xliioper

I don't believe they actually use original booking class or fare paid as a factor. I was on a separate reservation on same flights with my son (I had a revenue fare and his was an award), and we had the exact same FCM offers. I suspect there a number of fixed upgrade amounts and a bucket system (distinct from the revenue fare buckets) just as there are with award fares. It easier to research with awards since you can look at any arbitrary flight and they actually expose the buckets in the fare basis codes of the fares. Difficult to research for FCM offers as you actually have to be booked on a flight to see an offer and there's nothing shown but a price (along with the 7.5% US excise tax). I suppose people could try booking flights listed here and seeing if the post-purchase offer is the same or not and then cancel within 24-hour worry-free period.

ethernal

I agree that it is not at all directly correlated, but I would be surprised if Delta did not provide some degree of personalization on FCM offers (which would include a degree of willingness to pay). I have seen some instances of slightly different offer amounts between myself and colleagues on the same flight (although this was last year, so perhaps things have changed). It's possible that the check-in offers are personalized whereas the pre-check-in offers are standardized.

I may be overselling the intelligence of the FCM offers though. As I said, I frequently roll my eyes at the offers I get (most frequently on the routes I fly it is $429 each way when I could upfare to F for $400 round trip).

dmarge18

Same thing, but do you earn any MQMs for the flight if you FCM an award ticket? I'm guessing not?

MotelRomeo

I'm not sure how they arrived at the price, but I jumped on this offer.

xliioper

No, they are still considered award tickets for MQM earning purposes and earn no MQM's.

kpbadger

I can pay an extra $17 to bundle - I'd hardly call it saving. Together with the $2 offer a couple posts up, this looks like Delta IT at its finest.

lonelygod

pharmawalk

You'll earn 100% MQDs based on the FCM cost. I just recently did after FCMing an award ticket from Hawaii.

xliioper

Do you mean miles/MQD's? MQM's are not based on "cost". Pretty sure there have been reports that while you will you earn miles/MQD's, there were no MQM's awarded.

c5ruzr

I'm pretty new to the Delta world, but I'm on a PM Status Match, and thus far having pretty good luck on my leisure routes in and out of Boston.

I have an upcoming BOS-SLC (767!) - PDX; PDX-SEA-BOS (overnight redeye) itinerary that I was really hoping to clear upgrades from X and V classes. I got C+ immediately, and the BOS-SLC F leg cleared right at 120 hours (excellent!). After the 1st leg cleared, the second leg (SLC-PDX) let me select First Class seats without charge through the Delta App, but it kept erroring out when I tried to confirm them. I was hoping it meant I'd clear at 120 hours for that flight too. But alas I didn't clear at it's 120 hour mark, although I could tell several others did move to F.

In playing with the seat maps, I noticed a few times that the buy up offer for the 4th leg (SEA-BOS - which was my the most important to get F on) would vary in price from over $400 to sometimes as low as $5 and change. This is all still close to a week before check-in. When I clicked through it ended up wanting $33 and change with taxes and fees. It was all so strange, that I backed out. I logged into the app again at various times over the following hours and day and had a few weird combinations when selecting multiple buy ups causing some reductions well below what was advertised (similar to the combination posted a few posts up), though it was still around $200 to confirm the 3 legs. I finally went back and confirmed the 4th leg at $33.66 all in, for the peace of mind and (hopefully) extra MQM's.

I didn't spend too long scouring this thread, but is this pricing common/logical?

pharmawalk

my mistake. Yes, it was MQDs, not MQMs. Post above corrected.

xliioper

If you look at the above few posts, it's pretty clear that DL has issues with their "bundle" pricing algorithms. In one case producing absurd savings, and another case producing a higher price than if purchased individually. The upgrade pricing is not based on the fare difference and they use other metrics to come up with the price. I don't really believe airline IT is all that sophisticated and that they likely have a set of upgrade prices on each route and a bucket system (similar to bucket system used for revenue/award fares). Since this is all familiar territory for them, it doesn't require a lot of innovating.

eastindywalrus

Yesterday, on both my phone and my girlfriend's, we kept seeing a FCM offer for a DCA-DTW leg for $57. When you clicked Select Seats, it again indicated that it was $57 per person. Once you selected the second person's seat on the map, the total came up, instead reflecting a total of $140, or $70 per person. I've been seeing the $70 for weeks, but have not jumped on it as it was over what I would value first class at for that flight.

My Expert Flyer subscription lapsed and I didn't feel like paying for it again to check this theory, but I'm wondering - is Delta's system smart enough to know if there are more people on the reservation than there are seats available at the $57 price? I'm assuming there was probably just 1 in whatever first class bucket warranted that price offer, and as soon as the second person's seat was selected, it forced both upgrades to come out of the higher fare bucket instead at $70 each.

Does that sound right? We kept seeing the $57 offer come and go during the day, each time with this same annoying result. I haven't seen it yet today. I will also mention that at one point, the entire economy cabin was blocked out save for 2 seats, whereas now at least half of economy is open. I'm wondering if Schedule Change Saturday was wrecking havoc on the entire system as usual.

pharmawalk

I would call personally. I have received prices lower than what is offered online in the past.

eastindywalrus

Just called. Only the higher price available. Oh well.