49 Names on Upgrade List on MD88
 

Last night, flight 1297 DCA-ATL had 49 names on it. As a PM T fare, I was 18th on the list.

Needless to say, I sat in back (although 10C has more legroom than first). In fact, this week screwed up my LUT upgrade record; only 1 out of 4 cleared. While sitting in back, I did some calculations:

I earned 4188 miles for my MCO-ATL-DCA rt. Ticket was only $181.50 so I earned 363 miles on Amex. Hotel was $505 so I earned 1010 miles (I received the double miles all purchases over $500 promotion). I also received 100 miles for using the new credit card. Also 25 miles for parking.

Total of 5686 miles. At $0.02 per mile (I use primarily for overseas bizelite), that totals $113.92. In addition, I took advantage of stocking up on my wife's favorite granola bars at CRC ($3), took advantage of the CRC at DCA ($8), used a free drink coupon on flight ($4) for a total earned value of $128.92. The other snacks, coffee, cokes, on planes and at CRCs are just rounding error. So lets say $130 total.

Ticket T fare was $181.50. Deducting taxes and fees, the fare paid to Delta was $143.32. Given that Delta did get me back and forth safely and ontime for around $13, I think I did ok.

marc

This year is the first time I have not cleared a wait-list in 3 years.

3 times ATL-MCO, I have purchased tickets with a segment wait-listed (on K Fares), thinking sure I will clear, I always clear! Getting to the dreaded gate A2 in ATL, I didn't clear. Same flight all 3 times. I had the bulkhead seat twice in coach which was fine for an hour flight, had a dreaded regular coach seat for the other.

Last night was first time I haven't cleared ATL-MCO. Since I will be flying T tickets next year, I have to get used to it. On the 764, I have usually chosen 13C. Is the bulkhead seat, 18C, that much better a seat? I would like to avoid row 10 as it will just make me wish I was one row farther up. Row 17 doesn't leave enough choices for overhead bin.

marc

Loooong upgrade list
 

I flew ATL-BOS this morning (Tues) and saw the longest upgrade list yet.
53 people hoping for the remaining 4 seats in FC - I made it to #5 then took my middle seat in the back.
The MD88 holds 142 - with 14 in FC - so 45% of the plane had status and were on the list or in FC. Seems high for a Tues.
Does Delta ever stop putting people on the upgrade list?

Yes. Haven't you ever seen "upgrade list closed"? We complained about this here at FlyerTalk and Jeff R. agreed that it wasn't right to do it and that it would stop. I have seen it a few times since then but it is certainly not as common as it once was.

next to last on page 3
 

SFO->ATL Sunday night redeye I was the next to last person listed on the third page of the upgrade list. I don't even know what the number was, if it's 20 to a page I beat your list easily (page 3 was well over half full).

As I had the exit seat with just 1 seat to the row (does that config even exist any more?), I just laughed and went on board.

Monday ATL-PHX. I've seen 74 on the list which is rather amusing.

How about this... I was on a flight ATL-SAV yesterday, which I hear can be hard for an upgrade. Anyway, DL upgraded our plane from an MD-88 to an ex-Song 757, so we went from 14F seats to 26F seats. I was still number 7 on the list, with only 8 people on the upgrade list and one unclaimed seat.

I find it hard to believe that I was the 2nd to last on the list as a PM, even though I was on a cheapo fare. So only one PM, GM or FO was on a lower fare? Just seems strange to me. I would have asked, but it's such a short flight, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Just a curiosity.

At least my upgrade cleared for the ride home, SAV-ATL.

The list on my LGA-ATL flight last Friday had 108 people. The first name on the list was Igo/P.

I hope that person stuck around the gate and didn't "go", since two of the listed folks did make the flight.

As GM I was upgraded on 4 different trips ATL-PHX. I'm still trying to figure it out because the list was very long and PHX-ATL I made upgrade twice. I bo0oked several months ahead. One flight ATL-SFO had page after page, I gave up looking for my name.....

I've seen close to 80 for 4 F seats DCA-ATL on a Friday afternoon....

If you think this is bad, I saw a standby list (any seat) on AA out of DFW one time with 128 people on it.

Nice... ^ :D

ATL - SFO, 1 seat available. I was 40th with an H fare as a PM. There were 78 on the list.

ATL - CMH, there was an empty seat in F.

Route dependent.

Didn't that thread get closed? ;)

I think the most I've seen was 64 on a 757 from DCA to ATL.

As a GM I've been 26 of 88 for 5 seats on a B763 going ATL-LAX on a friday evening.