Originally Posted by
TravelingPastor
IMO it is hard to figure out the upgrade system so I stopped trying to figure it out. it's a matter of luck,
Despite this mess of a thread, the upgrade system isn't hard to figure out at all.
Originally Posted by
skchin
I see you haven't been flying much lately. For example, DL has FC on sale announcements as 20 elites waits for 6 open seats. You can buy the FC upgrade at the gate until GA clears the upgrade list. So if you are a FO with K fare and you are upgrade list #10 on a 5 hour flight. You might just go ahead and purchase the first class upgrade for $150. It's a cold day in hell indeed.
Who hasn't been flying Delta much? Delta DOES NOT EVER, which an exception for a GA who doesn't know what they are doing, sell upgrades to the general public over Medallions. You can still BUY a first class fare before the upgrades are cleared but you can't buy a FC upgrade (the only thing they advertise at the gate) unless all of the Medallions have cleared or are projected to clear.