Originally Posted by
TheHorta
Cabin upgrade generally is NOT charged a fee. However, a couple of years ago I wanted to UG from an actual Y fare to a Z fare which was LESS than my original ticketed price and the agent wanted to whack me with the fee. I asked her to check with a supervisor and she said she’d do it “as a courtesy” — to which I replied “Thank you, and I’ll continue to fly your airline as a courtesy.”
The supervisor claimed that the fee was not waived, even for a cabin upgrade, if the new fare was lower. To this day I still don’t know if that’s bogus or true, but my gut calls foul.
Delta’s official policy on the topic can be found here:
https://pro.delta.com/content/agency/us/en/policy-library/self-service-exceptions/main-cabin-fare-to-premium-fare-ticket-exchange-policy-.html
In the case of exchanging for a Z ticket that’s cheaper than the original Y ticket (I’m assuming it’s longhaul international), you should have received the difference in fare back as a credit, less the change fee, per the rules in the policy above.