injera

Called Delta, this would put me into a "Z" fare. I googled and it looks like a "Z" fare is similar to G/A/P except its for business class instead of first. I guess Delta markets JFK->SJU as business class not first. Would this still allow me to move to an earlier flight provided theres at least one seat available in business?

Thanks.

MSPeconomist

Reroute yes if the new route is allowed by your fare rules.

Co-terminal NO since you're not DM.

jrl767

yes ... I think the actual rules are "an available seat in the Premium Cabin" or something like that, independent of the actual marketing description (First, Business, or -- sorry, bubbashow -- D1)

injera

Gotcha. Flight normally earns me 1500 MQM, if i upgrade i'll get 2250, if i route through atlanta it'll be 3400. I'm going to cut it close to platnium this year so this would certainly help me get there. I'm sure when Delta tries to sell me MQM next month 1900 MQM will be much more than $129 and i wont even get the better flights for it.

ATLawyer

Do it.

I SDC'd last week on a G fare SFO-ATL to a later flight because I wanted to get a bit of shopping done for the wife. Took all of 5 minutes on the phone with the agent (I'm GM).

One word of advice, have the flight numbers readily available (if changing route from direct to connecting). When I called I simply had the time of departure of the later flight, but I wasn't changing routing.

injera

Thanks for the feedback all. I've paid the $129 to UG. At T-24 I'll call and switch to the 9am flight (F tickets on this flight are in the $800 range vs $375 on the 2pm flight). Or if i'm feeling creative/energetic that day i'll switch to a 610 departure and do JFK->ATL->SJU.

Money well spent in my book. Can certainly appreciate why this pisses people off. If i can buy the cheapest F ticket for the day and transfer it to whichever flights I want thats certainly going to kill the odds of an upgrade on the more popular flight times (and I can certainly see for NYC->San Juan the morning flights being more popular than mid afternoon)

sethb

A policy that causes a passenger to pay Delta more money needs to change why, exactly? I thought you wanted Delta to make more money.

sethb

But if Delta is fully successful at FCM, you don't get to switch to the flight you want. That makes it "fair"; that is, you pay less than it costs to just buy the flight you prefer, and you have a less than 100% chance of getting it.

jrl767

obviously, a certain stockholder believes the more flexible SDC policy for FC doesn't generate enough money

that's always been the risk of SDC

jamesteroh

+1 As I mentioned in the thread someone started about the possibility of co-terminaling being eliminated, I have bought FCM fares on short flights between DTW and places like NYC and Chicago if I thought my meeting would finish up early and I might want to get home a little earlier (and I bought a FCM for next month for $50 more for DTW/lga leisure trip and am on an fairly early flight out of EWR but if the weather ends up being decent and my friend in NYC is home I'll want to fly out later and want the flexibility to fly home later if seats are available and seeing there are three NYC airports there is a good probability I can get on a later flight). About the only time I ever see EVERY seat taken with a paid passenger is if there is bad weather or an earlier MX cancellation.

Delta is keeping me happy as a frequent flyer and is getting all my business (which is going to change soon if I can't get a C+ seat at time of booking) and I'm having a little more flexibility in my flight times (even though it was was a benefit I had on coach tickets until a couple years ago when Delta enhanced that away) and Delta is getting a little bit of extra cash out of me for a first class seat that would have probably gone to an elite on a coach ticket or a NRSA anyway.

If Delta "closes this loophole" I'll simply just buy a coach ticket and they will probably upgrade me for free anyway on the NYC and Chicago trips, I can only think of two times I wasn't upgraded on a NYC trip, one time a bad snow storm cancelled most of the NYC flights the day before and all the flights the day I flew out were oversold and the other time I was flying DTW/LGA and they found mechanical problems on the aircraft just before boarding and I was able to get on an EWR flight instead and the GA had already cleared the upgrade list.

sethb

And that's why SDC is a win for both Delta and the passenger.

iamhereandthere

G fare is the same as A and P and F and J and all the rest, it's a premium fare class for purposes of SDC. G fares are sold directly on the website, no post-booking or in-app purchase required. Premium cabin is premium cabin for SDC, regardless of specific fare class. I've booked plenty of G fares--not via any upgrade--just outright first class instead of coach. And I've never had an issue with SDC on these fares unless I have an agent who doesn't bother to look or listen that I have a PREMIUM cabin fare.

krlcomm

SDC is not guaranteed, you always run the risk that F will sell out on the flight you want to SDC to and you will be left with the flight you purchased.

SamuelS

Why? People shouldn't be able to buy-up to the lowest applicable F fare?

Or they shouldn't be able to enjoy SDC benefits if they've purchased an F fare?

I thought you were part of the WFBF crowd, so trying to understand your angst with buying First in this example?

SamuelS

My travel patterns this year have seen all but two of my flights on DL be in First (some G and A, some P and F).

Because I'm crediting to AS, I have to pay the $50 USD SDC fee (of which I've paid at least a dozen this year).

So not only is DL enticing me to buy-up to F buy offering some additional flexibility (and at very little "inventory risk" to them as I can only SDC if there's still space available <T-24), they're also getting incremental fees from me in addition.

Sorry Bubba.