SteveinA2

Has anyone experienced folks moving the EC after boarding to gain a free EC seat? How does Delta control this/ or do they?

JesseRohr

As in them being open after the UG's to Medallions?

bendar06

I have seen the FAs add stickers to the top of the unsold/unoccupied EC seat backs shortly after door closing. This may address, at least partially, the question of poaching.

jamesteroh

If you are a medallion, I thought PM's and DM's got upgraded to EC immediately when booking the ticket and FO's and GMs did for a small upcharge. Do you have to go through an upgrade process like for a complimeintary domestic FC upgrade????

jamesteroh

If the seats are unsold why are the poachers allowed to move up into them? They don't allow people in Y to move into unsold F seats.

JesseRohr

I just booked ATL - LAX on a 777-200ER and the EC seats were available at the Y fare as priority seating (blue) icons when choosing my seats.

3Cforme

It is a separate transaction whether free for Diamond/Plat or paid. IMHO that's to help with business travel rules demanding 'lowest applicable fare.' EC can be claimed or paid within a minute but it's not automatic.

jsmith50

In my experience, it's not an automatic upgrade. However, if you are PM or DM, you can select these seats just like you'd select an exit row.

Back to the OP's question. I have even been on flights where the FA has put tape across entire empty rows to prevent people from moving up. Plus, remember, they do have the pax manifest and know which seats should be vacant/occupied.

DHalltheway

Because unlike F seats, EC seats are still in the Y section.

Unless they decide to partition off EC from Y like some airlines, poachers will always try to take these seats.

runfit

My experience has been the same as others - small pieces of tape on the top of my seat and instructions for me to take the tape with me if I moved to a different seat. One person did move up and they came up within a few minutes and asked to see the boarding pass. They seemed to be very polite and protective.

travelingsalesgal

When we flew to KEF on 6/1, which was the launch of the route as well as the launch of EC, the flight attendants had a mini training pre-flight what to do if people tried to 'poach' the seats. It was not an issue on 6/1 as the flight was completely full, however on the return flight 6/5, it WAS an issue, and the flight attendants told people if they wanted to sit there, they had to pay the $$. They did a great job of 'policing' it... But of course, YMMV.

elkapong

This route does not have EC service. The seats are just preferred seats due to the extra legroom and recline.

Yaatri

That's a better job than that for the lavatory or the overhead space in F cabin.
The possibility of this never occurred to me that, although it should have. I would never try anything like that. I do not think of this as an activity an upstanding person should engage in. I am averse to going after privileges that I am not supposed to have. This includes asking others to let me into a lounge, or trying to fool the system to "score" an upgrade before someone with a higher priority than mine. I consider that "theft".
I have also seen people wandering around trying to walk into BE or taking a peek in. On one occasion a person tried to go the upper deck on a 747. I don't think he was trying to sneak into BE. He was just curious where the stairs led.

Yaatri

The seats with EC configuration are still there. So, DL pretends that they are not EC seats. I think they should be allocated to elites who did not manage to get an upgrade or their companions before throwing open to public. It would be too much work, I guess.

jamesteroh

I thought on international the airlines were pretty strict about not allowing someone into another cabin. I agree with domestic first they don't enforce it enough. When I take a red eye I always try for the last row in First so I can sleep. IF people use the lav in their own cabin the only people that would disturb me to use the lav would be the other two people in the row across from me or my seatmate. I find it annoying during a redeye when people in Y won't respect the curtain and are to lazy to walk to the back lav in Y.

Seeing EC provides free drinks, I can see why they would enforce it. If someone wants to be in EC and have the extra leg room and free drinks they should pay to sit there or fly Delta enough to get the upgrade