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

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)

Old Oct 4, 2018, 8:16 pm
  #1261  
 
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Originally Posted by jamesteroh
The inbound there was inventory available when I booked on the ATL/LIM portion and the agent cleared it and was waitlisted on the DTW/ATL segment (cleared a couple weeks later but really didn't care on that segment). Coming back I would have had to have been waitlisted and J was only $400 more so I just bought a J ticket returning instead of risking it
Nice!
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Old Oct 4, 2018, 10:30 pm
  #1262  
 
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Originally Posted by flyerCO
Technically the rules have required T-3. However most ignore it.
That's what I thought but it did not happen when I called in today. (Backstory: 3pm flight, I was #1 until 11am, #5 for 3 at 12, called just past T-3, agent said it was too late and I was now #3 for 5... I went down to #8 by the time it was over, on a route I normally upgrade on. Maybe I shoudda HUCA).

Originally Posted by flyerCO
If it's waitlisted and you get upgraded it is used. Itd be hard do otherwise, wasting time for agent. Ie Three open seats, you'd be number 3 w/O, but with it applied are #1 . Agent now has to waste time figuring out if you would've still got upgraded.
Sure... this shouldn't be handled by the GAs, who are generally overburdened at that point, it should be handled by IT. But since we don't have automated application of UCs, I'm not holding my breath for that.
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Old Oct 4, 2018, 11:01 pm
  #1263  
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Originally Posted by kthomas
That's what I thought but it did not happen when I called in today. (Backstory: 3pm flight, I was #1 until 11am, #5 for 3 at 12, called just past T-3, agent said it was too late and I was now #3 for 5... I went down to #8 by the time it was over, on a route I normally upgrade on. Maybe I shoudda HUCA).



Sure... this shouldn't be handled by the GAs, who are generally overburdened at that point, it should be handled by IT. But since we don't have automated application of UCs, I'm not holding my breath for that.
Agree it should be done by IT. However this is DL. 1)they wouldn't spend money writing the code needed, and 2)even if they did, I wouldn't trust it to be correct.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 12:13 pm
  #1264  
 
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When was the last time anyone got a RUC to instantly clear? It seems it is not even a thing anymore. Applied today with all of FC open on one and only 2 seats shown taken. Neither instantly clears.

Now of course they could be 'sold out' and people haven't selected seat. Did dummy booking and get same amount of seats available as shown via the buy-up offer.

Interesting to see if anyone has had them actually instantly clear. Seems easier to do that with GUCs on partner airlines.
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Old Oct 5, 2018, 12:20 pm
  #1265  
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Did one for next month on AUS-SEA-YVR and back. Cleared both ways at booking. AUS-SEA and v.v can be hard upgrades as a DM.
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Old Oct 6, 2018, 10:51 am
  #1266  
 
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Delta keeps making these harder to use. Twitter team just sent me the following response when I asked them to check several flights on one day. I had a 3+ hour schedule change, so I was trying to find any routing where I could confirm the upgrades on the overwater flight (trip is to OGG).

"I can only check for upgrades on your ticketed flights. I show that at this time the upgrades are sold out on your flights. If you change your routing your entire airfare would need to be recalculated. Thank you. *TJM"
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Old Oct 6, 2018, 11:13 am
  #1267  
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Wow, that's a pathetic Twitter response all around
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Old Oct 6, 2018, 12:50 pm
  #1268  
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Originally Posted by Zorak
Wow, that's a pathetic Twitter response all around
It's also incorrect. I've had Twitter agents happily check on unticketed flights many, many times.

And with a 3 hr schedule change, shouldn't DL just put you into whatever other reasonable fights you want, in the class of service where you're already ticketed? You don't need UG inventory because you're in schedule change mode.
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Old Oct 6, 2018, 1:29 pm
  #1269  
 
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Originally Posted by gooselee
It's also incorrect. I've had Twitter agents happily check on unticketed flights many, many times.

And with a 3 hr schedule change, shouldn't DL just put you into whatever other reasonable fights you want, in the class of service where you're already ticketed? You don't need UG inventory because you're in schedule change mode.
I had a Twitter agent check the same flights I asked for 2 days ago, so I know it's either wrong or a brand new policy in the last 48 hours.

Unfortunately, my RUCs never cleared on the original itinerary, so I'm still in coach. I was holding off on making any changes because I was hoping to find flights with open space to use RUCs. I could then reroute to those flights and confirm the upgrade immediately.
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Old Oct 6, 2018, 7:25 pm
  #1270  
 
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Originally Posted by dinanm3atl
When was the last time anyone got a RUC to instantly clear? It seems it is not even a thing anymore. Applied today with all of FC open on one and only 2 seats shown taken. Neither instantly clears.

Now of course they could be 'sold out' and people haven't selected seat. Did dummy booking and get same amount of seats available as shown via the buy-up offer.

Interesting to see if anyone has had them actually instantly clear. Seems easier to do that with GUCs on partner airlines.
What was the routing?
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Old Oct 7, 2018, 11:40 am
  #1271  
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Originally Posted by mattp1987
I had a Twitter agent check the same flights I asked for 2 days ago, so I know it's either wrong or a brand new policy in the last 48 hours.

Unfortunately, my RUCs never cleared on the original itinerary, so I'm still in coach. I was holding off on making any changes because I was hoping to find flights with open space to use RUCs. I could then reroute to those flights and confirm the upgrade immediately.
Ahh, I misread and thought your RUCs had already cleared on the existing flights.

Either way, still a crappy Twitter response.
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Old Oct 7, 2018, 12:58 pm
  #1272  
 
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Originally Posted by gooselee
Ahh, I misread and thought your RUCs had already cleared on the existing flights.

Either way, still a crappy Twitter response.
Agreed. In general, I've found the Twitter team to be helpful.
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Old Oct 8, 2018, 1:46 pm
  #1273  
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Originally Posted by kthomas
Sure... this shouldn't be handled by the GAs, who are generally overburdened at that point, it should be handled by IT. But since we don't have automated application of UCs, I'm not holding my breath for that.
It shouldn't be done at all. If you apply a RUC and it clears, you got what it was worth. Why should you get it back?

If you buy F and find out you would have gotten a medallion upgrade, should you get a refund?
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Old Oct 8, 2018, 1:48 pm
  #1274  
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Originally Posted by dinanm3atl
When was the last time anyone got a RUC to instantly clear? It seems it is not even a thing anymore. Applied today with all of FC open on one and only 2 seats shown taken. Neither instantly clears.

Now of course they could be 'sold out' and people haven't selected seat. Did dummy booking and get same amount of seats available as shown via the buy-up offer.

Interesting to see if anyone has had them actually instantly clear. Seems easier to do that with GUCs on partner airlines.
They still clear. How far out was your flight? I've had certificates not clear on what looked like a completely open cabin, only to find it sold out by day of travel.
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Old Oct 8, 2018, 7:35 pm
  #1275  
 
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Originally Posted by sethb
They still clear. How far out was your flight? I've had certificates not clear on what looked like a completely open cabin, only to find it sold out by day of travel.
I have a flight from MCO to JFK where when I called in to add a companion the agent said it was available to clear immediately if I wanted (I didn't).
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