Evan!

No one is in shock or horror from yet another post. You started another thread. It isn't a case of bandwidth or disc space. Your original question for the start of this new thread could be answered by looking at other recent threads.

Your original question:
From post #3 of the Oct 26 thread:
From post #2 of the Oct 15 thread (notice dollerman73 cited yet another thread on this subject):
From post #4 of the Oct 2 thread (yes, I thought it was Oct 9 but now I see it was from Oct 2):
Your question would have been answered within 5 minutes but instead you started a new thread and waited for replies from others. Again, this is not a disc or bandwidth issue. I'm not trying to be a "search Nazi". Often searches are not effective because one can't find specific enough words in their question. In this case the word upgrade allowed for an easy search of thread titles. I'm not trying to dog you. I just wanted to let you know that you could have had your answer much quicker.

If we have many threads on the same topic then that means that there are less topics of interest on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd pages of threads for any forum. So it is FT etiquette to post to an existing thread of the same topic and not to start a new thread. Again, I can't stress how much I understand the problems with searching FT. Right now we have two big programs that just got merged into one forum on FT. There are numerous threads on rollover miles, MM status, gifting status, Diamond Medallion. Many questions could easily be answered if one just reads the existing threads. Which is faster than starting a new thread.

It can come across as lazy if one does not do any research. Not saying you are lazy... NOT AT ALL. But we have stickies for the sole purpose of having information easily accessible to avoid more and more unnecessary threads.

No hard feelings on my end and I hope none are on yours. I hope your questions have been answered.

BoeingGuy

+1 ^ Great response Evan! This answer could have been easily found in 3 minutes by searching the first 2-3 pages of the forum.

Evan!

Thanks. I was worried that I might be hated for becoming an SN (search Nazi). One point I didn't think of until after I hit reply relates to lurkers. Perhaps someone has a question and sees that the question has already been asked but not answered. That person subscribes to the thread so they can be notified when there is a possible answer. Now another thread is started that the lurker did not know about. Answers come to that new thread and no notification is sent to the lurker because he/she subscribed to the first thread. I hate to subscribe to multiple threads on the same topic but I often find I need to do this if I really want to learn from others.

dollerman73

I suspect the OP may already have know the "reasoning". Sometimes it feels good to just question, as a way to complain, vent, realease frustration, etc... This holding back of first seats IMHO is happening more frequently now than it ever has in the past, and as a so called DL elite, it IS very frustrating. Welcome to the new DL!

sbagdon

The OP's position in line hasn't changed, yet their predictability sure has. I suspect he'll get the upgrade, just at the gate.

DL wants the revenue. If it doesn't crush the GA's schedule (BF upgrades), expect DL to eek out every last buy-up/etc.

Evan!

I have had only two gate upgrades in the last 6 months. All others were cleared days in advance. One occurred due to weather and the other due to SDC. Perhaps its my schedule and markets. I depart in the wee hours of Sunday mornings and return on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. I was starting to get a little nervous hearing so much about upgrades not clearing for PMs. I haven't flown at all this month (Oct). But then my upcoming Nov 1 trip cleared for UG a couple of days ago so I sighed a bit of relief.

The liberal upgrades have been what has kept me flying DL. It's #1 in my book. If I have to wait at the gate I won't be happy but I won't bail just because its happening in the 11th hour. But if UGs start drying up I will change my travel patterns I am sure.

Hope the OP gets his at the gate.

BoeingGuy

As someone who is fairly new to the site (3 months), I started reading the last 10 pages of the forum before asking questions. I respect those who have been around for the last couple of years enough to ask stupid questions that are asked daily. Unfortunately in the world we live in, there are always going to be those who feel "entitled" to have their question answered every time.

Evan!, you give great answers so keep it up. I appreciate your honesty when it comes to repetitive questions.

LAXRuss

That afternoon DCA-SLC seems to be a bit bizarre-- always with a ton of seats in F with no advance upgrades. In August I was flying on a full Y fare with no advance upgrade. When I checked in 5 hours before the flight, the gate agent said, you look in great shape, there are 12 available seats and you are #1 on the upgrade list withe a full Y fare. By boarding time, I was #13 out of 69 on the waiting list and never did get an F seat on that flight. I couldn't believe that there must have been about 12 Platinums on full Y fares ahead of me in the upgrade queue if I really believe the process. Up until that point, I thought I pretty much had an upgrade snagged whenever I purchased a Y fare as a Platinum. At least at the last minute the gate agent came through and saved me from a 44B center seat, moving me up to an aisle near the front of economy.

