Recent TATL experience with a successful op-up got me thinking about priority order of op-ups vs stand by list and about things how to do to increase chances of an op-up.
72 hours before flight:- Available seats in D1 = 18 (according to upgrade/standby list in the App)
- Total available seats = 50 (according to upgrade/standby list in the App)
- I thought there were no chances of op-up and requested special meal for Y.
25 hours before flight:- Available seats in D1 = 16 (according to upgrade/standby list in the App)
- Total available seats = 16 (according to upgrade/standby list in the App)
- Stand-by list = 2 (according to the App, I assume employees or others on tavel pass?)
- Flight is not selling economy, only business
- I removed my special meal request just before 24 mark, thinking that flight looked really good for op-up.
2 hours before flight:- Available seats in D1 = 15 (according to upgrade/standby list in the App)
- Total available seats = 16 (according to upgrade/standby list in the App)
- Stand-by passengers = 25 (I assume most are employees, but I also heard that stand by list in the App includes confirmed pax without seat assignments)
10 minutes before flight:- Was told by GA to board as there would be no more op-ups (few seats still available in D1), but I stayed at the gate.
- Got up-up a few minutes later.
- Total 10 stand-by passengers got D1 seat assignments (according to Delta App). At least a few of them had Delta tags, so I assume they were employees on free passes.
- I assume that 15 - 10 = 5 paying passengers (including myself) were upgraded.
- My old seat was given to one of stand by passengers.
Questions:
Were upgrades given were due to overbook or because up-ups are given before processing employee stand by requests? If doubt there were only 5 elites on the flight, so probably Y overbooked by 5, I got lucky to be last of 5 people to be upgraded and the rest of D1 went to employees?
Did I make right choices:
- Removed special meal request when I saw possibility of op-up
- Did not board after being told by GA to board