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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 Jul 30, 2018, 10:17 pm
  #1156  
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Originally Posted by WWads
Did the RUC get used? I think that's what happened that time I used a RUC and it stayed open, allowing me to use it again.
It wasn't used the first time, but it had to get used (the ticket changed back to class V, RUC applied and ticket re-issued) in order to SDC.
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Old Aug 6, 2018, 9:19 am
  #1157  
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Originally Posted by kpbadger
I have not seen this happen before and hope someone can advise.

I have a RUC waitlisted for a flight that is now 2 weeks away. When originally applied I saw the "phantom" seat map in the app and online, and a status of "Upgrade waitlisted" on delta.com. I checked yesterday (as I do each Saturday) and everything was still in order.

Late this afternoon (Sunday) I received a "flight receipt" from Delta. I had not taken any action that would have led to me receiving any correspondence from Delta. Since receiving this, the "phantom" seat map disappeared from both the app and online. The only remaining seat map shows me in my assigned seat in comfort plus. The same number of F seats are available today as were available yesterday. Thinking that this receipt might have been prompted by the certificate clearing, I called in to ask. The agent said that the certificate had not cleared and was still applied to that segment. I asked her to check to see if there was RY inventory and she said no.
Continuation of this story: I had called back and they said no it did not clear. A couple days ago I noticed another change: my seat was still the same, but the phantom seat map reappeared in the website (but not the app) and all of the flights were read-only on the website (but I could change seats on the app). "Upgrade waitlisted" disappeared from the website. However the biggest hint was that the FCM offer dropped from ~ $600 to $200 (they wanted $400 for the longer flight and $200 for the shorter one -- I had only applied the RUC to the longer one.) But I could still buy FCM on the app for the longer flight apparently by clicking on seats. Anyway, if anyone sees these things happen, it's an indication that the waitlisted certificate cleared, and you should call in to have them kick the reissuing.

The DM/PM window opens in about 3 hours, so I called in and got a knowledgable agent who confirmed that the certificate had cleared but had not yet been reissued. She applied it to the shorter leg too and it's reissuing as we speak. Had I not done this, it is likely that the complimentary upgrades would have cleared (without me) leaving me with a less desirable seat. All's well that ends well, but I really wish Delta would fix the underlying issues.
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Old Aug 6, 2018, 10:47 am
  #1158  
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Old Aug 6, 2018, 8:31 pm
  #1159  
 
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I needed to burn 3 RUCs by 9/12/18, and, to my absolute amazement, a wonderful agent based in SLC was able to get instant upgrades on three upcoming trips, including one on 9/12. Now if only my GUCs would clear on my upcoming HKG trip.
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Old Aug 9, 2018, 4:09 pm
  #1160  
 
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Originally Posted by kpbadger
...
it is likely that the complimentary upgrades would have cleared (without me) leaving me with a less desirable seat. All's well that ends well, but I really wish Delta would fix the underlying issues.
How do you know that you would not have received the complimentary UG? You can have both requests in simultaneously. I've had flights where I cleared the complimentary UG while being waitlisted with an RUC.
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Old Aug 9, 2018, 5:39 pm
  #1161  
 
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Originally Posted by trek87
How do you know that you would not have received the complimentary UG? You can have both requests in simultaneously. I've had flights where I cleared the complimentary UG while being waitlisted with an RUC.
That's not supposed to happen. Certificates take priority over comp despite the different inventory classes
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Old Aug 9, 2018, 6:00 pm
  #1162  
 
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Originally Posted by btonkid12345
That's not supposed to happen. Certificates take priority over comp despite the different inventory classes
It shouldn't happen, but sometimes DL RM is dumb and never release RY/OY space ahead of time, but releases RU/OU space for comp UG's at the 5 day window.
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Old Aug 10, 2018, 3:46 am
  #1163  
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I would have probably got the complimentary upgrade because there were 8 seats left. I have had at least 2 occasions where I have a RUC applied and at exactly T-120 a bunch of seats disappear and I am not one who got one which is why I would be tempted to unapply if it was not working. Thanks Delta IT and/or agents who didn’t apply them right...
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Old Aug 19, 2018, 8:19 pm
  #1164  
 
