YBYL (you board, you lose) policy is now more flexible
Mar 21, 2018, 8:03 pm
#181
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Except it sounds like that those seats shouldn't have gone out empty. Delta is claiming in the diamond package that a new perk is they will pull you if you are next on the upgrade list if there is time permitting and if the GA closed the door six minutes early they had plenty of time to upgrade the next four people on the list.
If I'm told by the GA to board and they will pull me if there is a no show I expect them to come on and pull me instead of them allowing the seats to go out empty or for a NRSA or someone else that isn't entitled to getting the upgrade
If I'm told by the GA to board and they will pull me if there is a no show I expect them to come on and pull me instead of them allowing the seats to go out empty or for a NRSA or someone else that isn't entitled to getting the upgrade
I do acknowledge that I am seeing GA more frequently doing this, but I am also seeing FC seats go empty when the DL app showed multiple folks on the UG list.
Mar 21, 2018, 9:17 pm
#182
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I can see both sides of this. FA's deserve some slack, I think, and at least on -- to pick a completely arbitrary number out of my hat -- flights of less than three hours I have no problems abdicating my "elite status" upgrade in favor of it being given to a FA on a "work" flight (i.e. the FA is being relocated to destination by DL for work). I can also see the side of giving the customer priority -- especially their best customers -- so giving PMs and DMs priority over employees might make the best sense, from a customer-oriented perspective.
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Mar 21, 2018, 9:19 pm
#183
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Mar 21, 2018, 10:21 pm
#184
Join Date: Mar 2015
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Delta can absolutely make it the policy that GA will come on board and pull people from back to upgrade.
The schedules are padded anyways by 15-30 mins. All it will take is add another 5 and let GA start boarding 5 mins early. In any case I have seen it myself.. Last person boards, we are already 3-4 mins behind, GA comes on board with boarding pass, walks back and brings 2 people from the back and exits the plane - all in under 3 mins (yes I actually timed it). I was flying from same gate every week and next time I asked same GA if the delay counted against them and they said they can explain it away.
All this ambiguity is intentional so GAs who want to help fellow employees can do so without fear of any repercussion
Mar 22, 2018, 4:33 am
#185
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I usually refrain from talking in absolute terms but in this case I will disagree.
Delta can absolutely make it the policy that GA will come on board and pull people from back to upgrade.
The schedules are padded anyways by 15-30 mins. All it will take is add another 5 and let GA start boarding 5 mins early. In any case I have seen it myself.. Last person boards, we are already 3-4 mins behind, GA comes on board with boarding pass, walks back and brings 2 people from the back and exits the plane - all in under 3 mins (yes I actually timed it). I was flying from same gate every week and next time I asked same GA if the delay counted against them and they said they can explain it away.
All this ambiguity is intentional so GAs who want to help fellow employees can do so without fear of any repercussion
Delta can absolutely make it the policy that GA will come on board and pull people from back to upgrade.
The schedules are padded anyways by 15-30 mins. All it will take is add another 5 and let GA start boarding 5 mins early. In any case I have seen it myself.. Last person boards, we are already 3-4 mins behind, GA comes on board with boarding pass, walks back and brings 2 people from the back and exits the plane - all in under 3 mins (yes I actually timed it). I was flying from same gate every week and next time I asked same GA if the delay counted against them and they said they can explain it away.
All this ambiguity is intentional so GAs who want to help fellow employees can do so without fear of any repercussion
Mar 22, 2018, 8:24 am
#186
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I'll also point out the DL's sometimes ridiculously short turnaround times (the same factor that has the inbound plane scheduled to arrive after the scheduled boarding time for the outbound flight, and that often makes PDBs "infeasible") likely dis-incentivizes GAs to take the time to pull up folks from coach.
Mar 22, 2018, 10:43 am
#187
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With the new rules and upgrade certs I don't really use it anymore, but it is a nice reminder of my earlier gaming days with Delta.
Mar 22, 2018, 11:35 am
#188
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Pretty sure there was YBYL for those on the upgrade list from ATL-HOU yesterday. Flight had been showing no FC seats available all day including at the gate (same for the seatmap). Was in row 1 and could hear all the below and 2 non-rev pilots (not DL, one of the regionals but can't remember which one) were waiting in the galley for seats.
Then the GA comes on and I can hear him tell the FA and the 2 pilots waiting in the galley he was going to move up 10e and 12e and the pilots can take those seats. I thought he was going to get those on the upgrade list and was thinking what a great job by the GA. But lo and behold 2 DL FA's in uniform were moved into row 2.
Here is a screenshot of the upgrade list at 10:12pm Central long after the flight was over form the app and you can see it says 2 F seats available and no one upgraded. Guess YBYL doesn't count for employees.
Then the GA comes on and I can hear him tell the FA and the 2 pilots waiting in the galley he was going to move up 10e and 12e and the pilots can take those seats. I thought he was going to get those on the upgrade list and was thinking what a great job by the GA. But lo and behold 2 DL FA's in uniform were moved into row 2.
Here is a screenshot of the upgrade list at 10:12pm Central long after the flight was over form the app and you can see it says 2 F seats available and no one upgraded. Guess YBYL doesn't count for employees.
Mar 22, 2018, 12:07 pm
#189
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Send feedback to delta through the comments / complaints link including you screenshot. DL called me back about my feedback a couple of days ago to send to leadership in ATL.
if they get enough feedback hopefully they will put their foot down and cut this out.
if they get enough feedback hopefully they will put their foot down and cut this out.
