drminn

I find it interesting how on FT statements and arguments morph into exactly the opposite from the original post. The OP asked what people thought Delta wanted the brand D1 to stand for. He looked at exclusivity, but then pointed out that the non-rev upgrade policy seems to contradict that. He then asked the question whether from a branding point of view - if exclusivity was indeed the goal - it wouldn't be better to upgrade their best customers.

I didn't see him/her complain, I am sure somebody will prove me wrong.

DL-Don

To me, the D1 brand means overcooked filets.

pvn

Is this really the first time you've encountered the "I AM MAD THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAPPY" type complaints on the internet?

jdrtravel

This number is a ridiculous claim. Were you reading the manifest? How could you possibly know this?

In general I have not found this to be a problem. However, one time on a redeye a pax who appeared to friends with an FA kept coming up to the F galley from Y to get snacks and drinks and, most annoyingly of all, chat with the FA (most annoying because it was a redeye).

JayTeaBee

You are right, no complaining but certainly contains overtones of superiority. How dare those pleeb's be in the exclusive D1 cabin with someone of his/her stature! The nerve of DL!

That being said, I'm with the OP, I (selfishly as a PM) wish there was a way I could get into D1 without paying (aka upgrade). But there isn't

Even if there was complimentary upgrades we'd see similar threads like this about how the "upgraders" don't know how to behave.

gooselee

I have only ever flown int'l J (including D1) for leisure, almost always with Mrs. Lee. All our tickets are paid for using cash or miles because we don't like playing the UG game while on vacation.

She takes lots of selfies. I've gotten photos in the cockpit. We talk to each other at a reasonable level and maybe stay up "later" than others watching movies or getting the non-abbreviated meal service. We tend to be friendly with the FAs because we're on vacation and in a good mood. We're not carrying on and having a party or anything, but if I want to stay awake, quietly talk to my wife, and have a couple extra glasses of wine, I'm going to do just that. There are eyemasks and earplugs in the Tumi kits if others happen to be light sleepers.

Sorry, OP, but our experience is just as valid as anyone else's in that cabin. Arguably moreso than a DM who has gotten upgraded from a coach ticket.

I believe DL's strategy/thought is to make as much profit as possible. Not really anything hidden or ambiguous about that. I'd assume that their product, pricing, and upgrade/nonrev policies are designed to do exactly that.

pokeable

OP is asking about branding perception; if the perception (certainly it seems to be on Flyertalk) that the D1 cabin is packed to the gills with nonrevs/buddy pass fliers, why would someone be the sucker to pay exorbitant J prices?

Keith2004

Not at all LOL

Was curious what this persons reasoning was,
That Delta One is not all people wanting express service then straight to sleep is an affront to high class elite passengers.

ChiefNWA

So if an employee at my local Benz dealer gets 8% off invoice, does that mean I shouldn't be a "sucker" and pay a dime more than him?

The nonrev pass riding system is a benefit of working for the airline. Who's seated in D1 shouldn't be a concern of someone purchasing J.

I've purchased seats up front before (on other carriers) and not once did I sit back and think about who I might be sitting with, it's irrelevant.

Keith2004

To directly respond to the brand question

I don't think when Delta says "exclusive" cabin it means only one type of premium traveler.

Delta One can be
1. Business traveler that wants sleep/express service (See eye mask/ear plugs in Tumi)
2. Leisure Traveler paid or via miles, wants full experience, sleep not priority
3. Non Revs, similar to #2
4. Upgraders, Mix of #1 and #2

Delta One is for all of the above, When I am in Delta One I am firmly in #2 . I had a couple Delta One flights already this year, one was JFK-AMS red-eye, some passengers went straight to sleep and skipped meals entirely, Me and my +1 (both full paid D1 customers) Took Selfies B4 Take of, utilized full meal service, and stayed up to watch a couple movies.

I plan to do the same on upcoming D1 flights particularly ones on 747 upper deck...who would wanna sleep that away

Keith2004

Exactly!

+ Even passengers in Y could be sitting next to Non-revs flying for free or people who got a much better deal.

What your neighbor paid/didn't pay for their seat should not matter to you, obviously if you paid what you paid, that's what the seat was worth to you.

DLMiddleSeats

Airlines historically have also gotten away with paying employees less than market rate as flights is one of the best benefits an entry level employee can get in any industry. It's really part of employees pay, it's just some people aren't as discreet as they should be.

And honestly it's hard to nonrev these days. It's not even the international part but if you don't live in a city in international flights, getting to the hub is rough a lot of days.

I have gotten on several 5-6am flights to get to JFK or ATL to catch an evening flight to Europe. It's not exactly glamorous most days.

injera

i'm flying up front with a 2 year old this weekend - this thread is making me excited to deal with everyone

sky303

Beyond that, when I ride full fare, I don't get annoyed or concern myself with the fact that there are some people up front who were op-uped or used instruments. It doesn't matter to me and has no impact. If a customer is disruptive, that's one thing, but that's IME not at all linked to the method of how that passenger ended up in whatever cabin. In fact, IME, NRSA are generally the most well-behaved (when you even know who they are) aboard, and I know from experience that most go to great lengths to avoid being annoying or disruptive.

TTT

Nothing to be sorry about. I have been lucking to be in D1 a few times and always get a little giddy