air1jdg

On 07-Sep-2016 I was on DL5177 from LGA - SDF. I was #1 on the list with 2 seats showing empty. When they called PREM I was the first person in line to board and asked the agent if he had processed the upgrade list. He fidgeted with the computer and said, "It's not working but take a seat in front".

I boarded and took a seat but still showed #1 on the upgrade list. When the flight was about the leave he came on and pulled someone from the back and put them in the other open seat, who knows if it was #2 or his friend trying to get home.

I do see more rules being followed than broken but this seemed to be a blatant negligent attempt to not process the gate upgrade list and give the seats to whoever he wanted.

My $.02 on this subject.

MSPeconomist

Do records after the flight show that you sat in FC?

How were you supposed to know which FC seats were empty in order to take one of them?

BusTrav8yrs

So you got your UG and you don't have any evidence that the other person pulled wasn't the #2 on the list.

You might have to add another couple of pennies to the ante.

air1jdg

He did say, "Take 2C", which showed empty on the seat map.

air1jdg

This is more about him following protocol. He had not processed the upgrade list as he should before the flight had started boarding. I had to prompt him to do it and then he didn't seem to know how to do it or the system was, in fact, broken.

I do not know if the #2 was the person who was really #2 as the list never changed because the agent was inept or the system was broken. But the fact that he had seemed to forget to do it when I asked him about it does lead me to one conclusion.

I'm always happy to be in F but I really do just pay for my coach seat and expect only to get home safely.

Best to all,
John

NYCTraveller

But he breached protocol by asking you to "take a seat in front" without processing the upgrades, and you did. Would you have complained if he didn't pull someone from the back, against protocol?

woodford02A

So you're upset he came onboard to pull someone up to the empty seat? Someone who you have no data point to say was/was not next on the list?

Isn't this what people on FT complain all day about many GA's NOT doing?

No shena here - stop trying to make shena happen

air1jdg

I am not complaining. I think I will continue to be a lurker on this site. I thought I was adding some meaningful insight to a continuous discussion that I see here yet I am bombarded with people seeing me as a complainer.

The entire situation was not what I was used to seeing, I thought it was worthy of a discussion. End of story.

air1jdg

Yes, my apologies for the thread title, I can see how you think I'm trying to make something out of possibly nothing.

The point I wanted to make is that he had no intention of properly processing the upgrade list prior to boarding, I had to call it to his attention. I am not used to seeing this and, as far as I know, is not proper procedure.

I love Delta and FT and I am not complaining as per my other post-reply.

bennos

Well we don't actually know that because delta.com no longer (AFAICT) offers the ability to view fare class paid vs flown.

Based on the story as presented there are three possible scenarios:

1. The employee wasn't properly trained
2. The employee was attempting to pull a shena
3. The computer really wasn't working

Which is it? Clearly we don't know, but I'll bet it wasn't the last one.

MSPeconomist

4.The employee was lazy.

5.The employee was short of time and needed/wanted to have the flight depart on time.

dzflyer

LGA always a treat. It could very well be lazy as much as shena knowing LGA.

davetravels

Don't run away mad. All participants are welcome here with every possible viewpoint!

I think you may have a misunderstanding as to our definition of what "Shena(igans)" is. To most of us here, I believe, Shena is considered to have appeared when - in one way or another - a Medallion at or near the top of the upgrade list is seemingly passed over, and a Delta employee is verifyably sitting in the open F seat.

In your case, it seems as though a paying passenger was pulled from the back, so, this may have been some other improper processing of the UG list, but, not really "Shena", where a Medallion loses an UG to an employee.

RaflW

I think this thread would be much more fairly titled "Can upgrade processing be broken?" or some such. It doesn't seem Shena-ish to me.

OHDL1

And perish the thought that he might be a new employee working a flight alone for the first time.