Originally Posted by
NOLAnwGOLD
Yeah the PMU is just horrible.
If I'm going to buy a YBM fare out of my own pocket, I should be able to use the certificate at the time of booking so that I know that the significantly extra $$ will get me a Biz seat, not having to wait until day of departure.
This is how I would fix it:
Though I really would like SWU without restrictions (this is the best for customers) otherwise, YBM get immediate Biz seating, middle fares, maybe 1 week prior to departure, and LUT heavily discounted fares day of departure. Why not give your best customers a nicer seat if they are going to go out empty?
Having options is nice, but clearly what they are doing is not going to keep people happy nor motivated to keep all their biz with Delta.
Yes, the current and future PMU's are "broken". Even Jeff has been quoted as admitting that. But fixing them is not an easy process. Here is another idea about how to do that. Hopefully someone in Atlanta is listening!
First, the greatest fear every airline has is that passing out Business Class upgrades will keep people from actually buying the product. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If company policy or your client paying for the ticket allows for Business Class travel, the last thing anyone would do is offer to use their personal Upgrade Cert instead. It just doesn't happen! As many have noted here, we all use these certs when we travel on "our dime" for a holiday somewhere. For those who are able to buy Business Class tickets, they will continue to do so using someone else's money, and be guaranteed a seat up front at the time of purchase. This is how it should be, and the rest of us should get what is left, if they would otherwise go empty.
So, why not give Plat's one SWU, and the right to "buy" another with 25,000 miles. Good on any fare, able to waitlist for the upgrade at time of ticketing, could possibly be confirmed earlier but may not actually be confirmed until 1 hour prior to departure. For the Diamond members, give them 3 or 4 SWU's with the same restrictions. Allow them to "buy" with miles a couple more, and earn a few more at thresholds beyond 125K (ala the NW EEP program). Then if seats up front would otherwise go empty, BEFORE upgrading any non-revs, those seats could go to the most loyal customers who happen to be on the flight and have already indicated, by waitlisting, that they have an SWU and are willing to spend it for that flight.
The nicest thing about this whole process is that it can be streamlined for the Gate Agents who have enough other things to worry about an hour before departure. You have already entered your SWU number and listed for the upgrade. And it can work for flights returning to the US also, which are not always handled by a DL employee, but maybe by a contracted ground operator instead, who has no real knowledge of the process. All they would have to do is one click to allow the DL software to process the "upgrade standby list" and accept your SWU for a nicer seat and spit out your new boarding pass. Priority on the list would be determined in the usual manner: status level first, then fare paid, then whoever listed first.
This could be a simple process for both Elites and for DL, and everyone would be HAPPY
