Originally Posted by
char777
It has led me to conclude that the only status levels that really mean much and are a significant step up from below are Gold and 1K.
Personally I did not find 1K particularly valuable my last two years (2022 & 2023). I don't miss it much at all as a Gold.
Originally Posted by
hikouki
I used to live in a small town non-DL hub. I have since moved closer to SEA but my friend continues to live there. Her travel pattern is usually non-DL hub to non-DL-hub. And she picks the awful flight times.
DL is a hub-based carrier. In order to fly non-hub to non-hub, you have to fly through a DL hub. As of late 2023, DL reported it was selling 74% of first class seats. Anecdotally, posts in the DL forum are to the same point. So I think it highly unlikely a Plat is scoring upgrades on 75% of domestic flights.