gaiusbaltar

Are we now unable to sit in Economy Comfort on DL or AA flights for elite benefits for 75K? If so, when did that change?

Today, like, 15 minutes ago, I booked a flight on DL from SEA to STL one way and I noticed that DL wanted to charge me a fee to sit in Economy Comfort.

I kept thinking that maybe I entered something wrong with my frequent flyer number so I went back to check, but, yup I had the right number. Meanwhile, the online seating tool would only let me sit in preferred seating but not in Economy Comfort. After the booking, I went back and checked my mileage plan number again. It was correct and I still could not sit in economy comfort.

So I then went to AS's website and looked at the benefits for 75K and noticed that the words "Economy comfort" did not appear where it mentioned reciprocal benefits on DL and AA. It only says "preferred" seating. Am I reading that right? No more economy comfort on AA or DL?

If true, I must have been in the dark when that one changed. Either that or something's wrong with my data entry or my mileage plan account. What say you fellow elite members?

jiburi

Yup. Many thing started to fall apart earlier in the year (and same in the reverse). Here's the thread. For me, I think the removal of baggage allowance is my biggest DL/AS gripe.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alask...-5-1-14-a.html

Delta is not Northwest. Delta, in most respect, makes business friendly decisions, whereas Northwest and Alaska were all favoring passengers interests. Grr. Evil Delta.

Main Cabin Extra on AA is still free to AS MVP Gold and 75K.

(If it's not too late, maybe you want to cancel that DL reservation if within 24 hours).

Jiburi

PDXPremier

That ship sailed months ago....the fact that they still put AS elites on the upgrade list for the day of departure is really odd given the fact that you don't get to check a bag for free...."we'll potentially upgrade you to first class at the gate, but the bag will be $25 please"....how strange.

3Cforme

Economy Comfort isn't free to Delta's Silvers - although it can be taken at check-in for domestic flights.

Main Cabin Extra works the same way for AA Golds.

WhIteSidE

While EC isn't *free* for prebooking, I've had pretty good luck getting DL GAs to switch me to it Day of Departure (especially in the SkyClubs).

CDKing

The complimentary DL EC seats for AS Gold died before the benefit was even around for a year. Then again DL has so few EC seats, the odds are in the houses favor that you will share a row with the lavatory or one row behind. That or stuck in the last row in Intl EC where the extra recline is barely usable due to the standard seat right behind.

Eastbay1K

I received my array of AA benefits earlier this month.

jona970318

The EC benefits were gone May 1st. How odd that you may potentially fly first class but you can't even be guarenteed free economy comfort seats

3Cforme

It's not odd at all. How would Deta justify more generous benefits to AS Mileage Plan elites than what it gives to its own elites?

PDXPremier

At least DL Silver gets free economy comfort at T-24 and the free bag so giving AS Mileage Plan elites free economy comfort on the day of departure would still be less than what it gives it's own bottom level elites

Kieron

Unless I'm misremembering, AS elites never had free EC seating on Delta as a perk? Just a 50% discount on the price.

There was a nice window while DL was retrofitting their fleet, before the official EC rollout, when all soon-to-be-EC seats were still simply "preferred" on the seatmap and could be selected by AS elites. That ended when DL finished their reconfigurations.

Points Scrounger

Regular golds never got free domestic EC, just 50% off international routes. I thought that was 75K's too?

CDKing

MVPG Used to get free EC. See this archived press release:

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...mfort-sea.html

Kieron

The 2013 dates on that are misleading; I do recall that MVPGs were originally included in the early announcements, but that was removed by the end of May 2012 (see also following posts), in advance of the June 2012 domestic rollout. I think the press release you found was accidentally copy-and-pasting from an old revision.

CDKing

I totally didn't even pick up on that. I do recall it being a very short time at the beginning of EC that it was free. The next paragraph mentions the 50% off for MVPG and 25% off for MVP which i do recall being around for at least part of 2013.