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Using Regional Upgrades on Delta (pre 2/1/2022)

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Old Oct 15, 2016, 9:00 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Utskicat
FEB 1, 2022 New GUC/RUC Inventory Rules

*****GUC*****

Flight has First Class
MC/C+ = Purchased
First = Last Seat J (Old Policy = OY)

Flight has DPS only
MC/C+ = Purchased
DPS = Last Seat (GUC=P / RUC=G) (Old Policy = RY)

Flight has D1 with no DPS
MC/C+ = Purchased
D1 = Z (Old Policy = OY)

Flight has D1 with DPS
MC/C+ = Purchased
DPS = Last Seat (GUC=P / RUC=G) (Old Policy = RY)
D1 = OY @ T-24h15m

Flight has D1 with DPS
DPS = Purchased
D1 = Z (Old Policy = OY)

Note: If GUC applied to domestic flight, it has better inventory than RUC (better chance for D1 transcon or to Hawaii)

*****RUC*****

Flight has First Class
MC/C+ = Purchased
First = Z (Old Policy = OY)

Flight has D1 with no DPS
MC/C+ = Purchased
D1 = OY (no change in old policy = OY)

New Delta.com Upgrade Availability Indicators that appeared 2/1/22 and what they mean

Dom D1 Tag meaning:
Global Upgrade Certificate Available = GUC in Z (OY = 0 for RUC)
Upgrade Certificate Available = GUC in Z /or/ RUC in OY both available

Dom F Tag meaning:
Global Upgrade Certificate Available = GUC in Last Seat J (Z = 0 for RUC)
Upgrade Certificate Available = GUC in last seat J /or/ RUC in Z both available

Example D1 Flights from JFK - LAX (flight numbers are fictitious)

DL 01
Dom D1 flight
Actual Availability: J5 C4 D4 Z3
Hidden Availability: OY2
Website indicator: Upgrade Certificate Available
Actual decode: (2 RUC (OY) open, 3 GUC (Z) open)

DL 02
Dom D1 flight
Actual Availability: J5 C4 D4 Z3
Hidden Availability: OY0
Website indicator: Global Upgrade Certificate Available
Actual decode: (0 RUC (OY) open, 3 GUC (Z) open)

DL 03
Dom D1 flight
Actual Availability: J3 C2 D2 Z0
Hidden Availability: OY0
Website indicator: No flag - neither is available GUC (Z0) and RUC (OY0)

DL 04
Dom First flight
Actual Availability: J3 C2 D2 Z1
Hidden Availability: n/a
Website indicator: Upgrade Certificate Available
Actual decode: (1 RUC (Z) open, 3 GUC (J) open)

DL 05
Dom First flight
Actual Availability: J3 C2 D2 Z0
Hidden Availability: n/a
Website indicator: Global Upgrade Certificate Available
Actual decode: (0 RUC (Z) open, 3 GUC (J) open)

DL 06
Dom First flight
Actual Availability: J0 C0 D0 Z0
Hidden Availability: n/a
Website indicator: No flag - neither is available
Actual decode: (0 RUC (Z) open, 0 GUC (J) open)

Apparently Delta is using public inventory buckets J Z P G (and non-public bucket OY in some cases) to determine GUC/RUC availability. However once they have confirmed you the system converts the segment in your reservation to a different bucket. Here is the class mapping:


GUC Usage
MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to DPS / P class needed / Books into RV (Clears at T-24.15 into D1 as OX if OY available)
MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to D1 (no DPS) / Z class needed / Books into OK
DPS purchased / Upgrade to D1 / Z class needed / Books into OK
MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to FC (no D1/DPS) / J class needed / Books into OV

RUC Usage
MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to DPS / G class needed / Books into RX (Clears at T-24.15 into D1 as OX if OY available)
MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to D1 (no DPS) / OY class needed / Books into OX
DPS purchased / Upgrade to D1 / OY class needed / Books into OX
MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to FC (no D1/DPS) / Z class needed / Books into OL

