MSPeconomist

As my travel date approaches, I always like to have some idea of how full the flight is. I usually watch both EF fare class availability numbers and DL seat maps, where it's handy to check the latter when I check flight status. If the flight will be very full, I like to plan to arrive at the airport and at the gate a bit earlier than I otherwise would. I do this regardless of whether I purchased a premium cabin ticket, have a confirmed upgrade, or feel hopeful/hopeless about getting an upgrade at the gate.

BTW, I do realize that if I phone DL and ask, they are required to tell me whether my flights (or flights that I'm considering purchasing) are currently overbooked or not, although they are not required to say by how much the flights are overbooked.

Also, if I'm considering a FCM offer, I always check the prevailing price for FC ticket and compare that fare difference from my ticket to the offer that appears on the app. Since I'm doing a dummy booking anyway in order to get this information, I can see the seat maps just as easily then.