I have a domestic trip coming up in Jan and I am on a K fare. I used miles to upgrade and 3 of the 4 legs have cleared. I didn't clear on the first leg of the inbound which is a redeye on a 24F config 757 which I had expected b/c EF didn't have any G availability showing at the time of booking. EF is now showing 9 seats as occupied and 15 as open with G0, V0.

I know V codes and G code availability are two different things and for this situation I should care about G availability opening up. My question is... If I'm currently on the UG waitlist, will G availability always open up as V availability opens up closer to the upgrade window? Or is it possible that V becomes available and G doesn't? Who has priority for UG?... a DM or PM 5 days out going for V upgrade or someone upgrading with miles already on waitlist going for a G upgrade?

Happy New Year!

G inventory may become available a week or two before the flight, but I have observed cases where close to the DM window V becomes available but never G. Hence DMs and PMs would be upgraded before you as you are not competing for the same inventory space. In this case, assuming that you have also requested the Medallion free upgrade, you might be upgraded if V is available at your window. You have a reasonably high fare code and this plane has a large FC cabin, but of course it depends on whether this is an elite heavy route and the day and time of your travel.

At the airport, all remaining FC seats are available for upgrade and there is a single upgrade list. If you were a DM or PM upgrading with a SWU that is correctly coded, you would be at the top of the list, IIRC ahead of full Y fares and just behind folks with paid or award FC tickets waiting for FC seat assignments, a group that can be large when IROPs happen. I believe that upgrades with miles are in the same category as SWU upgrades, but I do not recall seeing the code mentioned for GMs, FOs, or nonelites requesting upgrades with instruments.

From what I have read here, mileage upgrades do not get UP2A or UP2B priority.

David

Thanks for the reply. Its a Saturday night LAS-ATL red eye. Anytime I'm going through ATL I always count on there being a lot of elites! The only reason why I'm using miles to upgrade is b/c my wife is traveling with me and its a redeye. The L fares were the lowest anyways so I just bought a K.

That's what I was wondering. Where do miles upgrades fit in the priority list?

Mileage Upgrades DO NOT go to the airport standby list (ASL)!!!!

You might find an agent or two that will make this happen; however, policy is that if a mileage upgrade does not clear by T-24 then it will NOT clear.

+1! Also, I will be HSV based for Q1, CY12... Hope to meet you!

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, thank you. That makes sense. I know for international that SWU and miles upgrades aren't equivalent in that during all the discussion about any remaining BE seats being given at the gate to elites on the SWU waitlist, miles upgrades were never mentioned but I never do these and thus have never realized that the same is true for domestic flights. I guess it must partly be an issue of verifying and pulling the miles at the last minute.

Congrats if appropriate. Huntsville seems like a pleasant place to live with reputedly excellent schools. Don't forget to visit the space museum or whatever it's called with the space camp facilities.

Thanks! Actually a temporary assignment (TDY); but, the area is home for me... Grew up about 30 minutes from HSV and got my multi-engine pilot's license rating there. It is a great city! I'm ATL based for April!!!

Yes... Which requires a ticket reissue.

But then SWUs that are processed at the gate do not require the ticket to be reissued like SWUs processed in advance?

No - DL automation automatically closes out the SWU once the flight is dispatched.

What keywords are needed to convince the agent to put you in the airport list?

There are no keywords as it is in fact against DL policy to do so.