Originally Posted by
daveland
Can anyone speculate the reasoning for not allowing upgrades on lower fare classes when there are 1st class seats going out empty?
We might not agree with DL, but their reasoning is most likely that this rule encourages people to buy non-L/U/T fares in hopes of being able to buy up. I doubt it--most non-Medallions probably don't even realize this is an option.
Also, by basing it on fare class instead of ticket price (or price per mile), sometimes they miss the point. I was near the podium a few months ago when they were trying to sell UGs. A woman walked up to the agent, and was told she was ineligible because she was on a U fare. She complained that she'd paid $850 for her ticket, but the agent said it's just by fare class, not fare paid.
One option would be for DL to sell UGs for price $X to people on non-L/U/T fares, and price $2X or $3X to those on L/U/T fares. I know TWA charged a higher price for a paid UG to those on consolidator tix than those purchased through the airline, which sounds like better business than refusing to sell them a UG.
Originally Posted by
daveland
PS: Are Medallion UG's based on fare class as well? I should make Silver this year and hope that UGs aren't not only subject to having leftovers from higher elites but also having to buy a Y/B/M to have a shot.... that would not be much of an enticement....
No (and somewhat). Actual Medallion UGs can happen from any fare class. However, fare class is used to rank Medallions of any given status (e.g., a Gold on a Q fare will get a higher rank on the UG list than a Gold on a T fare). Also, Medallions can UG a travel companion if there's room in F, but only if the companion is on a non L/U/T fare.