Originally Posted by
reluctanttraveler
I'll be flying NRT-SEA-MSP in a couple of days. I've arranged a long stopover in SEA by taking the SEA-MSP redeye (DL 1014, departs 12:55 am). This will be my first time in Seattle, and I'm looking forward to meeting friends while I'm there. This is not the last leg of this trip, so I'd really like to land the upgrade SEA-MSP for a chance at a little more restful flight. Right now I'm a lowly FO but the NRT-SEA leg will push me past the GM threshold.
I have two questions for the collective wisdom of FT:
1. What time should I arrive at SEA to make the 12:55 am departure? (That is, how bad are the security lines at that hour?) The friends I'm meeting have told me to expect horrible lines departing SEA, but none of them have flown the redeye out.
2. Is there anything I can do to improve my upgrade chances SEA-MSP? (Upgrading with miles isn't really an option; this is a T fare and I've already flown the outbound.) Is the 17-hour stopover enough time for DL's computers to figure out that I've made GM and automatically give me a better shot at an upgrade? Or can I help the process along with a phone call?
Thanks!
Congratulations on your almost move to GM. My experience is that the DL IT folks move us from one level to another rather quickly. With that said, and others may know better than I, much seems to happen over the weekend when some batch-loading may take place.
Regardless, I see no harm in making a copy of your SkyMiles home page and taking it to the SkyClub or the GA to see if something can be done. More than anything, not being a PM/DM and having a T-fare are strikes against an upgrade. The positive side is the time of the flight: fewer high flyers on the redeye, I think. Good luck.