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First Class Monetization, or FCM: The Definitive Thread

First Class Monetization, or FCM: The Definitive Thread

Old Feb 22, 2011, 7:36 pm
  #61  
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Originally Posted by andrewpartyman
What they forget is that a Diamond is sitting in Coach who spent $600 more to fly them in the first place.
What about when they are $600 cheaper?
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Old Feb 22, 2011, 8:14 pm
  #62  
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Originally Posted by jfulcher
Delta isn't doing anything they haven't done for years except pointing out to people that they can swap up to first class for $x. These Y-UP fares have always existed. There was really nothing special for them to fix.

You guys like to get your panties in a wad over a snipet of code that says IF YUP=TRUE then write "Upgrade to First for $xxx". Jeez.
+1
This is just background clutter on the board. The true T to F for 29$ is not there.
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Old Feb 22, 2011, 9:23 pm
  #63  
 
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Originally Posted by cityboy340
To be brutally honest, if you want first class, pay for it.
To be more brutally honest (this has nothing to do with DYKWIA), if DL doesn't offer me F upgrades on a regular basis, I have NO reason to fly DL. UA offers domestic E+, more easily usable miles, a more comprehensive global network with better (*A) partners, usable international SWUs, and far more flight options out of SFO.

I don't need F, but if I'm no longer going to get it for free, I have better options. I'm guessing there are plenty others like me. Could be wrong.
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Old Feb 22, 2011, 9:45 pm
  #64  
 
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Originally Posted by GBadger
To be more brutally honest (this has nothing to do with DYKWIA), if DL doesn't offer me F upgrades on a regular basis, I have NO reason to fly DL. UA offers domestic E+, more easily usable miles, a more comprehensive global network with better (*A) partners, usable international SWUs, and far more flight options out of SFO.

I don't need F, but if I'm no longer going to get it for free, I have better options. I'm guessing there are plenty others like me. Could be wrong.
(where is the "Like" button? )

+1
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Old Feb 22, 2011, 11:08 pm
  #65  
 
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Originally Posted by DeltaFan4Now
The upsell at the gate from LAX to KOA (my only datapoint) and back has been going on for years - that's not part of the new "monetization". Those in the know usually wait and gamble on the availability, especially on the way back to the mainland.
I have not been on that route in several years, but my recollection is that you needed to show a HI driver's license and have a K+ fare to be able to purchase the $200 upgrade. Has that changed?
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Old Feb 22, 2011, 11:09 pm
  #66  
 
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My flights Monday AM and Thursday PM next week are both sitting at F9/P9/V0. While I know that it's not indicative of the # of seats available, my outbound flight Monday AM is showing 15 seats open in F. The return is an MD-88 showing 9 seats open. No UG today for the Monday, and will now probably be battlefield if I even get that.
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Old Feb 22, 2011, 11:11 pm
  #67  
 
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Originally Posted by andrewpartyman
No one denies that Delta is a for-profit business. I think what is frustrating is that Delta is trying to monetize seats for far less than $617 while simultaneously forgetting that their most frequent travelers regularly spend more to solely fly Delta. My case and point: I spent $600 more to go to Hawaii last week than flying United would have cost me. My routing was DTW-LAX-HNL there and OGG(Maui)-LAX-DTW on the way back. I know Delta doesn't upgrade to/from Hawaii unless you live there, but when in LAX en route to HNL they were selling gate upgrades for (don't quote me) $200 bucks and it may appear that it's a quick buck for them. What they forget is that a Diamond is sitting in Coach who spent $600 more to fly them in the first place. Similar frustration is what is rubbing some of us wrong. There are many frequent Delta flyers who think DL can do no harm, and will never cry foul. Others, like me, will at least put up a fight.
Please quit lying on this board. As majorwibi said, you are not a DM and your posts have no truth to them, please quit posting jibberish.
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Old Feb 22, 2011, 11:30 pm
  #68  
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Originally Posted by GYEWorldTraveler
Please quit lying on this board. As majorwibi said, you are not a DM and your posts have no truth to them, please quit posting jibberish.
Where is the lie in the post you quoted?
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Old Feb 23, 2011, 12:01 am
  #69  
 
