BE availability puzzle
Sep 6, 2014 | 8:34 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: AVL
Programs: DL DM 1.9MM
Posts: 135
BE availability puzzle
With EF now blind, I'm trying to figure out true availability / upgrade probability on my ATL-AMS flight today. Upgrade list says two seats available, seat map shows two available, but if I do a dummy booking I see 'three seats available at this price'.
So where's the third seat? Secret reserve capacity? Held by a non-rev who will move to the back if the sell the seat? Does it mean they'll bump somebody if a walk-up is willing to pay full freight?
So where's the third seat? Secret reserve capacity? Held by a non-rev who will move to the back if the sell the seat? Does it mean they'll bump somebody if a walk-up is willing to pay full freight?
Sep 6, 2014 | 8:46 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: MSP
Programs: DL GM, AMEX Business Platinum, AMEX Delta Reserve, DL SkyClub Member, Choice PM
Posts: 2,218
Most probably an award BE seat holder who they think they can bump either to EC or to another flight. Of course with appropriate compensation!
Sep 6, 2014 | 9:19 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 12,811
Normal inventory management overselling. DL thinks at least one BE seat holder will not show up for the flight. "One" is actually a pretty low overselling number. I have seen at lot higher. Once again, it is a bad idea to judge availability using seat map.
Sep 6, 2014 | 9:54 am
#4
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: PIT
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Posts: 15,407
Could be this - and I saw a recent thread about this . . .
I was just looking at seat maps for PIT/CDG for next August, and I see that 1A & 1B always appear taken, even 11 months in advance, which, of course, isn't possible. I believe they block 2 seats off for pilot rest, but only 1 pilot will rest at a time. There's some kind of rule, that, if there's even a single unsold BE seat, it HAS TO BE the one next to the Pilot rest seat. I think it was said to be in the pilots' contract - maybe?
So, they WILL sell it - and assign it, but if any one seat in BE isn't sold, it has to be THAT one. (I read here somewhere).
Here it is:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...xperience.html
Check post #7 in particular.
I was just looking at seat maps for PIT/CDG for next August, and I see that 1A & 1B always appear taken, even 11 months in advance, which, of course, isn't possible. I believe they block 2 seats off for pilot rest, but only 1 pilot will rest at a time. There's some kind of rule, that, if there's even a single unsold BE seat, it HAS TO BE the one next to the Pilot rest seat. I think it was said to be in the pilots' contract - maybe?
So, they WILL sell it - and assign it, but if any one seat in BE isn't sold, it has to be THAT one. (I read here somewhere).
Here it is:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...xperience.html
Check post #7 in particular.
Last edited by davetravels; Sep 6, 2014 at 10:01 am