Deckhawk

Hi Everyone - I'm a bit new here, so if this is a stupid question, please don't flog me. First question:

I'm DM and when I check-in on-line, it always shows that there are seats free. Yesterday, I was #2 of 25 in line for 4 seats. Today when I look at the listing, I'm #6 of 40 with 0 seats. How are people getting upgraded? Are they using SWU? Miles? Y fare upgrades? Just curious why all the seats are being assigned to other people.

Second question:

Does check-in time effect your place on the upgrade listing? I know that ticket class and status level are the two main factors, but what if you have two DMs with L tickets, who gets upgraded? The one that checks in first?

FlyAO2

Question 1: Lot of people are buying First - the difference is not that significant nowadays on many routes.

Question 2: Not relevant. Technically it is the one who was ticketed first, not checked in first (opposite of AA)

shiner

To add to "response 1", it could very easily be another DM in a higher fare class. As a DM myself, this happens to me frequently. I buy moderately priced fares close to the departure date (missing the upgrade window). Once they start clearing the battlefield (gate) upgrades, the Diamonds on Y, B, and M fares will clear before my Q or H fare.

ashill

The upgrade list only includes people who have checked in. So you started at #2 of the 25 upgrade-eligible passengers who had checked in at that time. As more passengers check in, they get slotted into their appropriate slots in the queue, which may be ahead of you.

Buckshot

This. And, as posted above, fare class makes a huge difference. Other tie breakers include those DMs with DL AMEX Reserve card, and date of ticket purchase. The upgrade list shown with online check-in is pretty much worthless, though it can give you the opportunity to go from hope to despair in just a few hours.

MSPeconomist

It's not who was ticketed first, but who requested the upgrade first; sometimes these are not the same.

ross123

Yes, that (understandably) sucks... you get on the list and there is no way to go up, only down.

I am sitting #1 of x right now with 5 open. But i just happened to be near a printer and decided to check in at T-20. I don't want to look at it until T-1 to know whether I need to stop for some breakfast or wait for my Cheerios.

mikehillwig

This happened to me last week. I was #1 on the upgrade standby list at T-24. When I checked at T-1, I was still #1. Someone actually bought an F ticket and I never got the upgrade.

I was miffed because I was sure that upgrade was mine. But I can't be too upset because the gate agent played by the rules.

DL2SXM

i'm surprised no one mentioned the dreaded shena word yet.

Anyway, there is also the chance of a previous flight going tech, therefore forcing paid F on that flight onto other flights. I mean, there are probably no less then a dozen reasons on why being moved down, or up on a UG lsit can happen

indufan

You can go up if someone SDCs off the flight or other wise changes/cancels it...but no you don't move up often.

RobertS975

I had a total good event recently... arrived at Logan early in time to catch the earlier flight to ATL... 40 minutes before departure... the GA said she thought if I did an SDC to that flight, I would be #1 with a couple to play with... I said to do it.... cleared into coach, then immediately upgraded. Rather than wait longer in ATL for my MIA flight, she cleared aboard an earlier ATL-MIA departure, seat 19B (middle). But I was #1 on the upgrade list with 1 seat remaining. Needless to say, all worked out well... the ATL GA wanted to wait until T-25 minutes, but I convinced him that if the PM they were waiting for had not even checked in (online or at the counter) at 30 minutes before flight time, he was unlikely to make it through security and to the gate in the next few minutes. This passenger had not even checked in at home.

One point I continually make is that it would help the airlines to know when home check-in actually goes through security. Thus, I think that BPs should be scanned at security.

Just out of curiosity, does a GA know when a passenger has had his/her BP scanned at an entry to a SC? At least that would let him know that the passenger was indeed at the airport!

One t

sethb

You can go up: someone ahead of you SDCs to a different flight.

MSPeconomist

No, we do not want DL to have a record of when an OLCI boarding pass goes through security. This would remove one of the key advantages of OLCI, namely that if you don't have a bag to check and arrive at the airport a few minutes late, you're still good to go.

Orange County Commuter

And just yesterday, I expect I upset someone's "upgrade" list.

I was flying LAS- ATL and the plane broke.

Rebooked LAS-SLC-ATL and was given a first class seat on SLC-ATL. That was probably 4 hours before the flight so at that point the # of available went down one...

(And having spent some time in SLC I am sure that person who lost the seat is claiming Shena... this is the location where I once had a fellow passenger "quiz" the first class section to see how we got upgraded ahead of him... The wonan next to me looked at him and said "I am old and I can afford to buy a first class seat so I PAID for it" LOL!)

ross123

You are right. Its possible but doesn't happen often.

Of course the moral of that post was I did make the upgrade (being a DM on a Y ticket) but the flight was cancelled (MX) so I flew AC YYC-YYZ-PHL. As I told the GA for Air Canada. I'm may end up being an elite from *A with all the rebookings that Delta does for my cancellations. I am up to 8 segments so far this year.