Mar 22, 2018, 1:12 pm
#191
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Kudos to the GA on my DTW to ATL flight earlier today. There was a long upgrade and standby list and flight was full. We boarded fast and left on time but about five minutes before the GA closed the door and the flight looked like it had boarded there was a F seat still open. A southwest pilot who was jump seating in the cabin came up and took that seat. I guess the FA told him it was ok and upgraded him herself. A couple minutes later the GA came on board and pulled someone in C+ who must have been diamond since he boarded with PREM and moved him up with a new boarding pass and pilot goes back and takes the guys C+ seat and a minute later another passenger comes on board with a BP and told him she had a BP for his seat and he went back up to the flight deck.
The GA announced it was a full flight and F had checked in full as well as C+ and to board with your zone if you were on the upgrade list and if a seat became available they would come on board and move them up based on where they were on the list. I wish all GAs were that good.
The GA announced it was a full flight and F had checked in full as well as C+ and to board with your zone if you were on the upgrade list and if a seat became available they would come on board and move them up based on where they were on the list. I wish all GAs were that good.
Mar 22, 2018, 3:54 pm
#192
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Kudos to the GA on my DTW to ATL flight earlier today. There was a long upgrade and standby list and flight was full. We boarded fast and left on time but about five minutes before the GA closed the door and the flight looked like it had boarded there was a F seat still open. A southwest pilot who was jump seating in the cabin came up and took that seat. I guess the FA told him it was ok and upgraded him herself. A couple minutes later the GA came on board and pulled someone in C+ who must have been diamond since he boarded with PREM and moved him up with a new boarding pass and pilot goes back and takes the guys C+ seat and a minute later another passenger comes on board with a BP and told him she had a BP for his seat and he went back up to the flight deck.
The GA announced it was a full flight and F had checked in full as well as C+ and to board with your zone if you were on the upgrade list and if a seat became available they would come on board and move them up based on where they were on the list. I wish all GAs were that good.
The GA announced it was a full flight and F had checked in full as well as C+ and to board with your zone if you were on the upgrade list and if a seat became available they would come on board and move them up based on where they were on the list. I wish all GAs were that good.
Mar 22, 2018, 6:21 pm
#193
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,989
Kudos to the GA on my DTW to ATL flight earlier today. There was a long upgrade and standby list and flight was full. We boarded fast and left on time but about five minutes before the GA closed the door and the flight looked like it had boarded there was a F seat still open. A southwest pilot who was jump seating in the cabin came up and took that seat. I guess the FA told him it was ok and upgraded him herself. A couple minutes later the GA came on board and pulled someone in C+ who must have been diamond since he boarded with PREM and moved him up with a new boarding pass and pilot goes back and takes the guys C+ seat and a minute later another passenger comes on board with a BP and told him she had a BP for his seat and he went back up to the flight deck.
The GA announced it was a full flight and F had checked in full as well as C+ and to board with your zone if you were on the upgrade list and if a seat became available they would come on board and move them up based on where they were on the list. I wish all GAs were that good.
The GA announced it was a full flight and F had checked in full as well as C+ and to board with your zone if you were on the upgrade list and if a seat became available they would come on board and move them up based on where they were on the list. I wish all GAs were that good.
Great GA and goes to show there are gems in the Delta team and when done properly, everyone is happy and the flight can still leave on time.
Think about it, folks on the list would not (1) waste GA time by asking about status (2) drag their feet and quickly board feeling assured the GA will come and get them if they got lucky. Boarding should be smoother and faster.
And I think it is way cooler to score an upgrade after boarding.
Mar 22, 2018, 6:23 pm
#194
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By not waiting until the door is closed, the Southwest Pilot has to do the walk of Shame not once but TWICE!
Great GA and goes to show there are gems in the Delta team and when done properly, everyone is happy and the flight can still leave on time.
Think about it, folks on the list would not (1) waste GA time by asking about status (2) drag their feet and quickly board feeling assured the GA will come and get them if they got lucky.
And I think it is way cooler to be upgraded onboard.
Great GA and goes to show there are gems in the Delta team and when done properly, everyone is happy and the flight can still leave on time.
Think about it, folks on the list would not (1) waste GA time by asking about status (2) drag their feet and quickly board feeling assured the GA will come and get them if they got lucky.
And I think it is way cooler to be upgraded onboard.
Mar 23, 2018, 2:13 am
#195
Join Date: Dec 2002
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Actually, it's pretty easy:
We know that FULL Y is normally the most expensive coach fare.
B and M used to both get 150% MQMs. Now only B does, so these are the next fares with B higher than M.
S was recently added by DL, but on KLM S stands for Standard I've been told and it's a high coach fare, sometimes how I've been rebooked from an M fare.
Next is H Q K. Think of HQ as headquarters (maybe RM isn't too unhappy to sell such fares) followed by K for OK as these are OK fares.
L U T is easy as these are the sLUT fares (which used to be the lowest on DL)
X V were added recently by DL and for these I remember that they're NOT ViXen.
E is the new BE fare.
We know that FULL Y is normally the most expensive coach fare.
B and M used to both get 150% MQMs. Now only B does, so these are the next fares with B higher than M.
S was recently added by DL, but on KLM S stands for Standard I've been told and it's a high coach fare, sometimes how I've been rebooked from an M fare.
Next is H Q K. Think of HQ as headquarters (maybe RM isn't too unhappy to sell such fares) followed by K for OK as these are OK fares.
L U T is easy as these are the sLUT fares (which used to be the lowest on DL)
X V were added recently by DL and for these I remember that they're NOT ViXen.
E is the new BE fare.
Here's easy...
All fare buckets are ranked in order from highest to lowest
A-F = first class
G-K = business class
L - P = premium economy class
Q - Z = coach class
That keeps F, J, and Y in familiar places. And ends the nonsense.