mikepa

DL1855 from ATL-LAX. I’m not sure what happened but I was upgraded into first class use a SWU, but then demoted back to coach soon after boarding.

I called the Platinum line weeks ago after booking this flight (in K class) to get on the waitlist to use a SWU.

An hour before the flight I was number 16 on the upgrade list. This didn’t seem right for using a SWU. So I contacted the gate agent who said she didn’t know how to verify if I was using a SWU, so I should call the Platinum medallion line.

I called and the agent confirmed that the SWU added weeks ago was coded incorrectly and she would fix it. Five minutes later she said I was now #1. Luckily there was still one seat available according the gate upgrade display.

However 10 minutes later, the upgrade screen still said I was number 15 with no seats available, so I went to see the gate agent again. She said the upgrade just cleared and handed me a new boarding pass for 1C.

About 30 minutes later I boarded and was sitting in 1C. But a different gate agent boarded and said they gave be the wrong boarding pass – it was intended for someone with the same last name. I spoke to the gentleman later and his last name was also Palmer.

I believe what happened here was the Platinum desk put the SWU on the wrong Palmer and upgraded the other guy instead of me. There was an equipment change which may have contributed to the gate agent confusion.

I wonder if the new regional and global certs are working any better?

Also, I wonder how the second guy with a 1C boarding pass was allowed to board since 1C had already boarded, isn't there a security problem here?

MSPeconomist

It shouldn't be possible to apply a SWU to someone else's reservation as they're nontransferable. If the PM phone agent had the other guy's account open, she could only have used one of his SWUs, assuming that he was elite and had some. Similarly, if she had your account open (which would happen when you enter your FF number at the start of the phone call), then she could only apply your SWU to your reservation.

At the time, did you ask the other Mr. Palmer if he had applied a SWU? Do you know what his status was?

I would have asked more questions of the second GA before moving. Did you notice another PAL, FI on the gate upgrade list display or on your device? After you were downgraded, did you look at the list again on your device to see where you were on the list at the end?

In the future, it would be wise to check the list for yourself before T-60 and again after the phone agent supposedly "corrects" your SWU coding.

Is the SWU gone from your account?

Call DL ASAP while it's still easy for them to see what happened.

Did your upgraded boarding pass have your correct first and middle name? Did the second GA give you a new coach boarding pass with your correct name? Did you get your original seat back?

Maybe people with common last names should always remember to check that boarding passes given to them at the airport have the correct full name and also watch for apparent duplicate names on upgrade and standby lists.

RFDMinnesota

Although technically SWUs aren't transferable, in practice they certainly are.

I've had success applying them to reservations that didn't include me, though I was on the same flight

MSPeconomist

It might be like free elite companion upgrades for different PNRs, where the agents might "link" = cross-reference the two PNRs.

Have you ever tried to do this when you never had a ticket on the flight?

tkey75

Exactly. No requirement you're on the same PNR, just the same flight.

MSPeconomist

But then there must be something in the software that enforces this requirement or we would see reports of people being able to use SWUs for other people and even (gasp) trade or sell them. Even the old SWUs with fare class requirements can still be very valuable in certain circumstances, yet this doesn't seem to happen at all with DL, so enforcement of the nontransferability rule must be part of the coding.

mikepa

Yes, i did see another PAL, FI on the gate upgrade list. He was #11. He was gone off the list after the upgrade.

The Platinum line just stated that the SWU was applied to the wrong account and has been re-credited to my account.

The 1C BP the gate agent gave me was in the other guys first name; I just never noticed at the gate.

The coach BP she gave me on the aircraft was in my name and my original seat.

I didn't get chance to talk to the guy beyond asking if his name was Palmer, which he confirmed.

I should have asked more questions, but with a full First (actually BE) full, the likely hood of fixing this favorably 15 minutes before departure was unlikely.

I guess I have to rely on customer service doing the right thing, and giving me two first class tickets to Tahiti or something similar.

emrdoc

^

MSPeconomist

If the other Palmer was #11 while our Palmer was #16 on the upgrade list, then the other one was either DM on cheap fare or PM on expensive fare. He could have SWUs in his account, but apparently didn't try to apply one (unless his agent coded it incorrectly too!) and he should have known that suddenly moving up to #1 on the upgrade list wasn't right.

This looks to me like he knew or surely should have known that the upgrade wasn't rightfully his. I would think an innocent elite would have expressed surprise and an alert GA would have questioned him or checked. [An honest elite would have tried to tell the GA that he suspected that some mistake had occurred.] I wonder whether this could be shenanigans of some sort but I can't imagine any mechanism beyond the guy just being willing to take the upgrade that didn't belong to him.

javabytes

Lucky guy who scored the upgrade thanks to you...

usrleetch3

It's been my experience that less than half of the agents, even those on the PL and DM line, know how to properly code a SWU (or one of the new regional certs). It took 3 calls to the PM line the other day to properly code my regional upgrade cert from jfk to LAS. Very frustrating, and the 3rd agent told me that this happens all the time because she is constantly getting calls from savvy fliers who know their upgrade position should be higher when using a cert.

flyforgolf25

Question is do you remember who you spoke to?

baccarat_king

If you can get it coded to a reservation; it will stick. It's sort of a done deal anyway (since SWUs are going away); but there are ways to get them coded to those other than yourself. Also, if they are coded; and things change, they will also usually stick.

Point in fact (international example); you book a roundtrip M-fare; and have it coded with SWU for upgrade both directions. Z opens up in one direction; so you call to re-price/re-ticket your refundable/changeable M-fare to a Z-fare in one direction. Often, such an event might force you return M-fare to re-price in a lower fare category. If you are agreeable to this, the SWU will stay attached to the return flight that was originally an M-fare; but is not a S fare (which was my example). Upgrade will clear for the S-fare just as it would for the M-fare; since it was originally coded to a M-fare. Seems to me, once you get it coded originally; whatever happens, agents won't remove it. YMMV, of course.

and, of course, with international flights; you have a much shorter upgrade list and aren't dealing with conflicting Medallion Upgrades on day of departure.

Throw Down Your Leavy Screens

What is the specific category of "UP" for what shows in my PNR as an SWU (it a K fare + miles, but good ol' Delta IT calls it an SWU)? Is it UP2?

I've got two flights tomorrow where one "SWU" has cleared (RU > 0 when I cashed in the miles) and the connecting flight where I'm waitlisted on my "SWU" (RU = 0 when I cashed in the miles). The miles have already been pulled from the account. I'd at least like to try to plead my case with any TA or GA who'll listen that I need to be toward the top of the upgrade list on that second flight, but knowing what the correct upgrade code is for a K-fare + mileage upgrade is half the battle.

mnbp

There are two separate lists for SWU, GUC and RUC upgrade instrument requests, the "Reservation Waitlist" and the "Airport Standby" list.

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...tificates.html

and
Contrast this with the language in http://www.delta.com/content/dam/del...M_MemGuide.pdf which includes this language on page 21:
I could find no language referring to any kind of Airport Standby for SkyMiles Mileage Upgrades, and therefore I believe there is no Airport Standby listing code such as UPnn for SkyMiles Mileage Upgrades as they are not offered on a standby basis at the airport, as SWU, GUC and RUC instruments are.