longing4piedmont

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15851021-post3.html

Gbadger.....another example of why your method will not work. You would think that after being busted multiple times for posting false information by someone with access to DL information, they would give it up.

This is simply why what you are looking for will only be found by accessing information you will never have access too. If you think you can prove something by post like this, then you have already arrived at the answer you are looking for and you are simply looking for data to back it up (and it does not matter to you whether the data is correct or not)

BobRoss

I'm flying DTW-LGA tomorrow, and as a Plat, my upgrade cleared last night. CVG-DTW cleared at the window, as did LGA-CVG.

majorwibi

A couple of us who have access to the system have been watching all the flights people post enough data about to actually be able to research and we've found a couple of very interesting pieces of data:

1) There has never been a case of an buy-up occurring prior to medallions being cleared into F. There are cases where someone bought an F fare less than an hour before the flight but the buy-up shows up in the system differently and those are never processed if there are still medallions sitting in back. There are multiple cases where IROPS pushed someone into F; I can tell you there are times where I took a re-route (technically IROP) and all I asked for in return was a guaranteed F seat.

2) DL does not clear upgrades if there are more medallions in a given status level than there are seats in F available. If there are 7 PMs on the list but only 6 seats they wont clear anyone into F until F either gets one more seat or the number of medallions at a given level decreases.

trcress

I flew 140,000 BIS miles last year. After getting gold, I started getting upgrades. 2010- GM 6/8, PM 7/9, DM 8/8. 2011 DM 0/4. I was 9, 18, 11, 12 on the upgrade lists. That means there were that many DM with a higher fare ahead of me. I am surprised that my upgrades have evaporated, but they were not ever guaranteed. I will now start flying other airlines with direct routes instead of flying thru DTW, ATL, or MSP. The benefit that drew me to Delta was the upgrades and now they are gone.

TheMadBrewer

I'd agree to that if whoever paid for the ticket got the bennies -- your company/client pays, they get the points.

Whenever that is suggested the first thing that comes back is "but it's my butt in the seat..." which tells me miles do matter.

I'm the first to admit I am a cubic zirconia DM. But that doesn't mean I'm not of value to DL. Nobody flies nonstop to all the places I fly, so I most likely have to connect somewhere. I could choose any airline (or combo) but choose DL (UA/LH probably has the most non stops)

(And just for the record, I don't do mileage runs.)

StayingHomeIsBetter

I thought the date of purchase for the ticket was a tie-breaker?

TheMadBrewer

I did not know that and I don't think I've ever seen that mentioned here. That does explain some things I've seen in the past. Thanks.

I think the underlying problem here is what is my number one beef with Delta (well the high price of M fares is up there too . ) -- lack of clear and forthright information. How many threads have we seen spin out of control that could have been shut down with one clear sentence from DL. And often times when we do finally get something it is a "non-denial denial" or so couched in weasel words or marketing speak as to be useless.

My fear is there is something big coming down the pike and it is being held for later in the year so that many will find it too late in the year to switch to another carrier but early enough that by the end of the year it will have become the new normal and largely forgotten. No evidence. And may not happen. But the thundering silence is deafening.

mother-

That explains a LOT! (And really sucks to anyone not a DM trying to SDC onto a flight!) Why wouldn't they proceed as far down the list as inventory allowed at that time?

RobOnLI

I don't think this is true at all. For example, take my LAX-ATL flight last week. At the 5-day EUA mark there were 7 seats avail for upgrades as per ExpertFlyer. Right after EUA it went to zero. That means 7 DM's and PM's were upgraded per the EUA rules. Upgrade inventory remained zero up until flight time. At the airport there were 27 people on the upgrade list and 8 wound up clearing at the gate. All 8 of those cleared at the gate were PM as far as I could tell based on the tags they had on their bags and one or two BP's that I could read. I am not saying it's a fact they were all PM but most, if not all, were.

What I am saying is that it's most likely (99%) that several of these PM's were on the upgrade list at the 5-day mark and didn't clear because V/X went to zero. I won't buy anyone saying that 8 PM's SDC'd onto the flight that morning either

I've also been on flights where V/X = 1 at the EUA window and I'm the only one to clear EUA - yet I'm not the only DM/PM on the whole flight. Likewise, I've been on the losing end of this deal where I am *not* the one upgraded and I have to wait for the gate upgrade. In this situation one or two higher ranked DM's got upgraded and I didn't.

Just my observation. Nothing I said or you suggested in your post is based on scientific fact. It's an interesting observation, though.

-RM

Lackey99

That would make sense except it doesn't seem to be the case with the info on the flight where I started this thread. Flight info: Monday 2739 to 1823. 1st Seg UG cleared 6 days out. 2nd seg cleared 3 days out. During the 48hours after the PM window was open 1 seat was sold or possibly DM bought and got UG (they were advertising on the fare "$59 more to fly FC". There are still 4 seats available.

I didn't pay attention to the aircraft but it does seem they changed from a 737 to MD88 since all of a sudden 1A/B have disappeared from the seat map.

What's funny is they are doing the same thing on the flight home SAT-ATL...seats available but no UG. ATL-DCA...got the UG 6 days out.

As someone mentioned...why wouldn't they just clear PM's as listed in the clearance order? I am convinced this is just DL's way of trying to get every penny out of FC before living up to their end of the bargin and rewarding elites.

GYEWorldTraveler

It is on the UG priority list to break ties between two or more people of the same status on the same fare. This is why in the DL system everything has a "timestamp" that says when someone purchased their ticket in military time HHMM/Date

Poopdeck90210

You need to wait. The EUA process will make two passes thru your flight. The first will be to clear the DM's. The second pass will take place an hour or two later and if inventory is available, PM's will be cleared.

-A

StayingHomeIsBetter

Let me make sure I understand what you are suggesting here.

Are you saying that, when the PM window opens, if there are only 6 FC seats in V, and there are 7 PMs on the list, the computer will forget about all of the secondary priority factors and not upgrade any of the PMs?

If so, sounds like a backdoor way of not providing UGs and biding time for more FC purchased seats (i.e., monetization via another route).

Lackey99

LIKE...yes FT needs a "Like" button.

mother-

Wouldn't DISLIKE be more appropriate here?