Originally Posted by
jn in ca
Yup. I see a number of the later posters in the thread have noted time is of the essence if you are a GA. The idea of filling all the F seats, then refilling all the C+ seats from a full coach section, before getting to the standby list would be a nightmare. Not gonna happen. Fast boarding is essential. Really, really essential.
IMHO, all the F and/or C+ upgrades should be done at the gate, before boarding. IF I ran an airline (ha ha ha), from a time standpoint, there would never be upgrades for people after boarding starts. Jeez, push back from the gate and let's get going already. Heck, offer upgrades after take off, but let's get going.
Oh, and add me as one more vote against a C+ middle seat. I'd take an aisle in economy before a middle seat in C+ every time.
It would be far better if DL established a policy and made it known to all (including pax) that once you board, you don't get to swim upstream. That applies to F and C+ alike. While it's a nice gesture when a GA does it when there is time, it creates an expectation that this is the norm and it should not be.
If you are on the UG list and your chances for an UG are still reasonably in play, either you wait at the gate for the UG or you board and lose the UG opportunity.
The downside of OH space would be largely cured if DL also enforced its carry-on rules uniformly. Not saying that there will always be space, but it should not be a problem most of the time.