PRE FEB 1, 2022 WIKI
More information and discussion about using same-day change after applying regional upgrades can be found in this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta-air-lines-skymiles/1709826-sdc-while-using-regional-upgrade-certificates-ruc-definitive-thread.html
  • The clock begins ticking on RUC expiration when you make your choice benefit selection, so it's possible to time your selection when there is a specific need to use them.
  • You can select your 2017 choice benefit as soon as DL recognizes your Plat status. Certificates expire 12 months from date of issue. 2019 choice benefits (earned based on how much one flew in 2018) must be selected by Jan 31, 2020.
  • If you select certificates as your choice benefit late in your Medallion tenure, it will still be valid after your status expires -- so for example if you earn Platinum Medallion in 2018, which is valid through Jan 31, 2020, but then only earn Silver Medallion in 2019, which becomes effective Feb 1, 2020 when your Platinum Medallion status expires, RUCs selected in January 2020 would be valid through January 2021 and could be used once you were only a Silver Medallion member, giving you a much higher upgrade list position on those flights where you attempt to use them.
  • If you request to use a RUC on a flight and do not receive the upgrade, it is returned to your account for future use, but check your account to make sure.
  • RUC may be redeemed for the named Medallion member and up to one travel companion traveling on the same flight (the companion officially no longer needs to be in the same reservation, though that rule was not actually enforced even when it was the official rule). The named member and the companion will each require a separate certificate.

While the RUC process is almost entirely opaque, there are a couple of "hints" of a correctly applied waitlist.

1a) When viewing a waitlisted segment on the DL.com web site (not the app), there may be two seat maps for the same flight. The first seat map shows the coach seat you are currently in, and the second seat map for the same flight says "you may not select seats for this flight" or something like that. This second seat map corresponds to a part of the waitlist process, and indicates that at least one step of the multi-step process to add an RUC waitlist was actually done. Unfortunately, this does NOT indicate that the other manual steps of the RUC waitlist process were successfully completed by the agent (i.e. even if you see the second seat map, there still could be something wrong. There is simply no way for the customer to tell.)

1b) The status for a waitlisted segment should say something like "Upgrade Waitlisted"

2) Assuming the waitlist does not clear prior to check-in, the second hint is the upgrade waitlist. If the RUC waitlist request was coded correctly, you should show up at or very near the top of the upgrade waitlist that you can see on DL.com or the app. If you find yourself at your "usual" spot on the upgrade waitlist, this is a clue that the RUC waitlist request was not coded correctly.

3) The RUC is a form of "payment". Until the RUC clears, it remains "unused" so a waitlisted RUC will still show in your wallet as "open".

You may also wish to peruse the wiki for the GUC success thread as some of the considerations/logistics are similar between RUCs and GUCs.


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Using Regional Upgrades on Delta (pre 2/1/2022)

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Old Oct 18, 2017, 1:02 pm
  #946  
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 21
Companion and I had both cleared JFK to LAS on RUCs both ways before last weekend. We were able to SDC onto JFK-LAX-LAS and the opposite coming back. We were flexible on our departure times and valued the lay flat experience more than the direct flight. We both thought we got great value out of those certs.
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Old Oct 20, 2017, 4:03 pm
  #947  
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Originally Posted by nolesaid
I'm sorry if this has been already answered (though it is hard to tell with the search functionality and I wonder if things have changed with the increased reliance on FCM), but what is the typical timeline for RUCs to clear? In particular, how far in advance of departure does Delta typically open up upgrade availability and process requests? I'm currently "upgrade waitlisted" on a JFK-PHX with lie flats, as well as a LAX-JFK redeye in D1, and wondering what to expect.
There is no typical timeline. I've had them clear at purchase (months in advance) and I've had them go to the gate.
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Old Oct 23, 2017, 5:34 pm
  #948  
 
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A quick question on SDCs and RUCs. I know RUCs can't be used to go from connections to non-stops, but can it be used to go to fewer connections?