Now that was a couple weeks before the NW WP merger into SkyMiles so I may have been disadvantaged on the waiting list with a World Perks Plat account (rather than SkyMiles with the DL Reserve). Somehow, even though it was a DL flight, that was the only time I ever received the NW Platinum guaranteed upgrade bonus for not receiving an upgrade. (My historic upgrade stats as a Plat for 5 years on NW-operated metal was 100%) And even though it was the only 1 out of 4 flight segments that I did not receive an upgrade, the NW computer system kindly gave me a 1,000 mile bonus for every flight segment on the itinerary--i.e. 4,000 miles.

petez85

So, basically you can say that 5-days widow for upgrades is just a lie? I guess I can agree with that.

I am a Platinum elite and had the same incident. Last Wednesday I flew SEA-ATL. On Sunday (3 days before the departure) first class was half full. At that point no worries on my side. Then one day before departure only a few seats were available. So, I thought, WTH! They cleared others or just sold the seats? But if you think about it, if they clear at the gate then why bother advertising 5-days advance on upgrades? Thought about writing to delta about it but most likely that will not change anything. Regards!

DLdweeb

Nope, not a lie. A PM is ugpraged at the window if upgrade inventory is available. Repeat, it must be upgrade inventory, not just an empty FC seat.

As a PM, I get upgraded at the window the majority of times, but sometimes not. At the gate I have done fairly well.

I'm sure DL is withholding more seats from V inventory these days. They think they can sell the seats. Can't blame them for that.

As has been mentioned many times, upgrades are nice, but are not guaranteed. If you really, really need to be in FC, buy a FC tic or use a PMU.

Evan!

It's not a lie. Delta offers a 5-day window to plats for "available upgrades" not "available seats". For domestic the inventory is V. If there are V seats available at the 5-day mark then plats are eligible to get those upgrades. If not, then one has to wait for either more V inventory to be allotted or for upgrades to be processed at the gate.

You are reading into the Delta's terms. They never mention "seats" alone just "availability" of seats. Where is the lie?

rrz518

ENTITLED? Sheesh. Never heard that word in this context before. But, honestly, yep I feel entitled to a response. And nope, it doesn't have to come from you, rather someone in a helpful mood perhaps?

If you are so bothered by these repetitive "stupid questions", perhaps you should better ration your time based on the titles of the threads. For example, if the title of a thread concerns a topic that you consider "stupid" or repetitive, perhaps you should not read it? Or, if you do read it, perhaps you shouldn't respond to it, hence giving it more life that it (deservedly or undeservedly) deserves? Or, perhaps you'd be interested in issuing some kind of disciplinary or regulatory action for "repetitive stupid question offenders"? (Besides an appeal to a moderator to intervene?)

Anyway, the topic of this thread really concerned itself with the fact that I'm a Plat. Elite, and ponied up about $500 to carry the Reserve Amex, which promises additional "jump to the front of the line" upgrade benefits. So, I was asking, "what more do I have to do to score an upgrade when the whole cabin is nearly empty"? Additionally, as I much prefer to have it "in hand" as opposed to waiting at the gate staring at that "cleared list" on the monitor, again, "what more do I have to do" when the logic seems skewed.

On this particular flight, by the day of, there were 25 of 26 open seats. So much for the revenue management logic, as 4 seats had fallen off that list in the past 4 days. Since DL apparently didn't sell any of those high priced seats, maybe they would have been better served by upgrading 10 or 15 of us 5 days prior, thus freeing up 10 or 15 lower priced seats (which may have sold better?).

Oh, and lest I forget, I was cleared at the gate, #4 on the list, so I suppose that's good news. The flight was lovely, on time, etc. Just would have appreciated confirming it 5 days out instead of the last minute thing, so that the wait time at the gate could have been a little more enjoyable.

zsmith2

Glad you got the upgrade but DL was trying to maximize it's oppertunity to sell additional revenue up front. It's software said that there was a good chance of F being sold within the last few days before the flight. Considering the flight was out of DCA I wouldn't be surprise of last minute F purchases.

El Boocho

I've never missed on this route. I don't think the reserve is worth the extra $ if you are buying it for the upgrade potential. My wife has the card and she is almost always one ahead of me on the upgrade list. We have never had one clear and not the other, but it could certainly happen. YMMV

El Boocho

FYI, you don't jump very far. If you are a PM on a K fare, you only beat out the other PMs on K fares. A PM on a Q will still be ahead of you.