFK a few days after Christmas last year in a 752 that had only 3 pax including myself up front, and a full Y cabin. I am sure there were PMs and DMs in the back of the bus, but they chose to let it go out with almost every seat empty.
I flew LAX-JFK a few days after Christmas last year in a 752 that had only 3 pax including myself up front, and a full Y cabin. I am sure there were PMs and DMs in the back of the bus, but they chose to let it go out with almost every seat empty.
#13
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: OKC
Programs: DL DM/2.768MM, Global Entry, Titanium_Marriott, GHertz
Posts: 6,752
So I know there is no official upgrade policy (well there is and its that there are no upgrades regardless of medallion).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Yep.
Delta can:
Delta's big data initiatives mean they're refining pricing and availability all the time, and specifically looking at behaviors of each traveler. The OP is cheap. That's fine - so long as he expects to ride in coach.
Delta can:
- Sell seats to last-minute travelers, the likes of which may walk up to an assistant and say 'I need to be in Munich day after tomorrow'
- Open upgrade inventory for people using miles
- Open GUC inventory/clear GUCs up to time of departure
- Give seats to non-revs
- Fly those seats empty
Delta's big data initiatives mean they're refining pricing and availability all the time, and specifically looking at behaviors of each traveler. The OP is cheap. That's fine - so long as he expects to ride in coach.
#15
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: DL DM MM
Posts: 184
So I know there is no official upgrade policy (well there is and its that there are no upgrades regardless of medallion).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
I'm not willing to spend 60,000 miles for an upgrade (are they really that crazy? Someone out there will pay that?)
My flight is this coming Friday (checkin is 4 days from now) and business class as 16 of 32 seats open. How does Delta plan on filling those? Maybe 2-4 get purchased by then leaving 12-14 seats open that they wont sell me or let me upgrade to (for a non insane price).
I get offers to cheap D1 upgrades at check in sometimes but only when it is obvious that they oversold economy and will need to Op-Up some people otherwise.