FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - New to DL - JFK to Istanbul return from Athens – will DL coach be unbearable?
Old Jan 31, 2004 | 10:34 am
  #15  
Flying_Duck
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, DL DM since inception, 3+ MM, HH Gold, SPG-Gold
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Maddy:
So if I were to pony up for an M class, does Delta allow a guaranteed upgrade with miles with that ticket? I've checked Delta's website and maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, but all it shows is a chart that says 15,000 miles to upgrade from full economy and 25,000 from "select fares" - which aren't specified. Not a lot to go on.

And is M the only class you can upgrade with miles? Is there a paid upgrade available at the gate with a cheaper ticket, based on availability? Sorry for so many questions.
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Maddy:
So if I were to pony up for an M class, does Delta allow a guaranteed upgrade with miles with that ticket? I've checked Delta's website and maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, but all it shows is a chart that says 15,000 miles to upgrade from full economy and 25,000 from "select fares" - which aren't specified. Not a lot to go on.

And is M the only class you can upgrade with miles? Is there a paid upgrade available at the gate with a cheaper ticket, based on availability? Sorry for so many questions.
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Depending on availability, you can secure the upgrade of the M-fare at booking with miles. But as you may find in some of the past threads, "availability" is not a very big word for Delta, and gets smaller the closer you get to departure. However, I have successfully upgraded an M-fare on JFK-IST without any problems getting the dates I needed (with a PMU 4 months prior to departure).

You would not want to pay the major difference between Y- and M- to save 10,000 miles to upgrade each way. Stick with the 25,000 miles for M.

Absolutely no way to upgrade at the gate even with a BE cabin half empty (unless operational), again, a search will give you multiple threads about the discontent with this unique, and long standing Delta policy.

The cheapest fare you can upgrade is M- (but technically you can upgrade B- and Y- as well - but why do that when these tickets are more expensive and they are unlikely to give you an advantage over M-).

I have had several of my staff members travel JFK-IST on Delta to IST in coach and from them are told that it is no better or worse than a run-of-the-mill trans-atlantic trip in DL coach.

Good luck!!

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