Originally Posted by
SJC ORD LDR
I could see DL going with a combination of fare+status and having a score for the combination so a GM buying a B fare has priority over a PM on a V fare. But, to limit it to K+ would reward poor planning instead of those who can book a fair amount of time in advance.
For better or worse, DL doesn't want to reward those who can book in advance, nor does it really care about how many other times you've already flown DL this year. I can easily see them either expanding the fare classes for higher upgrade priority beyond just Y, similar to what UA did, or finding some other way of significantly prioritizing fare class/ticket value over status. I don't think they'll eliminate upgrades for certain fare classes, as it's a great marketing ploy to offer "unlimited complimentary Medallion upgrades" to even your lowliest elites... kind of like how with the Amex, you get "Zone 1" boarding even though Zone 1 is the fourth group of pax to board the plane.