#3. You have earned the upgrade (if you get it). If the senior manager penalizes your career track for something Delta does then you are at the wrong firm.

Great advice and I love the Back to the Future reference.

Really?

All this knowledge can be gained in 30 seconds on the jetway? One can learn whether to be loyal to one’s boss that quickly? Wow!

And, we’re going to learn from this if the BOSS is the good decision maker??? How about the employee, who has to go to a primarily-anonymous forum to ask what to do????

Not sure where the “cost of a couple of drinks” comes in…

I want to puke.

Can this thread be moved to "How to kiss the boss's ..." board?

Seriously, just take the upgrade as normal.

The only exception for this would be either family concerns or traveling with somebody who will have a difficult time in their Y seat, and similar such.

DL SM number not required to request companion UG
 

FWIW, I was just polling a very similar question with some colleagues and friends over a glass of wine on Friday evening. It was univerally agreed that donation of an UG to a travel companion is an act of kindness that is either required or appropriate only when the travel companion is also a romantic interest. You shouldn't be expected to give it to "the boss".

Someone "two levels" below me in our co (and I'm PM; he's GM) was UG'd on a flight a flight on Friday and I was not; I was quite annoyed with DL because they screwed up when auto rebooking after a cancelled flight (and later admitted their mistake). But at NO point did I think my subordinate should have offered the seat to me. I "get it" and so will the OP's superior.

W/r/t the question of needing the DL SM number of the travel companion, I recently made such a request for a work colleague and all I needed was the traveler's name and flight information -- I didn't need to provide the DL CSR with his SM number. He actually got the UG, but then sat "in the back" next to his friends. This was a DL Shuttle flight, so he was more interested in the MQM bump than the FC seat.

Thanks for all the advice.

I've decided to keep the UG for myself, and request a companion upgrade from DL. I've spent enough time away from home to earn the UG.

I'll get their FF# from corp. travel.

If they don't make it off the UG list, that's just the way it is. I'll just take out the laptop and work, instead of squeezing in a nap as I usually do.

BTW, he's definitely flying Y since the travel policy was changed (budget cuts) that no F travel unless the flight is more than 6.5 hours.

^^^ - agreed... If you have to give up an upgrade to kiss up to the boss, you're probably doing something wrong anyway...

Hope OPs decision works out. Given that my status is purely based on leisure travel, if I ever have to travel for work and am in a similar situation, I won't hesitate to take my F seat. It's not as if my place of business has paid for my leisure travel in 2010!!!!

I agree the email approach with the offer is best - I know as a boss of 50 if one of my underlings kissed my ... and passed an upgrade, I might think it nice, but would also think they are a kiss .......