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Old Aug 10, 2016, 9:13 am
  #1  
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A Way to prevent Abuse with New Policy
Wouldn't it make everyone happy if DL offered a limited supply of first class companion upgrade certificates to medallions as a choice benefit ?

This way medallions who believe it is vital that their companions get a free upgrade to sit with them when they fly with them 1-2 times a year get what they want without downgrading every other medallions' advertised benefits on every flight every day of the year.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 9:21 am
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Why do you think there is going to be abuse otherwise?
The policy is that your companion has to be booked together on the same PNR. All DL needs to do is enforce that.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 9:37 am
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Originally Posted by rylan
Why do you think there is going to be abuse otherwise?
The policy is that your companion has to be booked together on the same PNR. All DL needs to do is enforce that.
It worked very well on NW. And if they weren't in the same PNR:

NW Plats (no Diamond there) could also upgrade anyone at the gate if space was still available after the upgrade list was processed. I'm not sure that would work today will fuller planes and busier gate agents.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 9:48 am
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Originally Posted by MikeMpls
It worked very well on NW. And if they weren't in the same PNR:

NW Plats (no Diamond there) could also upgrade anyone at the gate if space was still available after the upgrade list was processed. I'm not sure that would work today will fuller planes and busier gate agents.
that's effectively what the policy is now on DL. You can link your PNR to a companion's PNR and you can both get upgraded, but you're at the bottom of the list, or at least very near it for practical purposes.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 10:06 am
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Originally Posted by rylan
Why do you think there is going to be abuse otherwise?
The policy is that your companion has to be booked together on the same PNR. All DL needs to do is enforce that.
From what I have witnessed flying almost every week , also from the comments that I have read on the forum.

Wouldn't my suggestion to have a limited amount of companion first class upgrades as a choice benefit make everyone happy ?
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 10:10 am
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Originally Posted by Exploerer
From what I have witnessed flying almost every week , also from the comments that I have read on the forum.
Why don't you see this "abuse" happening on AA, which already allows companions to upgrade at the same status as the elite passenger?

Wouldn't my suggestion to have a limited amount of companion first class upgrades as a choice benefit make everyone happy ?
Probably, but it is more complicated and simplicity is its own virtue both in terms of being able to use the program and the airline being able to implement it.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 10:22 am
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I don't fly on AA , however from what I have been told , AA has more space available first UGs than DL . I also believe that the companion has to have status on AA.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 10:23 am
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Aren't the RUC's the choice benefit you desire? I have used them for my wife and I on several domestic trips together. You have to be proactive on booking to use them and sometimes take a connection - but we get to sit in first, together. Seems like the benefit is already in place for PMs and DMs.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 10:46 am
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Originally Posted by Exploerer
Wouldn't it make everyone happy if DL offered a limited supply of first class companion upgrade certificates to medallions as a choice benefit ?

This way medallions who believe it is vital that their companions get a free upgrade to sit with them when they fly with them 1-2 times a year get what they want without downgrading every other medallions' advertised benefits on every flight every day of the year.
If the companions are only traveling 1-2 times a year, how is the downgrading of other Medallion's benefits any different whether the upgrades are complimentary or instrument supported?

Originally Posted by pvn
that's effectively what the policy is now on DL. You can link your PNR to a companion's PNR and you can both get upgraded, but you're at the bottom of the list, or at least very near it for practical purposes.
That's all changing this fall.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 10:51 am
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^Exactly. I'm a PM, my wife is a general member. In a busy year, we have 5 trips together, tops.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 11:02 am
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Originally Posted by orr333
Aren't the RUC's the choice benefit you desire? I have used them for my wife and I on several domestic trips together. You have to be proactive on booking to use them and sometimes take a connection - but we get to sit in first, together. Seems like the benefit is already in place for PMs and DMs.
Yes they are but they are not enough of a benefit to make the customers happy who requested first class companion upgrades, that is why I requested specific companion upgrades as a choice benefit to make everyone happy.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 11:07 am
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Originally Posted by javabytes
If the companions are only traveling 1-2 times a year, how is the downgrading of other Medallion's benefits any different whether the upgrades are complimentary or instrument supported?



That's all changing this fall.
Because they will be limited and provided as a choice benefit instead of having unlimited non - status companion upgrades available on every flight,
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 11:15 am
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Exploerer
Because they will be limited and provided as a choice benefit instead of having unlimited non - status companion upgrades available on every flight,
What percentage of PMs booking Y domestic tickets do you think currently have a companion on the same PNR?

If you think the policy is going to be "abused" by GAs just nilly-willy giving out-of-policy upgrades to every companion whether or not they're on the same PNR, please explain why they'll do that after the policy changes but they're not doing it currently.
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 11:28 am
  #14  
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Originally Posted by Exploerer
Because they will be limited and provided as a choice benefit instead of having unlimited non - status companion upgrades available on every flight,
Originally Posted by Exploerer
when they fly with them 1-2 times a year
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Old Aug 10, 2016, 11:46 am
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Originally Posted by Exploerer
I don't fly on AA , however from what I have been told , AA has more space available first UGs than DL .
I get the impression this is true as well, but doesn't seem relevant to my question: if you think that there is going to be "abuse" as opposed to bona fide travel with companions, this should be happening already and I see no evidence of it. I see no reason to believe that it would happen on DL when it doesn't happen on AA.

I also believe that the companion has to have status on AA.
That's not correct.
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