Newguy08

I'm new to Florida market moving here recently and switching to delta. Trying to figure out upgrade likelihood for plat from mco-atl mon am to Thursday pm. I have option of mco or mlb. Mlb is DM heavy on those flights so won't ever get there from mlb so trying to see rates from mco. I'm on 455pm flight today atl-mco and got upgraded at window as GM (almost plat that's why I ask for that) and 1 seat not taken right now as we taxi. Last week same flight I was 15th or higher on list when i boarded. Same plane (757). Only thing i can think of is fewer people visiting Mickey so maybe higher upgrade rate in non summer? Is this just a fluke or is it worth booking more flights through mco?

Know lots of variables but looking for any advice/experience you can provide!!

jalves

I'm PM and the likelihood of an upgrade between ATL & MCO especially on those dates are pretty low. Yes, there are a lot of seats since DL flies nearly hourly service. However, all the times I've done this the board has shown 20+ people waiting for 2 seats.

baccarat0809

As a GM recently moved from BUF to MCO, I'm 100% perfect on my MCO flights going through JFK or LGA, and 1 of 2 going through MSP, and the MSP flight I missed was booked 1 day in advance and I had zero choice on the flight.

As for Hotlanta, I've stayed away since I've had such good success with JFK/LGA/MSP.

If you can book around 6 days before you go, take a good look at the seat map (yeah, I know, it's not perfect), but not only check first class but also check comfort plus. If you see first "open" as well as few seats sold in comfort plus, you're generally good to go.

Most of my flights are booked 3 days out, so I scope out what gives me the best option and take that flight. Flight times / connections don't matter much for me since I can work on my laptop just as easily on the plane as in a hotel room or the office. Heck, I generally get more done on a plane than the office.

realjd

I live in Melbourne. The 6AM Monday flight to ATL and any return on Thursday and Friday evenings will be really tough for upgrades. The later Monday flights, midweek, and weekend flights are usually not too bad, at least as a PM. It's much easier whenever they decide to use 757s for this route but it's been awhile since I've seen them do that.

I do have much better luck with MCO, especially on flights to/from hubs that aren't ATL, but it's usually not worth the drive for an upgrade on a 1 hour flight. And depending on your corporate travel policy, it can sometimes be hard finding a compliant Delta flight out of MCO since there are so many other airlines flying there.

readywhenyouare

If you want upgrades then JFK is the hub for you. I've never missed an upgrade, even when I was silver. The other hubs are a roll of the dice with CVG being above average for upgrades. Don't even think about SLC unless it is a Saturday or national holiday.

airindia787

It has been over a year since I last flew out of MCO, but I had a relatively easy time getting upgraded on MCO-JFK/LGA, MCO-DTW, and MCO-MSP, even as an FO. I have never flown MCO-ATL so I cannot comment directly but I once happened to look at the upgrade list and there were over 40 people on it.

That being said, it isn't worth the extra drive to MCO just to have a better upgrade chance. If MLB is anything like DAB, then it is likely a much more pleasant experience overall, even if upgrades are harder to come by.

miraclebear2003

I avoid ATL unless it's going somewhere in the South or Mid-Atlantic where there's not much choice. Definitely avoid the typical business times. Can get upgrade on last flight from ATL usually; often early.

Have some success going to LGA or through MPS or DTW (non-peak).

Couple of Saturday's ago, my wife (also GM) and I were 1 and 2 with one seat left on RIC-ATL and ATL-MCO so a PM would have gotten the upgrade.

MCO Flyer

As a FO in MCO, I've been UG to RDU/SLC/LAX/and JFK(never tried LGA) but I haven't gotten a upgrade to ATL since 2011... I don't go to DTW/MSP too often but I've heard that UGs aren't too bad to there.... EDIT I realized I got an UG from ATL-MCO in Jan 14 due to a last minute change from a 757 to an old 76Q

Vuelos

If you live in Melbourne / South Brevard, MLB >>>>> MCO because of the airport itself.

MCO has more flights but both MCO and MLB are medallion heavy, but it's flight dependent.

Go with what's cheaper and easier to drive to.

readywhenyouare

Agreed. I have a choice of four airports I can fly out of. DAB is less than 15 minutes away, MCO and MLB are both about an hour from me, and JAX is about an 1:20 away. Needless to say I don't use JAX too much.

gooselee

I guess this is totally YMMV. I can't remember the last time I was NOT upgraded ATL-MCO (or reverse) as a PM flying alone. I'm at about 50% when flying with Mrs. Lee (who bounces between no status and FO). The biggest difference I notice is for weekend flights it's at the window, but weekday flights tend the be at the gate.

Note that my weekend/leisure fares are usually TXV fares, and weekday/work fares are usually HQK.

houserulz77

For FO/GM ATL is very iffy, especially since GAP fares are often very reasonable out of MCO. It's also hard to pinpoint best times because there tend to be lots of special events/conferences in the area. It's somewhat like LAS in that you can clear at the window as an FO one week. Take the same flight a few weeks later and miss by 20.

As others have pointed out if you can transit LGA/JFK you will be upgraded more frequently. As for DTW, I am 100% (over 20 flights) on this route over the past 7 years with most of that time as FO.

realjd

Remember though that you're a non-local so you'll have a different flight pattern than someone based at MCO. I suspect you haven't taken many 8AM MCO-ATL Monday morning flights. I suspect MCO isn't the only location where locals have it rough on typical business flights but visitors have a decent upgrade chance.

Newguy08

My issue with mlb is the lack of flight options during irrops. They added an extra flight but there are now only two flights after 4pm into mlb (and they are normally pretty full) so if your connecting through Atlanta and there are any issues at all your in trouble. Note that my flights either end in Atlanta (50% of time or so) or connect there going somewhere else south of there (Dallas, New Orleans, Huntsville, etc.) so unless I have a lot of time, jfk is tougher option for me but appreciate the advice on going through there instead of Atlanta when I have the option. Mlb is closer so likely stick it out there but was hoping maybe mco offered some better ug options.

gooselee

Absolutely good point. However, I take many flights to MCO for weekend leisure trips (those TXV fares), which often means flying ATL-MCO on a Thursday or Friday, and then MCO-ATL on a Sunday evening. So the same flights/times that many MCO-based folks are flying for work.

Admittedly, I can only remember flying MCO-ATL on a Monday morning on one occasion, when I was going directly to a work site after returning from a weekend trip, and that was a last-minute fare.

But you are correct that when going for work on Monday mornings, it's usually something like an 8am flight TO MCO on a mid-level fare. Certainly not the same experience an MCO-based flyer will have, but hopefully the data points are helpful to some extent.