All,
I have a question that the Chase UR agent could not answer. I am looking to book a Delta flight with SO through UR portal. I have Delta status, SO does not. We are on an unpopular red-eye so upgrades are beneficial and likely. If I get an upgrade and SO does not, we all know how that goes over. As per Delta's rules:
A Medallion Member and one traveling companion may both enjoy a Complimentary Upgrade when traveling on Delta and Delta Connection carriers, as long as that companion is a General SkyMiles Member, Medallion Member, or partner airline elite member*, and traveling on the same flight in the same reservation. Companion upgrades are available for travel on paid tickets, Award Tickets, Miles + Cash tickets, Pay with Miles tickets and Companion Certificates.
Companion upgrades must be requested. If you and your companion are in the same reservation, you can request your companion upgrade at delta.com during the booking process, afterward in My Trips, or during check-in prior to departure.
*Partner airline elite members are only eligible for Companion Upgrades on paid tickets and Companion Certificates.
Traveling with one companion:- If you and one companion are in the same reservation, upgrades to domestic Delta One, First Class and Delta Comfort+ work the same way: your upgrades, if available, will clear based on the Status of the higher-tiered Member. This applies to companions who are Medallion Members themselves as well as General Members who do not have Medallion Status and partner airline elite members. For example, if a Diamond Medallion Member and General Member are traveling together, both upgrades will clear at the Diamond window, if available.
- If you and your companion are in different paid ticket reservations that have been linked, upgrades to U.S. 50 domestic Delta One, First Class and Delta Comfort+ work a little differently:
- For domestic Delta One and First Class, your upgrades will clear based on your individual Member Status and confirmation windows, if available. For example, if Platinum and Silver Medallion Members are traveling together, the Platinum Medallion Member will clear at the Platinum window and the Silver Medallion Member will clear at the Silver window. If your companion is a General Member who does not have Medallion Status, their upgrade will clear no sooner than 24 hours prior to departure.
- For Delta Comfort+, General SkyMiles Members are not eligible for Complimentary Upgrades. The Medallion Member will clear for their upgrade at their respective window.
- Linked reservations are reservations that have been booked separately, but have been linked to one another by Delta Reservations. If you would like to request a companion upgrade for a SkyMiles Member that is not already in your reservation, you can call to link your reservations at 1-800-323-2323 in the U.S. or link remoeved – be sure to have both confirmation numbers handy. You can also request to link your reservations at the airport.
My question, if I book my ticket and SOs ticket together, at the same time, through the Chase UR portal, will both tickets be on the same reservation? And thus both tickets be eligible for upgrades at my status?
Thanks,
TF8
Yes, if you book them together at the same time through the Chase UR portal, you will both be on the same PNR, and eligible for upgrades at the higher Medallion member's tier. Just be very careful to avoid Chase trying to sell you Basic Economy (E) fares. The website usually prompts me during the booking process to ask if I want to upgrade to main cabin, and this is well worth it if you are trying to get Comfort + at booking. If you purchase the Basic Economy fare, you will not be eligible for anything from Delta.
However, I've had some flights where the Chase UR portal only offered me the Basic Economy fare, or didn't offer me a Coach flight option for a flight selling on Delta.com with a V fare (cheap regular economy). Chase doesn't actually have travel agents who can find flights. Their call center folks just use the same Expedia-driven website that we have access to, so sometimes you have to try the website later. (Don't expect calling to offer any additional options.)
One other tip. If you book 6+ months in advance, Delta changes their schedules frequently on Schedule Change Saturday. This means that you can book an inconvenient but cheap flight at V fare class or higher (you have to be willing to take the original flight), and switch to a better flight when Delta inevitably changes the schedule by over an hour, or changes the operating carrier.