Useless "systemwide upgrades"
Mar 6, 2010 | 5:28 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Programs: NWA, Delta, Sofitel, Marriott, Fairmont, etc.
Posts: 14
Useless "systemwide upgrades"
Got suckered into accepting these useless upgrades instead of 20,000 miles. Once I figured out they were never going to be usable and asked to undo my choice - nope.
Any appeal routes you can recommend?
Any appeal routes you can recommend?
Mar 6, 2010 | 5:41 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: The best state in the USA - Florida!
Programs: Marriott Titanium/LT Plat, AS Titanium, Disney AP
Posts: 14,532
Mar 6, 2010 | 5:43 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, AS MVP Gold, MR LTT, HH Dia, IHG Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 37,472
why you chose them in the first place.
Mar 6, 2010 | 6:47 pm
#7
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Programs: Delta Million Miler and Diamond, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 132
Useless indeed
I agree with the initial post - I have never been able to use them... The fares that the SWU certificates are applicable to are prohibitively high. I would not pay 3 or 4 times the price of an economy ticket only to have the chance to use one of them.
Calin_z
Calin_z
Mar 6, 2010 | 7:02 pm
#8
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: PHX
Programs: Delta 2M, AA EP, Marriott TFL
Posts: 226
But the big question is: can the upgrade be confirmed at booking time or is it only standby? I do not pay $1,900 round trip to cross the Atlantic unless I have a confirmed upgrade!
Mar 6, 2010 | 7:24 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Programs: NWA, Delta, Sofitel, Marriott, Fairmont, etc.
Posts: 14
Missed the fine print
I suppose it said somewhere they were only good with certain fare classes, but I didn't see that before I made my choice. Tried to use them with trips to London, the Caymans and Bermuda but they wouldn't accept the upgrade because my tickets were too cheap. If I wanted to pay $2,000+ to go to London instead of $8-900, then I'd get a "free" upgrade. Such a deal!
Mar 6, 2010 | 7:25 pm
#10
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SEA
Programs: AA Plat, DL PM (not for long)
Posts: 546
I just used two today to upgrade PDX-NRT-KIX-NRT-SEA.
It wasn't cheap to upgrade to M, but not terrible. All four segments had Z available (double checked before booking).
They are out there.... somewhere.
It wasn't cheap to upgrade to M, but not terrible. All four segments had Z available (double checked before booking).
They are out there.... somewhere.
Mar 6, 2010 | 7:33 pm
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Tucson, AZ, USA. UA 1K, reluctant but * best in class * DL FO/MM. Former BA jumpseat rider and scourge of Dilbertian management and apologists. As LX might - and do - say: "....an experienced frequent flyer of international airlines"
Posts: 3,386
I suppose it said somewhere they were only good with certain fare classes, but I didn't see that before I made my choice. Tried to use them with trips to London, the Caymans and Bermuda but they wouldn't accept the upgrade because my tickets were too cheap. If I wanted to pay $2,000+ to go to London instead of $8-900, then I'd get a "free" upgrade. Such a deal!
Were you aware that the SM director himself, Jeff R, publicly called his own PMU product "broken"? That ought to give you a clear enough signal about the worth of the PMUs.
I chose the 20k SM, about which everyone knows how I feel. But they're still worth more to me than the PMUs.
Mar 6, 2010 | 7:36 pm
#12
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SEA
Programs: AA Plat, DL PM (not for long)
Posts: 546
Mar 6, 2012 | 1:53 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 1
Useless
I just booked a B fare to Tokyo for 2.5x the coach fare. There are 33 seats in business class. When I called to use the certificate, there aren't any seats available.
How are there no seats available? It's just because Delta is trying to bait and switch its best customers. So glad Southwest is finally in Atlanta. I now have a way to "reward" Delta.
For this trip I ended up buying an actual business class seat through LAX instead of direct and will give my money to Korean Airlines from Tokyo to Seoul and from Seoul back home.
How are there no seats available? It's just because Delta is trying to bait and switch its best customers. So glad Southwest is finally in Atlanta. I now have a way to "reward" Delta.
For this trip I ended up buying an actual business class seat through LAX instead of direct and will give my money to Korean Airlines from Tokyo to Seoul and from Seoul back home.
Last edited by keatingfamily; Mar 6, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Mar 6, 2012 | 1:57 pm
#14
Suspended
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,621
Yes, Y, B, or Ms
They make it very clear that these are the fare codes to use them, IF seats are available. That is why most of us do not select them. I am not a large person, don't eat or drink much, and as a DM for int'l flights an aisle EC seat works just fine.
Mar 6, 2012 | 1:58 pm
#15
Suspended
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,621
A Great Plan
I just booked a B fare to Tokyo for 2.5x the coach fare. There are 33 seats in business class. When I called to use the certificate, there aren't any seats available.
How are there no seats available? It's just because Delta is trying to bait and switch its best customers. So glad Southwest is finally in Atlanta. I now have a way to punish Delta.
For this trip I ended up buying an actual business class seat through LAX instead of direct and will give my money to Korean Airlines from Tokyo to Seoul and from Seoul back home.
How are there no seats available? It's just because Delta is trying to bait and switch its best customers. So glad Southwest is finally in Atlanta. I now have a way to punish Delta.
For this trip I ended up buying an actual business class seat through LAX instead of direct and will give my money to Korean Airlines from Tokyo to Seoul and from Seoul back home.