First Class Monetization, or FCM: The Definitive Thread
Jun 14, 2019, 10:34 pm
#4652
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,357
website and app are showing $219 difference between lowest available coach and lowest available FC for a new booking (SEA-DCA in 10 days, return in 13 days); when I open the PNR on the app for my Concur booking, it says $923 or 85,900 miles
from experience, when my corporate rep gets the waiver code from DL, the upgrade comes down to ~$197 ... but I seriously doubt the $219 rate will be around on Mon morning, so I may just eat the difference and the $50 takeover fee
UPDATE: calledWorldTravel this morning; spoke with a very knowledgeable rep who called DL, got the waiver code, and charged the $386 add-collect to my AmEx ... he said that, since it was still within 24 hours of the original issue, he could have skipped calling DL and reissued the ticket using an MCO (Miscellaneous Charge Order or something like that) for the add-collect
from experience, when my corporate rep gets the waiver code from DL, the upgrade comes down to ~$197 ... but I seriously doubt the $219 rate will be around on Mon morning, so I may just eat the difference and the $50 takeover fee
UPDATE: calledWorldTravel this morning; spoke with a very knowledgeable rep who called DL, got the waiver code, and charged the $386 add-collect to my AmEx ... he said that, since it was still within 24 hours of the original issue, he could have skipped calling DL and reissued the ticket using an MCO (Miscellaneous Charge Order or something like that) for the add-collect
Last edited by jrl767; Jun 15, 2019 at 7:43 pm
Jun 16, 2019, 8:50 am
#4653
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,627
Offered $188 (one way) Y to F on an award ticket for upcoming SMF-SLC-YYC about 30 days out
award tix cost only 9k one way
E175 and we are already in C+ so will roll the dice on the comp upgrade and if it fails will still be fine
if the cost was under $100 I might take it
award tix cost only 9k one way
E175 and we are already in C+ so will roll the dice on the comp upgrade and if it fails will still be fine
if the cost was under $100 I might take it
Jun 16, 2019, 10:38 pm
#4656
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,357
now ~5 weeks out ... there’s still no FCM offer on the front page of the reservation, but if I open the seat map and scroll up to display the F cabin, I see the option to select a seat for that same $239
Jun 17, 2019, 9:32 pm
#4657
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: DL PM, MR Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,130
August flights corporate M refundable fare one-way ticket (flying UA down due to confirmable mileage upgrade on LAX - SYD at booking -- willing to give up the MQDs for that)
SYD - LAX
$899 for PS, no offer for D1 at present
LAX - ATL
$242 for F with D1 Seats (PS listed as C+ so cleared into PS at booking -- appears to be same plane I'll fly on SYD - LAX)
ATL - RDU
$78 for F
Pretty tempted on LAX - ATL since it is proper D1 and last fall when I did SYD - LAX, I didn't sleep at all on the flight so I would definitely just get on LAX - ATL and pass out. Holding out though to see if the SYD - LAX prices drop (or a D1 price appears) -- since I would prefer to spend my money there
SYD - LAX
$899 for PS, no offer for D1 at present
LAX - ATL
$242 for F with D1 Seats (PS listed as C+ so cleared into PS at booking -- appears to be same plane I'll fly on SYD - LAX)
ATL - RDU
$78 for F
Pretty tempted on LAX - ATL since it is proper D1 and last fall when I did SYD - LAX, I didn't sleep at all on the flight so I would definitely just get on LAX - ATL and pass out. Holding out though to see if the SYD - LAX prices drop (or a D1 price appears) -- since I would prefer to spend my money there
Jun 18, 2019, 3:47 pm
#4658
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 17
I’ve got a hell of an FCM story for you guys!
I had booked this past Friday LGA->CMH in First, but CMH->JFK on Sunday I had originally booked in C+. I didn’t see an option to change it online on Thursday, so I DMed the Delta Twitter account. The very helpful person working the account at the time did a free change for me to First, and since the price was somehow CHEAPER than what I had originally paid, issued me a $75 e-credit voucher!
I had booked this past Friday LGA->CMH in First, but CMH->JFK on Sunday I had originally booked in C+. I didn’t see an option to change it online on Thursday, so I DMed the Delta Twitter account. The very helpful person working the account at the time did a free change for me to First, and since the price was somehow CHEAPER than what I had originally paid, issued me a $75 e-credit voucher!
