I mostly do RJ and Intl travel, so rarely have the need for my regional upgrade certs. I'm on DL2021 (DTW --> PHX) tomorrow and there appears to be 5 first class seats available (3P/2F).

I called about a week ago and tried to use my cert. They said that no upgrades were available so they waitlisted me. When I look at the itinerary online for the seat selector, it shows the regular seat map and an additional tab where I can't select the seat. For that leg the upgrade wording is "Upgrade Requested" as opposed to the standard "Medallion Upgrade Requested".

I assume this will all be decided at the gate. Will I jump ahead of Diamonds, assuming that they haven't used certs? Or are they still ahead of me? Does the regional cert just jump me ahead of other Plats who may have paid a higher fare (I'm on a Q)?

Mostly just curious how this pans out. I may do stand-by for alternate flight if this doesn't look like it will clear.

You are supposed to be ahead of anyone at the gate who is requesting a complimentary medallion upgrade. You will be behind any DMs using an upgrade cert, or PMs using a cert on a higher fare.

The big caveat is the supposed to be part, since more often than not the upgrade doesn't get coded properly or passed to the airport waitlist correctly to give you higher priority. I suggest checking in online and closely watching the upgrade list. If you see yourself lower down then call and say that you're using an upgrade cert and ask it be applied for the airport upgrade list. You should be at or near the top.

The system worked for me recently on MSP-LAX and return. I was #1 on the upgrade waitlist from the moment I did OLCI and held that position until I received the upgrade at the gate. I'm sure there were DMs on the medallion upgrade list; it's a route on which, as a PM, I don't usually get a medallion upgrade.

Seems like it's working. I'm 2 of 11 on upgrade list for 5 seats. Plat line agent said there were 3 people using Certs on the flight and I was 2 out of 3, either because I paid more or because I booked it earlier and the opposite is true for the person who is ahead of me. That gives me some faith in the process.

sounds like it will work as intended, please report back upon completion of your flight

If it does not work...just write Delta customer service...they will throw you a 7500 mile bone...

I got upgraded. Someone bought an upgrade and the 3 of us who used certificates got cleared. A Diamond did not so I definitely got ahead of a non-cert Diamond. It shows up as RP instead of RU on my boarding pass.

Although I was last to pick entree so I only got Asian Beef Salad. It's fine but man the enchiladas are a significantly larger and more delicious looking portion. Life's rough