Originally Posted by
bmchris
Be a Delta employee.
Indeed. On most of the TPACs I've been on this past year, BE is filled with NW/DL employees just before boarding. Several times I've overheard NW/DL employees asking about "how things look" at the gate for the upgrade.
Again, NW/DL does not give free upgrades on transoceanic flights unless coach is oversold. Seats in the BE cabin go empty all the time regardless of how many DMs, PMs, etc are in coach.
In my experience, the odds of an op-up are higher around the holidays because the planes are often full and fewer people are traveling on a company's dime so fewer BE seats are occupied. Also, if a segment shows J9 C9 I9 Z9 Y9 B0 M0 etc. then likely coach is already full or oversold but they're willing to sell full-fare economy seats and allow op-ups and/or offer at-airport or check-in upgrades for cash and/or ask for volunteers to take a different flight. When I see J9 C9 I9 Z9 Y0 etc., I interpret that to mean the plane is already booked to capacity or oversold and op-ups (especially for employees) and/or cash-for-upgrades are probable.