Last edited by J0lt_C0la; Jun 18, 2019 at 10:29 pm
Jun 19, 2019, 11:17 am
#4660
In memoriam
Join Date: Dec 2001
Programs: DL 2MM, AA MM, DL Sky Club Life, AA Admirals Club Life, Hilton Gold Life
Posts: 1,732
I'm pretty sure others have faced this question.
Background: Having booked in coach I tracked the offers to first (no interest in C+) and saw no change over a couple of months for a DEC 27 East coast flight. I also tracked the lowest fares in First which were astronomica and the seats 50% takeml. Finally the fare in first dropped and I decided to go for it since only a few seats were left and Delta has a history of once again raising the dares significantly in an upward spiral with so few seats.
The question: I called to upfare to the cheap first and the agent suggested that I could save $20 by simply doing the upgrade on the web. I declined that route and paid the extra $20 for a first class fare bucket, figuring that I would have a lot less problems on an IROP or SDC or even as a volunteer on oversold flights. Does this make sense?
Background: Having booked in coach I tracked the offers to first (no interest in C+) and saw no change over a couple of months for a DEC 27 East coast flight. I also tracked the lowest fares in First which were astronomica and the seats 50% takeml. Finally the fare in first dropped and I decided to go for it since only a few seats were left and Delta has a history of once again raising the dares significantly in an upward spiral with so few seats.
The question: I called to upfare to the cheap first and the agent suggested that I could save $20 by simply doing the upgrade on the web. I declined that route and paid the extra $20 for a first class fare bucket, figuring that I would have a lot less problems on an IROP or SDC or even as a volunteer on oversold flights. Does this make sense?
Jun 19, 2019, 1:40 pm
#4662
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: MCO
Programs: DL PM, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 4,296
Seems reasonable for a 6 hour flight although the regular fares are typically high on that route IME so for me, it would depend on the original cost of the ticket. If this was a business trip, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Jun 19, 2019, 2:19 pm
#4663
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Platinum, AA Plat Pro, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, JetBlue Mosaic 3, Amtrak Select
Posts: 965
Jun 19, 2019, 2:40 pm
#4664
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,881
Considering that you are already in C+, yes its a little high, but not terrible. Already being in C+, I would not take that offer as F is often not much of an upgrade over C+ these days. If I was in Y, I would take that offer in an instant. FWIW, I see offers on JFK-SEA and VV with a similar flight time, but with a lie flat seat, for mid-$200's from Y.
Jun 19, 2019, 3:30 pm
#4665
Moderator: Hyatt; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: WAS
Programs: :rolleyes:, DL DM, Mlife Plat, Caesars Diam, Marriott Tit, UA Gold, Hyatt Glob, invol FT beta tester
Posts: 18,888
You're not the only person to say something like this, but IMO it's a type of sunk cost fallacy. The Y ticket is already paid for, so in general it shouldn't matter whether you paid $0 or full fare Y for it, what matters is the incremental amount you have to pay to upgrade.
i.e. suppose I typically am willing to pay $300 for Y on a specific route but if F is $500 or less I'll just WFBF. Now something comes up on short notice and I have to be there *tomorrow*, so full fare Y is $800 but F is $1000 -- if I'm willing to pay $200 more in the first case then it seems like I ought to be willing to pay $200 more in the second case also.
Because if you don't do it in the second case, that implies that you don't actually value F at $200 more than Y. But if that's true then it's inconsistent to be willing to pay $500 for F over $300 for Y in the first case.
Granted, there are often different factors in play, some of which may defy rational analysis
nor will I pretend my behavior is consistent 
but that's the way I try to think about it anyway.
i.e. suppose I typically am willing to pay $300 for Y on a specific route but if F is $500 or less I'll just WFBF. Now something comes up on short notice and I have to be there *tomorrow*, so full fare Y is $800 but F is $1000 -- if I'm willing to pay $200 more in the first case then it seems like I ought to be willing to pay $200 more in the second case also.
Because if you don't do it in the second case, that implies that you don't actually value F at $200 more than Y. But if that's true then it's inconsistent to be willing to pay $500 for F over $300 for Y in the first case.
Granted, there are often different factors in play, some of which may defy rational analysis
nor will I pretend my behavior is consistent but that's the way I try to think about it anyway.
