I am a newly minted DL plat (formerly NW gold for several yrs) and still trying to figure out how the new parameters work.

Booked a flight several weeks ago for son to fly home next week - managed to get first class coming and mid-level coach returning for a total of 42.5K miles (22.5 for the first class and 20 for the coach).

In the meantime first class has opened up for the return - I could not figure out how to change it online (I am assuming you can't) - so called the elite line and was told that I could cancel and redeposit (one of my two fee-free I presume??) and then rebook - however the original first class flight on the departure is not not available at that mileage level - so I would lose that one in order to gain the new one.

This seems just a bit Bizarro World to me - but maybe that is the bind I am in.

Isn't there some simple way for a plat to change that coach part to a first-class part - and pay the extra 2.5 miles without a fee.

(Looking further, if I were able to rebook, I see only one of the two new segments is actually first - and the other is booked in coach - so I guess that is another issue - when "first class" availability winds up being "half first" and "half coach." Sigh.)