I have an upcoming HNL-JFK-YYZ for which all three segments have cleared on a RUC -- but if possible, I'd really like to SDC onto an earlier-in-the-day option than what I've got. If that's HNL-JFK-YYZ earlier in the day, so be it... but going to HNL-MSP-YYZ or HNL-ATL-YYZ would be nice too, for the earlier departure out of HNL and for the longer lay-flat segments.

But I'm not clear if SDCing from 2 connections to 1 connection would be legal.

Opinions or experiences?
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Old Oct 23, 2017, 6:15 pm
  #949  
 
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You cleared HNL-JFK on a RUC? I thought you needed a GUC for HNL-East Coast Routes (Inlcuding MSP)

You must be connecting in LAX?

I am guessing you are flying HNL-LAX-JFK-YYZ...and you want to switch to HNL-MSP/ATL-YYZ. You need a GUC for those routes and I highly doubt you'd be able to pull of the SDC. However, I imagine it will be worth a try. I certainly wouldn't bank on it though.
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Old Oct 23, 2017, 6:33 pm
  #950  
 
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Originally Posted by HometoYYZ
A quick question on SDCs and RUCs. I know RUCs can't be used to go from connections to non-stops, but can it be used to go to fewer connections?

I have an upcoming HNL-JFK-YYZ for which all three segments have cleared on a RUC -- but if possible, I'd really like to SDC onto an earlier-in-the-day option than what I've got. If that's HNL-JFK-YYZ earlier in the day, so be it... but going to HNL-MSP-YYZ or HNL-ATL-YYZ would be nice too, for the earlier departure out of HNL and for the longer lay-flat segments.

But I'm not clear if SDCing from 2 connections to 1 connection would be legal.

Opinions or experiences?
Should be doable, especially as a DM. Is it just you traveling?

When you call, ask for the Reissue Desk immediately, or inform the first-level DM agent that they need to manually override and reissue the ticket for it to work.

I had 4 YYZ-DTW-MSP-HNL tickets - me, 1 SM, and two no status - and a DM line agent was able to SDC these all 4 to YYZ-ATL-HNL. At first, she said "computer says no" - but after putting me on hold, she came back and said Supervisor told her to manually reissue the ticket and override the fare class, and it worked like a charm. She didn't even ask for the 3 x SDC fees - even exchange, no charm, new tickets issued.

This was about a year ago. Three were RUCs, and one was a mileage upgrade.
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Old Oct 23, 2017, 8:03 pm
  #951  
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Originally Posted by pgh234
You cleared HNL-JFK on a RUC? I thought you needed a GUC for HNL-East Coast Routes (Inlcuding MSP)

You must be connecting in LAX?

I am guessing you are flying HNL-LAX-JFK-YYZ...and you want to switch to HNL-MSP/ATL-YYZ. You need a GUC for those routes and I highly doubt you'd be able to pull of the SDC. However, I imagine it will be worth a try. I certainly wouldn't bank on it though.
There shouldn't be an issue on SDC. The question is does the purchased fare rule allow the routing. If so no problem. If not, still likely not a problem, but technically not allowed.

OP,
The main issue will be is there space still available via MSP/ATL. instead of LAX. Both those flights typically full up before DoD. Having the flight numbers ready to feed agent if not allowed per fare rule will increase likelyhood of getting it.
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Old Oct 24, 2017, 8:48 am
  #952  
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I'm starting to doubt DL Twitter's competence at checking for RUC inventory.

All my RUCs are getting ready to expire, so I've been burning them on whatever random short-hauls I have left if I don't get the medallion UG at the window. My usual process is to wait until T-5 days, and if I haven't been upgraded, I'll send a twitter DM asking if there is RUC space available on the flight in question.

First experience: Was told no RUC space, so I decided to wait it out. After check-in, was #20 or something on the UG list so I called to have the RUC applied. Agent said something like "since your using a certificate, I can go ahead and upgrade you now" - reticketed into RY while on the phone. Interestingly, my name remained on the UG list in the app and on GIDS, even though I had a new BP with a FC seat assignment already.

