Dear mr. FPMurphy,

You got an op up on a 12 hour TPAC flight and your complaining because you didnt get it for the NRT - ICN segment? Guess that must have been one looooong 2 hr and 20 min flight for you from NRT to ICN.

Sorry, DL2, but I don't sense a single iota of complaining in the OP. It's merely an observation / question. I realize that we're used to hearing nothing but whining here.

Please re-read it when you hava sec. :)

Thanks Dave; I did re read the OP. Though not in the sense that we usually read on FT the manner in which users complain, I still did sense a touch of 'why not me' and 'resentment' on the part of the OP. Complaining can take on many different faces and attitudes and I felt the OP had 'mild' case of complaining. Nothing wrong with that either, and I give the OP credit for a well thought out post.

I am batting 14 out of 22 NRT-XXX or XXX-NRT Op-ups since July 2012, latest was DL156 HKG-NRT yesterday.

As much as we like to bash DL IT they do not have the algorithm in the Op-up priority to determine race or ethnic origins.

Tentseller,
Made In Hong Kong

You are right with the last statement.
I have an opposite experience. I was never OPUPed on TPAC but 2/2 on my last NRT-ICN-NRT segments.
Last Sunday the GA in NRT was really confused with seat assignments both in Y and F on NRT-ICN flight. She messed up OPUPs and two PAX had the same seat. Despite of 4 empty seats in F, local women with duplicated seat assignment was sent back to Y, while US-originating PAX got the OPUP.

And interestingly, Y was not full :).

This may be my imagination, but I find that I never get OP-up if I bug the gate agent about it. I do BELIEVE that some gate agents do judge if you are upgrade-worthy by the way you are dressed. So if you are in shorts and flipflops, and you present yourself to the gate agent asking (begging/demanding) for favors, then it may work against you?

Ya, there are a lot of Asians flying intra-Asia. :-)

I think we agree that there are no (official) OP-UP procedures at Delta?

Not true. Op-ups normally (are supposed to) proceed by the same priority as BFUGs would.

Departing xxx-NRT, most DL outpost's TA and GA are contracted personnel with the exception of MNL.

The OpUp algorithm is the same priority as domestic F upgrade's.

I never bugged any TA or GA for my OpUps. I am just told that Y cabin is oversold and would I mind an upgrade OR I get the special beep at the gate.