kahuna613

For companions of a Medallion, isn't Breezeway printed on their boarding pass? I think that has been the case for me historically, but I do remember a few occasions where it has not (inexplicably).

Stripe

I think the number of companions, ages, and relation to the OP are all relevant. I have never had a problem on any airline bringing family members along with me, but if I am traveling with someone on business I usually hang back and board with them.

Tomphot

I have never had a GA refuse to let someone traveling with me board with me.

edscholl

i agree that most agents will let you (and i've done it several times) but that doesn't mean they're "supposed" to let them - like many agents will let people board out of zone rather than kicking them out of line and making them wait....

Rancher

I have always boarded with family and companions whether they were elite or not or on the same PNR or not.

It is unbelievably mean-spirited and downright nasty of any GA to break up a travelling party when one member is elite. Perhaps the GA was trying to tell you that your status meant nothing to the company, another way to reduce you to the lowest common denominator.

Unbelievable!

cfischer

I have seen this way too often, both on ex-DL and ex-NW to the same extent. Sometimes just water and OJ, somtimes everything. Boarding and so on ... it is simply NOT consistent and this is obviously no good.

That being said I have never seen them send my companion back before, this is rather odd, but not against the rules if on a different PNR.

cfischer

Huh, are you having a bad day today? Maybe there were good reasons to enforce the rules (e.g. a ton of Elites on the flight), maybe there was something else going on ... we don't know and the companion was not on the same PNR, so technically not a companion.

I agree that this is very odd, but your comments are as weird as the GA behavior IMO.

number21

This is also my SOP, and it has always worked.

flyAUO

Haven't ever had a problem with getting companions to board with me, even in different PNRs. Even worked on the 1am redeye out of SFO on Monday morning when companion was in Y.

The SFO agents, however, seemed to have conflicting stories to begin with. Had one agent tell me companion upgs had been temporarily suspended (to be made permanently suspended in the near future) and another tell me companions had to be on the same PNR. According to the second agent, F would check in full with medallions anyways. Both of the above are obviously false and my companion ended up in Y, but a really nice NRSA sat next to me...

Contradancer

First of all, my experience with SFO agents is that they are AWESOME! Doesn't matter whether our flight arrives early, late, on time, late at night, first flight in in the morning, the jetway is at the door and we are deplaning immediately. They take the trouble to learn names of frequent visitors. They are friendly. They are upbeat. I just wanted to offer another point of view.

There are software limitations that prevent people who are traveling together from being in the same PNR. Partly different itineraries. Using one voucher to pay for multiple passengers. There are probably more. So being booked in different PNRs does not mean the passengers are not traveling together. And any Delta policy (I don't know if there is one) that distinguishes between passengers traveling in the same PNR vs. different PNRs is wrong. I know the companion upgrade thing works differently for the two situations but I chalk that up also to a software limitation. The situation the OP started this post with was a completely human-enforced policy, no software involved.

My experience has been that agents know this or it can be pointed out to them.

Contradancer

raehl311

You're right. The GA should definitely not prevent the elite member from boarding with the non-elite members ... when the non-elite members are eligible to board.

If the elite member chooses to board before his "companions" are eligible to board, it is the elite member who is choosing to separate the party. Pick one - board as an elite, or board as a group.

Frankly, I wish the GAs would deny all non-same-PNR companions from boarding together, although I probably wouldn't mind if, as a matter of policy, immediate families (spouse/kids) of elites were allowed to board with the elite if seated in the same cabin of service.

Elite status does not grant priority boarding to everyone you know who happens to be on the same plane.


If it does, I'm going to start declaring ALL of the PAX on the plane as my companions.

jenniparks

Given, the variance in the responses incl the anecdotal evidence that it has always worked for some people, or sometimes only worked for some people, does anyone have a link to the official Delta policy on treatment of companions on split pnrs?


And for the guy who said general sfo agents are fantastic, i agree. this was not a knock against Delta overall, or SFO agents overall, but just an honest question about Delta policy based on the representations given by this one agent. You can bet I'm still going to try for getting my companions to board with me every time, but I'd at least like clear direction as to whether it's technically part of the benefit or not.

jenniparks

i think there is a big difference between "everyone you know who happens to be on the plane" and persons whose tickets you paid for and booked at the same time as yours, who are going on a trip with you and simply split the pnr on.

raehl311

As a concept? Sure. As an enforceable policy? None whatsoever.

Companions are technically on the same PNR. I can see, as a matter of policy/good will, including people with the same last name as a companion.

Anybody else are just your business associates/friends and can board as their elite status (or lack thereof) allows.

pdac1975

The GA was not breaking up the travelling party. Only if the Elite wanted to board before the companions zone was called would they be broken up. It's up to them. I generally just wait until the person's zone I'm travelling with is called and board with them. If it makes you feel better you can still use the breezeway while your companion walks down the regular line so everyone still knows you're elite....