golfingboy

Glad I could be of help FWIW, U has been zeroed out on the noon, 1pm, and 530pm flights. On the other flights there is plenty of U space.

Oh no that does not sound good at all! Sounds like DL won't be ready until Nov, so they asked AS to hold on implementing the auto-process

No wonder when I asked @DeltaAssist on twitter if they have any idea when the upgrades will begin for AS elites they gave me the silent treatment.

SJC ORD LDR

Got the upgrade at checkin for both directions of my SJC-KOA trip.

I can't complain about getting an upgrade for a trip to Hawaii since we know how generous DL is with those upgrades. The service was fine in both directions and the food wasn't too bad either. Yes, they only offered water before the flight, but that's usually what I drink anyway, so it's not a big deal to me. The food was fine, though it would be nice if there was one breakfast entree option that did not have eggs in it. (The choices were pancakes and scrambled eggs or a quiche). The service was fine and my drinks were well attended to. I think I would fly AS back to Hawaii if I was to go again, since this is an improvement to what DL offers.

GBadger

Woah... Didn't know that this was valid to HI. Good to know since I have direct AS flights from OAK to the islands that I'm guessing are not all that MVP-heavy .

beckoa

Wirelessly posted (beckoa\'s PWP wonderous poster: BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.304 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

This is wrong IMO... Glad you had an enjoyable experience, but why would AS upgrade DL elites to Hawaii if DL won't upgrade its own elites

golfingboy

Remember guys, we are talking about an airline who strives to be North of Expected. Although, Delta elites are not eligible for upgrades to Hawaii [even on DL], however that flight was completely empty 24 hours before departure in F. Yes, AS could stick to policy "a la Delta" but at what expense? If an F seat is going to go out empty, why not give it to someone to show that we appreciate their business? This is a great gesture of goodwill and by taking care of your customers AND your partner's customers will bring repeat business and that is a good thing.

That is why I get all flabbergasted and angry at some level when a Delta agent says "I am hard-headed" OR flat out refuses to give me a seat in F out of goodwill when AS would never treat Delta elites in that sense.

AS does a good job [from what I am reading here] taking care of DL elites AND keeping up their end of the reciprocal agreement and unfortunately I cannot say the same for Delta

I strive for the best for Delta, I genuinely do...

I know most of you probably don't care and maybe some of you got sick of my whining and added me to your ignore list, but I was reallllly excited about this reciprocity [more excited about this THAN AS's new MVPG75K tier], but this whole thing has been nothing but disappointments for me....

golfingboy

Bay Area-Hawaii flights are not MVP/G heavy, SMF is probably the most elite-light Hawaii route in the AS system... Your only real competition on this route is full-fare F passengers.

FWIW, HI is the 2nd easiest 2,000+ mile destination to get upgraded on behind ANC-LAX/SFO/DEN...

DiverDave

What about bag fees on AS, any word on that?

I'm wondering if I'm going to get hit up for $20 when I check in at MFR next week.

David

SJC ORD LDR

My option was to either take a free upgrade or pay the bag fee. Bag fees are still in effect.

DiverDave

Thanks for the update. ^

I'm on Horizon so all seats are in First Class.

I had planned not to check a bag, but the weather in Oregon is going to be cool and I'm going to need to pack for that.

I had other options to get out of Medford, but I got an extra 500 MQMs connecting back through PDX, so I'll look at it as paying $20 for 500 MQMs. I also get a little time in PDX, which will be a new airport for me.

I'll still try whining at check-in. :-:

David

tbeard

I am diamond on delta and was flying Alaska air from Lax to Pdx today. I asked the gate agent if delta elites can be on the alaska upgrade list...she said she just read an email about that and she would check into it and let me know. I gave her my diamond card and left to eat breakfast. When I came back she said that the policy is in affect and I was upgraded! Forced to eat another breakfast!

mpp

[EDITED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT]

DiverDave if you enjoy microbrews (and Portland has more breweries per capita than any city in the world) then stop by one of the Laurelwood's restaurants at PDX and enjoy a pint of their Workhorse IPA. If you have access the SkyClub and/or Alaska Boardroom are both usually quiet with great staff.

DLFlyer16

What do people think the upgrade chances of a DL GM on the DCA-LAX route is generally going to be?

GBadger

Pretty darn poor. AS does a good job of selling F seats on their transcons, and the rest of the seats will likely go to MVPG75s.

obscure2k

I have actually had good luck on this route. I would go to the Service Desk and ask if there were paid upgrade seats available. This is a nice flight in FC.

golfingboy

Difficult [probably as hard for an FO to get upgraded the AM LAX-ATL DL flight]... AS does a darn good job in selling F seats on all transcon routes and once in a blue moon an MVPG would get upgraded and it is usually those who purchased an instant upgradeable fare....

When there is U space available on a transcon MVPGs typically would either up-fare to an instant upgradeable fare [~$250-300 more each way] or burn one of our gold certs.

For this route, I would strongly suggest you to try and make a trade in coupon connection or if you know someone who is an MVPG to obtain a gold cert to upgrade yourself on this route.

FWIW, AS typically releases plenty "U" space on LAX-DCA and PDX-BOS in advance and depending on F sales they will take the "U" space away once they reach a certain number of F seats sold. Also, LAX-DCA and PDX-BOS are the easiest transcons to get upgraded on, especially during the summer months. In the winter, upgrades are much easier...