Well i suppose we knew this day would come. One last US>Asia trip on KL in Dec will get us to DM for '26 and reach 2MM....and will prob just take the LTP status/free agency from here on out. IMO, the value of GUCs (in relation to the 2026 cost of qualifying for DM) is pretty severely diminished, if confirmed J space on non-$$$ fares is the end goal.

::sigh::

And its been a few weeks now since this 'policy change' yet the T&Cs for the GUCs still reflect the old verbiage and that you can upgrade directly from main cabin fares to Z on KL....

GUC with multiple legs & KLM
 

I have an international itinerary (MSP - AMS - DEL) purchased in Premium with GUC's applied. The GUC has cleared to D1 on the MSP-AMS leg (operated by DL) but there hasn't been any Z space open on the AMS-DEL leg (operated by KLM) so far. My question is what happens to the GUC when I fly the MSP-AMS route without any changes to the AMS-DEL route:

• Is the GUC closed the moment I fly the first leg?
• If there are business class seats open on the AMS-DEL route, is there any chance the agents at the KLM Crown Lounge in AMS would use the GUC to upgrade us to those seats?

I understand there's no waitlist option for KLM flights but curious as to how the GUC is handled. Thanks all!

GUC should be closed already technically if your cert was applied properly. You can go to the transfer desk in AMS and ask for the cert to be applied to the AMS-DEL segment. Lounge could also work, but the agent may direct you back to the transfer desk if the lounge is busy. Agent in AMS should at a mininum be able to put you on their internal 'standby' list at the gate for upgrade or clear you immediately depending on inventory remaining.

Either way I'd get to the gate early and make sure they see you on their list for upgrade if it wasn't immediately confirmed at the transfer desk or lounge. Oh and be sure to have your cert info (number redemption code).

Keep watching for Z, and set an alert on Expertflyer if you have that... or if you don't, post your flight dates and somebody can help you out.

I appreciate the quick answer! I'll follow your suggestions.

• The certificates still show open. I was able to select D1 seats and I wonder if they will close at check-in.
• Would the 'standby' list work at the transfer desk / lounge even if the certs are closed?
• I have EF alerts set - the AMS-DEL flight is on the Nov 22nd if anyone has any other insights. Most of the Saturday AMS-DEL flights in Nov haven't had any Z space open while I've been watching.

Your flight has to be reticketed and cert applied/closed for you to be able to check in - you will get an error if you try to check in online about your reservation not being associated with a valid ticket.
When you applied the cert to the DL segment, I assume you had to call to do it? Agent probably just did the upgrade and entered cert info but didn't finish the process... which is fine since its DL metal and you are trying to upgrade the other segment.
Oh and yes they can use a closed cert, since it is still valid for that ticket.

That AMS-DEL flight doesn't look good at least from the inventory... KL is only selling J2, and the married MSP-AMS-DEL is J0, even though seatmap shows a lot unassigned.

Under the published rules, you cannot go from Premium to J on KL with a GUC- only from Y to J .

The internal rules changed several weeks ago in Oct, and DL still has not published updated/corrections to the GUC T&Cs that pax can see.
Currently itis required that one have a Prem Econ ticket on KL metal with that cabin in order to upgrade to Z business.

What are the rules re. flights with KLM's A330s that do not have PE? Can one still be upgraded from Economy to Z Business on those?

Probably a popular day for that route. Thanks again for the insights! Fingers crossed.

Did you get this through a Delta or a KLM agent? I had something come up for a trip and am trying to change a flight by one day but have been told by Delta that if I make any changes I will lose all GUC that previously cleared unless I pay to upgrade to Premium ($4000 per person).

They did confirm the upgrades are available, but said there is no way to keep my main cabin upgrade if I make any changes to the flights.

Did you have any luck getting this approved? I have a flight next week that was previously cleared from main cabin to Z class, but now am needing to make a change to our itinerary by 1 day. Delta has said if I change anything I will lose the upgrades on every segment and that there's no way around this unless I pay to upgrade to premium ($4000 per person additional).

An agent told me that the new rules in KM for both AF/KL flights now clearly state that okay from Y to J on flights with no PE cabin. It mentions there is no PE on narrow body aircraft. I did run into a couple agents in the last couple of years that would only upgrade Air France on long haul and not inter-Europe because of this issue. Generally, it was just a HUCA. But now it’s nice to know that this is now noted in their rules.

Are there many AF/KL planes left that don't have a PE cabin? I haven't come across one in a very long time.

upon checking, AirFrance has 5 A330 and KLM has 11. I know I have seen KLM using A330 on Canada routes including YYZ, YUL, YEG