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Quick question

I know the order of GUCs is by DM and then on down and then within each category by fare class with a kicker for Amex Reserve. Question is, if I actually BUY a Econ Comfort in W class (rather than a free upgrade) does that put me ahead of all others (including those who might buy Y, B, M etc) ? Thanks
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Old Aug 19, 2018, 10:12 pm
  #1165  
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Originally Posted by mizzou miles
Quick question

I know the order of GUCs is by DM and then on down and then within each category by fare class with a kicker for Amex Reserve. Question is, if I actually BUY a Econ Comfort in W class (rather than a free upgrade) does that put me ahead of all others (including those who might buy Y, B, M etc) ? Thanks
DL doesn't follow same process for cert waitlist. First priority is status of passenger, then date and time of request. Fare class/AMEX doesn't come into play for certificate upgrades.
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Old Aug 20, 2018, 6:37 am
  #1166  
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Originally Posted by flyerCO
DL doesn't follow same process for cert waitlist. First priority is status of passenger, then date and time of request. Fare class/AMEX doesn't come into play for certificate upgrades.
Where is this published/documented?

I had always thought fare class did seem to matter (and really, nobody actually knows due to no published rules and the opaque cert application process).

Anecdotally, I've certainly jumped other PMs when applying my RUC very close to departure. Had assumed this was due to a higher fare class. At best, it's inconsistent.
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Old Aug 20, 2018, 10:06 am
  #1167  
 
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If I don't receive a confirmation e-mail, does that mean that the RUC wasn't applied correctly?
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Old Aug 20, 2018, 10:18 am
  #1168  
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Originally Posted by kpbadger
I would have probably got the complimentary upgrade because there were 8 seats left. I have had at least 2 occasions where I have a RUC applied and at exactly T-120 a bunch of seats disappear and I am not one who got one which is why I would be tempted to unapply if it was not working. Thanks Delta IT and/or agents who didn’t apply them right...
I've had that happen a couple times. Now if I'm waitlisted and haven't cleared at t-6 days I call and have it unapplied and then I'll monitor the upgrade list after checking in if I haven't cleared and it looks like the free upgrade won't clear I'll call and have it reapplied. Once I was on a LAX/DTW flight waitlisted and was pretty far down on the upgrade list and called the diamond desk and the agent confirmed it wasn't applied right and I moved up to number 1 after she reapplied and my seatmate was a PM flying on a regular upgrade that he said didn't clear at the window but cleared a few days out so not sure happened there.

Something i found out Saturday is if you have an RUC that has cleared and need to make any changes you lose the upgrade and have to have it reapplied unless I had a misinformed agent. This was my fault but when I booked a trip I discovered a couple weeks after it was booked that the wrong outbound was booked (I had the agent look at a couple different flights and all of them required waitlisting and some how a different flight got booked). Fortunately the agent agreed to waive the change fee and I was only out a few dollars but was told that even though the return RUC cleared at booking and I was on that flight I would lost the upgrade. The real iritating thing was that I noticed it didn't show the RUC's being waitlisted and when I called Delta to have them apply the inventory was still available on the return.

It's bad enough Delta makes these so hard to use, it would be nice if they applied them correctly when you are waitlisted and made it easier for the phone agents to waitlist them.
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Old Aug 20, 2018, 10:19 am
  #1169  
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Originally Posted by golfr
If I don't receive a confirmation e-mail, does that mean that the RUC wasn't applied correctly?
The only email you will get is if the RUC clears AND the ticket is reissued. Reissue does not happen immediately, and if the agent does not do whatever they do to cause a manual reissue to occur, it goes into a queue and could take weeks depending how far out the flight is.

If you are merely waitlisted then there is no email confirmation expected from that.

EDIT: on further reflection, I forgot that you often get an updated reservation email when waitlisted, but I don't think that always 100% happens.
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Old Aug 20, 2018, 11:10 am
  #1170  
 
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Originally Posted by MCO Flyer
It shouldn't happen, but sometimes DL RM is dumb and never release RY/OY space ahead of time, but releases RU/OU space for comp UG's at the 5 day window.
I can confirm this. It has happened to me. I've called and the agent agrees but can't provide an explanation. Not supposed to happen, but it does.

I only waitlist a RUC now when I am a couple days out from the flight and the window has passed.
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