No more onboard upgrades?

Old Jun 10, 2017, 6:19 pm
  #1  
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No more onboard upgrades?

I'm sitting in 1A on a flight from SFO to SEA and overheard an interesting conversation between the gate agent and flight attendants. The GA had just come on board to pull a couple of people from the back to fill empty F seats. The FA stopped the GA on his way out and told him there had been a recent memo ending such upgrades, apparently for departure timing reasons. The FAs seemed pretty upset about the GA being on board at all.

Has anybody else heard about this? There is a possibility this would only applies to regional flights, or that the FA was misinformed (but they were both adamant).
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 6:21 pm
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Originally Posted by eleventy
I'm sitting in 1A on a flight from SFO to SEA and overheard an interesting conversation between the gate agent and flight attendants. The GA had just come on board to pull a couple of people from the back to fill empty F seats. The FA stopped the GA on his way out and told him there had been a recent memo ending such upgrades, apparently for departure timing reasons. The FAs seemed pretty upset about the GA being on board at all.

Has anybody else heard about this? There is a possibility this would only applies to regional flights, or that the FA was misinformed (but they were both adamant).
FA was wrong. In fact they are supposed to be working towards getting rid of YBYL.
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 6:23 pm
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is there a list of acronyms somewhere you can point me to?
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 6:28 pm
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What happened to the empty seats???

The most recent posting here about this, states, that if the gate agent has time, they should upgrade onboard when possible <I'm sure my paraphrasing is off from the exact lingo>.
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 6:43 pm
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Originally Posted by pharmawalk
is there a list of acronyms somewhere you can point me to?
YBYL - You Board You Lose (your upgrade)
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 6:47 pm
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Originally Posted by davetravels
What happened to the empty seats???

The most recent posting here about this, states, that if the gate agent has time, they should upgrade onboard when possible <I'm sure my paraphrasing is off from the exact lingo>.
They got filled, but the FAs weren't happy about it. It's not as if we were running late or anything either.
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 6:51 pm
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Originally Posted by eleventy
They got filled, but the FAs weren't happy about it.
They weren't happy about it?!?!?

What's the difference to them if 2 pax are sitting up front, or in the back . . . . Or, do you suspect there were some nonrev colleagues they wanted to put there?
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 6:56 pm
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Originally Posted by davetravels
They weren't happy about it?!?!?

What's the difference to them if 2 pax are sitting up front, or in the back . . . . Or, do you suspect there were some nonrev colleagues they wanted to put there?
If i recall right, FA pay is based on door close to door open? So the longer they sit on the ground with the door open, they arent getting paid as much. Given then if they are late off the ground the pilot likely goes faster to make up the lost time, shortening the flight and again...their overall door-door time&pay.
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 7:11 pm
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Originally Posted by xolinlevh
If i recall right, FA pay is based on door close to door open? So the longer they sit on the ground with the door open, they arent getting paid as much. Given then if they are late off the ground the pilot likely goes faster to make up the lost time, shortening the flight and again...their overall door-door time&pay.
i was told it was the moment first passrnger boarded till when last one left. In fact after waiting an hour for a wheelchair at JFK one made a comment to me. They said DL wouldn't be happy paying an extra hour for 8 zFA to stsy onboard due to no wheelchair for one passenger. (A330, and till all passengers are off they have to keep minimum FAs for plane type onboard)
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 7:51 pm
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Originally Posted by flyerCO
i was told it was the moment first passrnger boarded till when last one left. In fact after waiting an hour for a wheelchair at JFK one made a comment to me. They said DL wouldn't be happy paying an extra hour for 8 zFA to stsy onboard due to no wheelchair for one passenger. (A330, and till all passengers are off they have to keep minimum FAs for plane type onboard)
Straight time is paid when the door is closed. The small per diem ($2-4/hour) is paid otherwise.
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 7:57 pm
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Originally Posted by Widgets
Straight time is paid when the door is closed. The small per diem ($2-4/hour) is paid otherwise.
So, what's your assessment of the OP here, regarding no longer UG'ing onboard?
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 8:18 pm
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Originally Posted by davetravels
So, what's your assessment of the OP here, regarding no longer UG'ing onboard?
Why would a flight attendant be more aware than a gate agent of a policy that only affects gate agents?

Even if the flight attendant were right, the gate agent can do reseating until the flight departs/passenger count has been submitted... so I won't comment on that.
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 8:22 pm
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Originally Posted by Widgets
Why would a flight attendant be more aware than a gate agent of a policy that only affects gate agents?

Even if the flight attendant were right, the gate agent can do reseating until the flight departs/passenger count has been submitted... so I won't comment on that.
Seems odd that a FA would specifically mention a "recent memo":

Originally Posted by eleventy
The FA stopped the GA on his way out and told him there had been a recent memo ending such upgrades
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 8:28 pm
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I think the FA might be confusing memos....I think DL just put out a memo to FAs telling them to no longer do paid onboard upgrades to C+ after the door is closed. I could be getting some of this wrong but recall this going out recently.
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Old Jun 10, 2017, 8:30 pm
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Originally Posted by AANYC1981
I think the FA might be confusing memos....I think DL just put out a memo to FAs telling them to no longer do paid onboard upgrades to C+ after the door is closed. I could be getting some of this wrong but recall this going out recently.
That makes sense. That was a memo.
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