Originally Posted by
indufan
This is silly. I large majority of my upgrades DO upgrade at the 5 day window. It's hardly like they are routinely not allocating any seats to V. BUT, if Delta is selling more FC seats instead of Medallion upgrades do you think they give a damn about "degradation"? See related thread for FC prices.
Of course.
Originally Posted by
clarence5ybr
Agreed--the vast majority of my UGs come five days out.
I'm on a flight tomorrow where I got the UG five days out, and as of yesterday, F was sold out (based on both a seat map and a res agent's say-so). There's a case where an early UG may have prevented DL from selling an F ticket.
Sometimes the number of seat hold-backs does seem a bit ridiculous, like the time I was 8th on the gate UG list, but there were 9 seats open in F (FLL-LGA mid-day, mid-week if I recall correctly). While it is certainly nicer to know 5/3/1 day(s) out that you have the UG, as long as you get the UG at the gate, it's hard for me to look a gift horse in the mouth.
All I can tell you is what I've experienced, and what SMS and various GA's have told me.... on routes where they think they can sell some F fares, they are reducing the V inventory until very close to departure. I've recently had several BHM-ATL-CLT where ATL-CLT clears at 5 days but BHM-ATL doesn't clear until the gate, or shortly before... and BHM-ATL is a pretty darn busy route with a lot of medallions whereas ATL-CLT isn't nearly so much.
And yes, I do think it's a degradation of published benefits if they start reducing the availability of upgrades. Either open up the seats, or go back to limited medallion upgrades.