Second experience: Was told no RUC space. Decided to just get it over with and asked the agent to apply the RUC for waitlist. 10 mins later I get a response that there is UG inventory after all, and did I still want to apply the RUC. I said yes, and a few mins later got an "all set" response and saw in the DL app I had been reticketed into RY.

Two RUCs left to burn and my remaning two flights are <2 hrs. I may ditch the twitter agents and go back to calling in to check on everything. What a waste of time.
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Old Oct 24, 2017, 9:06 am
  #953  
 
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So what good are RUC's if the FC cabin is empty when you book, but they don't open the inventory. Play the game and wait until the gate.....
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Old Oct 24, 2017, 2:09 pm
  #954  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
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Originally Posted by pgh234
You cleared HNL-JFK on a RUC? I thought you needed a GUC for HNL-East Coast Routes (Inlcuding MSP)

You must be connecting in LAX?
Yes... pardon my stupidity on this one. It's YYZ-JFK-LAX-HNL -- which is why I was asking about the "one less connection" thing.
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Old Oct 24, 2017, 2:16 pm
  #955  
 
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Originally Posted by flyerCO
There shouldn't be an issue on SDC. The question is does the purchased fare rule allow the routing. If so no problem. If not, still likely not a problem, but technically not allowed.

OP,
The main issue will be is there space still available via MSP/ATL. instead of LAX. Both those flights typically full up before DoD. Having the flight numbers ready to feed agent if not allowed per fare rule will increase likelyhood of getting it.
Thanks for the intel. Yep, I'm aware it's a longshot on a number of levels, but wanted to get some community wisdom on whether it should be possible or not, in case the stars align.
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Old Oct 26, 2017, 7:16 pm
  #956  
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The rules do not prohibit going from several connections to fewer connections, and people have done it.
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Old Oct 31, 2017, 7:44 am
  #957  
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Originally Posted by nydave
Apparantely everything worked out fine on my trip. I called and they said it was actually done correctly and did not need reissuing and I wont always get a email receipt update. Online check in worked and no beeps when boarding.
Has anyone else had this experience? I just burned an RUC via twitter and they're saying everything is good to go. DL.com booking shows RY and a FC seat assignment, but my receipt still shows Q class (but with the FC booking code).

I've done two RUCs via twitter before but they were waitlisted so haven't seen the advanced reticketing. Did something change or do I need to call in again until I actually have a new ticket #?
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Old Oct 31, 2017, 2:50 pm
  #958  
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Side effect of DL's horrid RUC inventory: I have an upcoming IAD-LAS-IAD trip. Nonstops are prohibitively expensive, so it's a 1-stop no matter who I fly. Outbound times completely flexible over an entire weekend, though meeting times on both ends mean I have to take a redeye on the return.

I tried every combination and connection point I could think of with DL to use an RUC on the long flights in either direction. No RY inventory available on pretty much any flight over 3 hrs.

DL was charging slightly more than UA in Y, but I was willing to pay the difference if I could confirm my RUC (basically a FC discount) in at least one direction. But since there was no space available, I just took a cheap DL flight outbound and paid up to take a lie-flat on UA on the return.

I'm sure there's a grander calculation in DL's mind that benefits them. But in this instance, DL's lack of inventory was the primary factor in me deciding to pay more to UA for something DL could have easily offered.
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Old Nov 8, 2017, 11:21 pm
  #959  
 
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Update on my ATL->LAX->ATL. RUC has been applied since booked months ago. Going there are 28 seats and coming back there are 23 seats. 28 days out. These are on the Triple 7 going and coming. Amazing a Diamond with RUCs applied they have not cleared with that amount of seats. Going that means 9 or 10 seats of the 37 are actually occupied.

Sure they will sell some but I figure my wife and I will be at the gate hoping for the best.
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Old Nov 8, 2017, 11:47 pm
  #960  
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ATL LAX can sell out in F. I had a RUC not clear SAN ATL a few weeks ago.
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