Go ahead and explain how a ow last-minute from DTW-JNB in J that's over $11000 is worth the money. Different fares and features hold different weight with different consumers.

1) The inventory bucket was likely the same one day, two days, three days prior (and in your example, you are looking at a sold-out coach cabin, and an F cabin with more seating available).

2) Different flights, different times, different fare bucket. Inventory management 101, and nothing that should be strange to any experienced FF.

Bottom line is Delta is able to sell MQM's and $450 annual fee credit cards so flyers can get MQM's. Anyone that thinks Delta is not making money off of FF is not looking at all of the info.

When I went to buy my coach flights this week (H fare, non-refundable), AFTER I had selected seats and clicked the final button to purchase, the website broke the fare and put one segment in each direction in FC (P fare) for a lower price.

Apparently Delta now thinks they have to pay their coach passengers to move up front!

If DL is trying to optimize, what the bucket was three days earlier is ancient history.

I'm fully aware that different flights have different prices. What I find hard to believe is that it's worth $500 to be able to switch for free (with a low probability of wanting to) to a flight that costs less than $500 to buy.

See post #1100. A/P 'first' fares just aren't going to work for some corporate travelers.

Labor day weekend I flew DTW/LAX, last minute decission after my MSY flight was cancelled. Was only $48 more for a discount first ticket than a non-premium coach fare (I think it was a K fare). Easy choice, $48 more for guaranteed first class (there were only a couple seats up front since it was the day before the flight) and I am getting almost 2k additional MQM's out of it.

Well if it was just the free change then no it likely wouldn't make as much sense. However, it's not just a $0 change fee, it's refundability! There are a number of companies that book into refundable classes of service just in case plans fall through. T fares may be available on the 11:30am flight 3 weeks in advance but the uncertainty of the meeting/event requires flexibility to cancel so you will opt for a refundable ticket.

I'd assume Delta believes there will always be companies and travelers requiring the flexibility a full Y or refundable ticket provides and that the first class monetization program doesn't dilute their revenues much if any. The nonrefundable with penalties for change Q-UP and H-UP customer are probably not the same as the flexibility required passenger so the bean counters probably think its a great idea.

I'm not usually one to complain about this FCM stuff but looking at my upcoming flight EWR-ATL on Friday and I find this situation to be quite incredulous! Currently flight is on sale at fares H for $387, P for $477.

I'm on DL 2042. EF shows F9/V0 availability. There are 14 seats unoccupied in F according to seat chart so i suspect F9 should be more like F12+. And there are a good number of preferred and EC seats available as well.

I also noticed that @ T-8 EF showed V9 inventory available. T-7 this had been zero'ed out so it appears no DM/PM's were UG'd at their window.

So the algorithm that runs nightly to allocate V/X inventory had this properly allocated at V9 just before windows started opening. However, DL overruled this allocation to V0.

I guess we'll all be getting BFUG's probably even a few FO's.. the horror, the horror!

GRRRR. Stop advertisiing Window UG's if nobody gets them.

AC is well known for this too.
This is only one of the reasons I ditched them.

What were the others?

i agree with your assessment, no problem with the airline trying to maximize revenue based on who pays the highest price for seats will receive the upgrade regardless of what they call a ticket coach, economy etc.
THE PROBLEM is they lead one to believe with platinum status that if fc seats are available 5 days out the platinum medallion will get an automatic upgrade. from my experience not the case at all under their first class monetization formulas.
so delta, quit leading your customers to believe empty fc seats at upgrade windows have any availability for platinum medallion holders. tell them the truth - sometime they do, sometimes they don't, i do not fully understand delta formulas but it seems to me that delta is holding back seats fc on a very regular basis.

recently took a pair of flights, 5 days out 10 of 12 fc available, and 9 of 12 fc available. at 3 day window same story. diamond and platinum were not upgraded even day of flight.

any other similiar experiences or insights from othe delta flyers??

regards,

DL does have the usual legalese in place:

https://www.delta.com/skymiles/about...ades/index.jsp

So while the wording could be more prominent, Delta is hardly the first company where one needs to pay attention to the fine print.

There are some flights they seem to upgrade no one on anymore until the gate such as LAS/DTW and it seems like all flights between DTW and ORD now.

It makes sense they arent going to release every seat at the window into V inventory otherwise on most flights they would have no seats left over for last minute sales after the FO's cleared.

I agree it is iritating when F has no one sitting in it and there are 24 or 28 seats open and noone is upgraded until the gate. If Delta released every open seat into V inventory, it would hurt a lot of our upgrade changes for those of us that SDC a lot. If there are as many metal passengers on the plane as first class seats, and Delta cleared everyone, would make getting a seat when SDCing almost impossible unless others SDC onto and earlier flight.

I dunno how it's been for international but my sense is that late Sep and early Oct 2012 is/was probably the highest load factors I've historically experienced riding DL domestic this time of year.

Coupled with inventive pricing for FC seats and new members earning higher status while previous levels re-qualified it has been quite an UG dry spell.

But, every dog has his day and while a Sunday flight with connection probably helps and loads don't look too packed this weekend whaddya know? A rare window tcon UG has been sighted 6 days out for this PM.

I really can't (and usually don't) complain and they do publish the fine print. As long as I don't see it publicized to death by sales copy, 'let it go...

Friday night DTW-MSP at 7pm and the 757 had 18 seats available up-front with an hour prior to departure and an upgrade list of 54.