Here is the error I receive:
"Your upgrade request cannot be processed at this time. Please see a Northwest agent to assist you with your Elite upgrade."
I've tried to call NWA and the agent said they can't do anything, even before looking at my reservation. Is this true? Should I try back and escalate the call if the agent isn't helpful?
I got this message when traveling with a companion on a NW-ticketed and NW-operated flight, but with a DL flight number. I had been suspicious about the no-upgrade as the F cabin gradually filled in the days running up to departure. I got the message above during OLCI after I said that, yes I and my companion would like to be upgraded if available. I too could see that there was R space available on one of the segments.
I tried several agents and finally got one who took the time to get the help desk and a supervisor involved. They all agreed that I should get the upgrade but that there was a system problem. They couldn't (or wouldn't) force the upgrade, nor would they reticket it with NW flight numbers. We did get properly added to the standby upgrade list (numbers 1 and 2) and got our upgrades for both segments at the gate. But the automatic upgrade was clearly broken.
I followed up with a TTU reporting the problem. After many back-and-forths (many of the responses were almost comical in their non-responsiveness) I got the following response a few days later:
I have received a reply from my Web Development Team. They have indicated that unfortunately there is no fix for this issue. The married segment on Delta and Northwest flights can cause upgrades on half of a married flight pair to fail because the system cannot split up the segments to process the upgrade.
This is also why the Platinum Elite line could not process the upgrade manually. Northwest does not have a fix for the problem at this time, but they are aware of the issue.
I realize this may not be the answer you had hoped for, but I trust this information will clarify your options. Enjoy your weekend.
I really have no idea whether the issue he describes is relevant to your or my problem but I think you're stuck. Just complete OLCI, then check your position on the standby upgrade list on nwa.com. Good luck.