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Originally Posted by GUWonder
Where is the lie in the post you quoted?
He isn't a DM. He has been posting stories that are not true on FT, read majorwibi's post in this thread. My comment wasn't just in regard to a single post, it has to do with all his recent posts. Also, just to correct his comment on the standby upgrade program, if a standby upgrade was available on the LAX-HNL or OGG-LAX (~2500 miles) flight it would be $225 per person one-way to upgrade as well and the passenger would have to be on a K fare or higher. This means that the lowest (discounted coach) fares L, U and T would NOT be eligible to purchase an upgrade and since it isn't a UDU route, it isn't taking upgrades away from Medallions by monetizing F. Plus, if SBUP program is ever offered that means that everyone trying to upgrade with miles or SWUs has already cleared. SBUPs are at the bottom of the totum pole. If andrewpartyman purchased a ticket that was $600 more I'm assuming that it booked into K or higher and he would have been eligible to upgrade with miles or an SWU and have a higher priority than the people who wanted to buy SBUPs. Just want to clear that up for all Medallions desiring to upgrade to Hawaii
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Old Feb 23, 2011, 12:04 am
  #70  
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Originally Posted by GYEWorldTraveler
He isn't a DM. He has been posting stories that are not true on FT, read majorwibi's post in this thread. My comment wasn't just in regard to a single post, it has to do with all his recent posts. Also, just to correct his comment on the standby upgrade program, if a standby upgrade was available on the LAX-HNL or OGG-LAX (~2500 miles) flight it would be $225 per person one-way to upgrade as well and the passenger would have to be on a K fare or higher. This means that the lowest (discounted coach) fares L, U and T would NOT be eligible to purchase an upgrade and since it isn't a UDU route, it isn't taking upgrades away from Medallions by monetizing F. Plus, if SBUP program is ever offered that means that everyone trying to upgrade with miles or SWUs has already cleared. SBUPs are at the bottom of the totum pole. If andrewpartyman purchased a ticket that was $600 more I'm assuming that it booked into K or higher and he would have been eligible to upgrade with miles or an SWU and have a higher priority than the people who wanted to buy SBUPs. Just want to clear that up for all Medallions desiring to upgrade to Hawaii
Your response hasn't answered my question. Where is the "lie" in the quoted post? I don't really care about discussing andrewpartyman. I just want to know about a"lie" in that particular post you quoted. So far your above post does not show there to be any "lie" in that post.

Last edited by GUWonder; Feb 23, 2011 at 12:10 am
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Old Feb 23, 2011, 12:18 am
  #71  
 
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Delete

Last edited by GYEWorldTraveler; Feb 23, 2011 at 9:20 am
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Old Feb 23, 2011, 2:01 am
  #72  
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Originally Posted by GYEWorldTraveler
"What they forget is that a Diamond is sitting in Coach who spent $600 more to fly them in the first place."

This is a false statement, he is not a Diamond....
On what basis do you claim that quoted phrase to be a "false statement" when:

1. a person making such a statement does not need to be a Diamond for that quoted statement to be true; and/or

2. a person making such a statement does not even need to be Diamond to know that such a situation has occurred?

I am still waiting to see the "lie" in the quoted post, and it's not for want of trying.
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Old Feb 23, 2011, 4:22 am
  #73  
 
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Originally Posted by DP-340
I have not been on that route in several years, but my recollection is that you needed to show a HI driver's license and have a K+ fare to be able to purchase the $200 upgrade. Has that changed?
Not sure about a $200 upgrade - ours were $150 pp, required no HI driver's license and I believe it was on a K+ fare, but only because there were never LUT fares...
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Old Feb 23, 2011, 5:46 am
  #74  
 
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Originally Posted by StayingHomeIsBetter
Again, they have drastically reduced how big the "UP" charge is. P fares are, in my recollection, vastly reduced from what A fares had been. Bargain basement levels. And, they are holding back complementary upgrades in ever greater numbers to sell their (sometimes) $29 buy-ups.
*DING we have a winner. @:-)

That was one of the points I wanted to make. The upcharge has been drastically reduced.

The second was the somwewhat amusing scenario of the dysfunctional Delta.com's flawless presentation of the upsell options. BTW it has been a couple months since I've used the delta booking engine and it has most certainly been modified since December to present the upsell options. The website can't do many things, but it sure has been modified to do the upsell.
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Old Feb 23, 2011, 8:19 am
  #75  
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Originally Posted by GBadger
To be more brutally honest (this has nothing to do with DYKWIA), if DL doesn't offer me F upgrades on a regular basis, I have NO reason to fly DL. UA offers domestic E+, more easily usable miles, a more comprehensive global network with better (*A) partners, usable international SWUs, and far more flight options out of SFO.

I don't need F, but if I'm no longer going to get it for free, I have better options. I'm guessing there are plenty others like me. Could be wrong.
Originally Posted by TheMadBrewer
(where is the "Like" button? )

+1
Originally Posted by wjudge
My flights Monday AM and Thursday PM next week are both sitting at F9/P9/V0. While I know that it's not indicative of the # of seats available, my outbound flight Monday AM is showing 15 seats open in F. The return is an MD-88 showing 9 seats open. No UG today for the Monday, and will now probably be battlefield if I even get that.
I believe that is is reasonable to anticipate that DMs are also going to get hit hard by the FC monetization.

The problem will be that only DL will have access to the hard data to prove how significant an effect FC monetization has on elite upgrade performance.

wjudge... could you please reveal the city pairs involved in your itinerary? And what is the buy-up charge right now above the available coach fare if someone were to purchase a ticket today?

What I believe DL management is relying upon is the presumption that, after springing for a high-priced last minute coach fare, the PAX is going to be prone to pay another $49 for the "guaranteed" FC seat.

(I put "guaranteed" in quotes, as I supsect that the P fare purchasers are going to find themselves shafted in the event of IROPs, just like A fare purchasers have been in the past).

Anyway, DL management is going to have to deny complementary UGs at the windows in order to have the seats to up-sell. This is already, IMHO, happening in a wide number of markets.

I think it would be informative of we start keeping track of those markets, what the up charges are, what sort of discounting off of a full F fare the P fares represent, etc.
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