JORBUST

Last minute booking had me in M class on a trip to Asia. Outbound all cleared with miles into BE. Return there are no seats so I asked to be put on the upgrade list. When I look at my reservation online it has each flight twice, once in M and once in OP with no seat assignment and no way to select a seat ( on the OP flight). Does this sound right that I'm on the list? Anything else to check for? I have EF alerts to let me know if any OP opens up...

cfischer

sounds right. how could you possibly select seats before you are upgraded

mbaker0936

I had this happen this year with a FLL-SLC trip trying to use miles to upgrade. When you tried to select seats with the F/J segments with no seat assinments it would error out when you hit save.

JORBUST

Just wanted to make sure it was the normal look! The phone agent wasn't all too confident she knew what she was doing...

Sez_Who

Sounds like neither of you were very confident.

Obviously you can't select a seat if there is no upgrade inventory so it looks exactly right. Uh, and hope you do know that M fares do not earn bonus MQM's. Assuming you are on DL aircraft, it is only 100% MQM's now.

JORBUST

Sigh. I understand that since it isn't confirmed you can't select a seat yet. I figured that as a positive indication I'm on the upgrade list. I had read in previous threads that its very easy to "code it wrong@ and for SWUs to look for something in the fare basis, as I'm using miles for the upgrade I didn't know if there was another indication to look for.

18sas

Yes, it sounds like everything is in order. Whenever I am on the waitlist, the flight is listed twice, once in the original cabin and once with the upgraded booking class. I think the status used to show as "Waitlisted" but it looks like that didn't survive the DL.com "enhancement."

The problems with the waitlist that are usually mentioned are surrounding Day of Travel upgrades when using SWUs. It seems that most agents don't know how to code the Upgrade Priority properly to put you at the top of the list when using an SWU.

You can always set an EF alert to see when the inventory becomes available in the OP bucket. Your upgrade should clear shortly thereafter. Now it's completely possible that your upgrade may clear before EF queries for it, in which case you may never get an EF alert. I don't know how often EF checks for the inventory when you set up an alert. ExpertFlyer Voice will have to chime in on that one.

BusTrav8yrs

Also keep in mind. Unlike SWU's if OP using miles and does not clear before gate you are SOL and will not get the UG.

MSPeconomist

Call back and ask another agent or supervisor to verify that the upgrade waitlist for your upgrade has been done correctly. Hope that as a PM you reach Chisholm.

JORBUST

That's what I was mostly wondering. So SWUs clear at the gate but mileage upgrades won't?

MSPeconomist

Right according to the rules, but there have been reports of some GAs being willing to upgrade with miles at the gate if they know how to pull miles and have time to do it.

jkatzen

This. Primarily works at ex-NWA stations, where they never got the memo to stop doing it. Sometimes a nice redcoat will do it at original Delta hubs if they're not busy (worked once for me ATL-HNL).

Also, because the mileage upgade request won't automatically transfer to the gate, you have to ask there -- they won't see your placeholder reservation.

In some airports (again, ex-NWA stations primarily), they'll even add you to the list at the ticketing counter or SkyClub if you ask. Doesn't hurt to ask at all three places if you get "no"s.

JORBUST

I just swallowed the extra few hundred bucks and got an I class in BE. I wish I would of never flown BE so I wouldn't like to so much!