Hi everyone!

This is my first time posting and I'm already asking a question, so I apologize, but a week from Friday I'm taking 10 days in Colombia with DL rewards travel as a well needed personal vacation. I'm more than anything wandering if there are any "quality of life" improvements here...... itinerary:

1 Mar
DL1412 - BNA 2:30P - ATL 4:38P
DL443 - ATL 5:32P - BOG 10:30P

11 Mar
DL396 - BOG 10:59P - JFK 6:00A

12 Mar
DL951 - JFK 6:55P - ATL 9:34P
DL1709 - ATL 10:50P - BNA 11:11P

I don't fly a TON but I have flown a redeemed ticket BNA-LIM and so I've gathered that getting almost anything above the bare minimum can seem impossible. On the flight back having about 13 hours in JFK is fine because my sister lives in Queens BUT, if I show up at the JFK desk wiped out after my trip is there any possibility that I would get to fly standby on an earlier flight?

I guess, the more ballsy moves I wouldn't mind pulling:

1) Upgrade seats to "Economy Comfort" (or more!) whenever possible
2) Be able to switch to BOG-ATL-BNA, even if at the airport, instead of BOG-JFK-ATL-BNA

My last rewards experience had its moments but was definitely worth it, hope this is too. Last time I had booked LN separately LIM-SCL-LPB-LIM, Delta BNA-ATL-LIM, with the benefit of a carrier contract between the two airlines but not a shared ticket. Any/all advice is welcome!

I'll be getting to try a new airline that's been around for less than a year called VivaColombia that was made with seed money from Irlandia, the lovely Ryan family of Ryanair. Let me know if there is anything that I should try to notice that I probably wouldn't. The Spanish-language boards have been in love with the % of pax that can afford to fly for the first time, added to the continued "internal conflict" that makes bus travel unwise. And, the new International Terminal is supposed to be great in BOG.

3/4 - VVC BOG-CTG
3/7 - VVC CTG-MDE
3/10 - VVC MDE-BOG