Night Owl

I'm Gold for the first time this year, and have requalified for next year. I've been upgraded on all my return flights this year, but never outbound from Atlanta. The
window for Gold is three days, but it's usually the day before. My Wed AM departure has been showing 12 open seats for at least four days. Are they being held for last minure buyers, and upgrades will be processed at the gate? Does this mean my chances are better since it does not appear any upgrades cleared?

davetravels

Yes.

I think not, because there are likely DMs and PMs ahead of you that are in the same boat you're in.

Is it possible that you're traveling on a Saturday? On a very leisure route? If so, it's very possible that there aren't any DMs or PMs ahead of you.

javabytes

Your chances, especially as a Gold, are lessened any time DL holds back a substantial number of seats until the gate. More time for people to buy the seats, SDC onto the flight get rebooked into F due to IROPS, etc.

CDKing

I bet your issue is ATL is one of or DL's most elite heavy city

clr4t8koff

Interesting that OP should post this tonight as I was wondering if something is up with the upgrade window. I'm on a redeye Saturday (SFO-ATL) with 20 open F seats currently, yet at the upgrade sweep (which for DM/PM would have been tonight) nothing appears to have upgraded.

Boltman519

A Sat flight would clear today? isn't that 7 days out? I thought DM/PM cleared at 5.

dd1612

DM/PM clears at 6 days from Date of Departure, including date of departure.

Youngmiler

I flew the redeye SFO-ATL on a Saturday back in early September. Flight showed F pretty open, I would say around 20 seats for 5 days out. Day of travel, the upgrade list was at least 25 long for 4 available seats. Flight went out full, but no need for VDB.

ND76

My experience as a GM and PM is that, generally, if you don't get upgraded at the window, you don't get upgraded at all. I can only point to four times this year I won a gate lottery (twice at JFK, once at LAX, once at MSP). I've been the "bubble boy" for an upgrade on six different occasions this year (#1 on the list after all F seats were handed out). My wife (a GM) and I did get an OP-UP at JFK on our trip to PRG, which was extremely nice.

Last week, at the time of the PM window, there were 15 empty F seats on a 30 F seat 767 LAS-ATL. By T -24 there were 6 F seats left. By flight time I was #8 on the UG list after all the F seats had been handed out.

Another example of them holding back F seats and not getting upgraded was a DCA-MSP flight; I was #2 on the UG list when I left for the airport 2 hours before flight time, and looking real good; there were storms in the area, a couple of flights to other destinations were cancelled, some rebookings took place, and, all of a sudden, I was #11 on the UG list after all F seats were handed out.

I only have to put up with PM for two more trips (and I did get upgraded for the first segment of DCA-JFK-SEA-JFK-DCA at the PM window); I'll hit DM by next weekend.

Boltman519

So this is helpful, that means that my Sunday AM flight window is tonight around 5/6 ish?

With only 5F seats I doubt I will clear today but at least I know today is the window period. I was always confused on when it happened. Thanks.

MSPeconomist

......starting at 5 pm ATL time, with the lower flight numbers being processed first, although recently upgrades seem to happen shortly after the window opens, versus the entire process taking about forty-five minutes in the past.

mridley2

Upgrade window is working fine.

2 of my 3 flights for next Saturday (9/27) cleared last night. DL 700's flight cleared about 5:05pm EST. DL 2400's cleared about 5:20pm EST. yes I was tapping my phone waiting for upgrades to clear. HAHA. I like to select my seat so I get the best available at the time..