xooz

DL employees traveling on positive space coach are eligible for upgrades. In general they come after revenue passengers and before non-revs on the upgrade list.

sethb

Some employees are positive space F (for some flights), and if you're upgrading 5 days out it's possible F wasn't that full at all.

Bicostal

I know for a fact that the pilot was not - he said that to the GA prior to boarding. The FAs were possible PS....but given their reaction and behaviour given an FC seat, I would think they were not PSFC - as a third FA with them was seated in coach.

There was an upgrade list on the screen with the first column full and two names on the 2nd column at T-10 (we were a bit late due to late incoming.... I do know that 8 passengers misconnected - the GA said that to the FA and I was sitting right there. There could noit have been a standby list as the flight went out with well over 30 seats in back open - not me, but what the FA told the GA re: the count.

It was pretty clear that on board there were two, maybe three pilots and at least 3, maybe 4, FAs deadheading to Montreal....not sure if they all were flying back to the US on the 6 am...but the two FAs in FC were according to them.

I call shena based on the misconnect and late departing...the GA played it within the "rules" and like I said, no skin in the game - sucks though for the at least 3 of the 7 on the list, now doesn't it.



I did get a PDB...nice FA up front -

StuckOnSegments

So this morning on DL 900, I was 3/19 with 21 seats claimed(checked in) 0 claimed (not checked in), and 3 available.

2 upgrades cleared ahead of me around T-45. I was called over and told to wait back, as I'd probably be upgraded.

Flight ended up beginning boarding at the what was supposed to be departure time- and then inexplicably, the last seat disappeared.

What happened? With the flight under gate control, no one should even be allowed to check in, right? Also, I think I would have gotten the upgrade if we had just left on time. Frustrating, maybe not SHENA but pretty sketchy, and at least unusual.

sethb

Maybe SDC by an F pax?

StuckOnSegments

Possible...but the flight was under gate control(i don't think SDC can happen) and it doesn't explain why only 2 of 3 upgrades were processed.

On the flip side, I have had my FC seat taken for not checking-in until t-55 on this exact flight.

Sez_Who

Maybe just me but I would have quickly asked the GA what happened. Obviously no one here can answer that question.

StuckOnSegments

I tried but she was busy trying to get the flight out as quickly as possible.

gooselee

I've SDC'd on a paid first ticket before at around T-50 just by walking up to the gate and asking.

Seeing FC seats released before T-30 is a new one, for me, though. T-30 is usually the mark where I've noticed any "Not checked in" seats get moved over to the "Available" row on the GIDS.

houserulz77

Not sure what happened, but the fact that you were told by the GA to hang back for a likely u/g would tend to indicate that whatever happened, it likely wasn't Shena.

Esltroy

Agreed. I have SDC while other PAX have been boarding.

Flyertall

I'm not sure if this is Shena or not, but I boarded ATL-SFO at T-20 with a C+ (formerly EC) reservation, and someone was in my seat. I presented my BP and he looked at his BP, and realized he was supposed to be in Seat F instead of Seat A. We both looked at the other side and a woman in a Delta uniform had that deer in the headlights look as she reached to unbuckle her seatbelt.

I said "no, that's ok, both of you keep your seats and I'll just sit right here". It just so happened that Seat D in the same row was unoccupied, which suited me better anyway, but was unavailable at time of reservation.

But what was interesting to me was how the FA ended up in a reserved seat C+ seat?

She chatted it up with the pax in Seat D, to the point where she had him order a bottle of wine (free in C+), while she ordered whatever soda he wanted, and then they swapped drinks. I quipped that white would be more concealable than red, so she wrapped a napkin around her cup. She was on her way home, and apparently didn't have time to change.

I normally board much earlier, so I'm not used to finding someone in my reserved seat.

On another recent flight, I arrived early at the airport, already knowing the first leg of my flight was delayed, but my ground transportation was fixed in time. At check in, I was asked if I wanted to take an earlier flight to the same connecting airport that should have already departed, but also was delayed. I said sure, as long as I can still have a C+ seat. She said sure.

Turned out to be a good move, because AF1 was passing through by the time my originally booked delayed flight would finally leave, and I would have been stuck longer. Since I was SDC on the earlier scheduled flight that ended up leaving at the time my original flight was scheduled, I didn't even think about being upgraded to FC.

However, the GA knew me. I didn't know him from Adam, but he recognized me as an FF who normally flies out in the early morning. He had one upgrade that he assumed was me, because he walked up to where I was sitting to hand me a new BP. I said I am not the one. I boarded Sky, and took my C+ seat. Just before the door closed, the same GA boarded and escorted me to the one remaining FC seat.

Shena? No idea, but both of these incidents seemed to relate to the topic of this thread. I look at upgrades as a gift, not as an entitlement. I'm happy to receive them, but I do not expect them, nor do I seek to know how they are bestowed.

irishPirate

Today, LAX - AUS. On an E175, FC had 11 seats claimed and 1 seat reserved (unclaimed). I was #2 on the UG list. When I don't get an upgrade, I like to wait to be near the last person to board (would rather wait in the gate area than in coach). When I was about to board, I saw that I was #1 on the list and the FC seat was still unclaimed, so I asked the GA about it.

Shena told me she was going to give it to the person who was on the list before me. I told her he boarded already and forfeited his chance. She was nice about it (and so was I) and said she knew the policy but was still going to give it to him. Her reason for still giving it to the other guy was that he might have seen it on his phone. I told her the Delta App wasn't accurate and she agreed, but didn't want to make him upset. I said it was her choice and I boarded the plane and took my seat in coach. I told her I would write a complaint on Delta.com and she said I should do that.

About 10 minutes later, she came on the plane and invited me up to FC. I thanked her a lot and she still insisted that I still write a comment on Delta.com (which I have now done and gave her kudos)

This upgrade policy really needs to be changed. Keep the upgrade list in effect until the cabin door is closed. If that were the case, then the other guy should have gotten the FC seat and not me and I would have been okay with that. As it is now, it only causes problems for medallions and GA's.

DavidDTW

My guess would be a possible misconnect. GA could have released a reserved seat if an inbound passenger was going to be late. With this flight being delayed, that pax could very well have had enough time to make the connection and get his seat back.

plagwate

I'm not so sure this is "Shena Averted" unless you saw a non-rev hovering around the podium waiting to poach that last FC seat. If anything, the other pax has the right to call foul since the GA boarded the plane to pull you (#2) up instead of him (#1). True, you brought up the "you board, you lose" rule. But you also boarded, albeit reluctantly, so you lose too.