3Cforme

This thread is going in circles. NRPS isn't standby. The traveler is going if the flight goes. NRPS doesn't change GUCs clearing at the gate. The NRPS might be something like a pilot deadheading back after delivering an aircraft to SIN for a heavy maintenance check. In the context of Delta 3.5-4 million passenger boardings a week there aren't very many NRPS.

What the OP doesn't like is that DL had:

1. A Revenue Management mistake, in clearing GUCs or mileage upgrades before he went to the waitlist, or

2. Enough paying customers in J cabin such that it didn't clear his GUC.

Premium cabins sized to accommodate all paying customers sounds much like how they would want to run an airline. Where's bubbashow?

rylan

Yes it is continually getting more difficult to use GUCs. I had a flight to SIN a few weeks ago and ended up, luckily, 1/8 on the DTW-NRT segment with 1 seat available. The NRT/SIN segments actually cleared well in advance... likely since there are less feeder routes into NRT, so less premium traffic to SIN.
Return NRT-DTW cleared the day before so does appear that some inventory was made available last minute. Got to enjoy my last segments in D1 both ways on the 747.

I strongly expect that with the small D1 cabin on the 350 that there will be zero advanced upgrade inventory, and all upgrades will go to to the gate... and those will be sparse.

HDQDD

I never said NRPS was standby. I said it was "*NR*" which is non-revenue.

jamesteroh

And foreign carriers have a better product. Someone in my office needs to fly to LHR next month. In the past she would just take Delta for the MQM's. She is unable to get $15k MQD's or $250K in Am Ex spend in thus doesn't care about the MQM's going forward since she can easily get in 75K mqm's a year from normal flying.

Since she can expense a business class fare the trip is going to Virgin Atlantic. Virgin is the same price and offers a lot better product.

I also know a couple flying to SYD in Dec. There was no availability at all for the entire month of December for DTW/SYD for upgrades and his wife wants to sit in Business which is understandable. Since they aren't willing to pay the upgrade game and risk sitting in Y they decided to buy a business class ticket and are taking Virgin from LAX since the fare is similar to Deltas and they get a better product.

If Delta's CEO wants to say they aren't giving away the best real estate then he needs to realize his best real estate isn't the best real estate overall on many international routes.

gigglypug

i’ve noticed over the last year or so that Delta came up as “least cost logical fare” in my Concur searches with quite some frequency. Very rarely used to be the case, but at least in my market they’re now often the low cost leader.

so, agree that Delta’s priority aren’t its frequent flyers and the strategy appears to be to fill planes with fee-paying kettles. Seems to be working as the planes are certainly full...

rylan

Its going to take some time, but I do wonder if these changes DL is making are going to backfire as more pax just start booking on price and experiencing other carriers instead of chasing MQMs etc.

sdadept

this is exactly what I do. In fairness, its what the airlines want anyway. FF programs are mostly worthless anymore so I don't bother.

sdadept

I think this is where a lot of people have correctly pointed out that if delta is competing solely on hard product and price then they are going to lose to just about every international carrier out there.

jamesteroh

If I decide not to go for $250K in Am Ex spend to be diamond (I think getting $15K in MQD will be impossible for me) and go for Platinum instead I'm not going to care about the MQM's from flying Delta since I can easily get 75K MQM's in a year and the rollover will be worthless.

If I have to pay for business class international flights (or even coach class) you better believe my DTW/LHR once or twice a year trips are going to Virgin instead of Delta unless there is a huge price difference. Much better service on Virgin and the DTW/LHR outbound flight leaves at a more convenient time for me than the DL flight

TheMadBrewer

To all those people saying "To hell with Delta, I'm going with the Virgin instead" isn't really punishing Delta as they have JVs to share revenue.

If you want to "punish" Delta, fly on OW/*A/ME3 etc.

LonghaulCommuter

I had started another thread asking if anyone had success with GUCs upgrading to D1 suites. In one reply, someone had their upgrade confirmed for mid-Dec so it looks like Delta is actually releasing inventory for some flights.

Kacee

That's not an accurate statement.

UA has historically been willing to extend two GPU for 1K who have requalified. It's assumed they will do that again this year, though the announcement is typically not made until mid-November.

That said, clearing UA GPU is hit or miss and very route and flight dependent.

jamesteroh

If I go on Virgin it will be because they have the better product and/or best fare not to punish Delta. If Delta introduces a better product/has a lower fare or has a better flight time I'll take them. I'm sure not pushing my DTW/LGA flights to spirit or my dtw/MDW flights to Southwest since Delta has a better product. In my case if I go to LHR it will be from DTW and Virgin and Delta are the only two airlines with direct service. I'd rather take British but I don't want to connect.

NOLAnwGOLD

Yeah, it's frustrating to use the GUCs. My boyfriend has two phrases he rotates through when he hears me on the DM line: "reindeer games!" and "illusionary benefits!"

He's ready to just dump DL and do his one year as DM. I was PM for 10 years and now DM for 2. Even though there's 2 "Z" fares that you can buy and EF has for KLM, Delta won't do the AMS-CPT upgrades for our up coming trip.

It's such a waste of time for everyone....but I'm not wasting my time with the Delta AMEX, will cancel it once the fee hits!

vincentharris

Besides FA's, GA's, and other ground staff saying "Thanks for being a (insert status) your long time loyalty is appreciated" FO, GM, PM, and DM are basically worthless (save for SDC, quicker access to phone agents, and boarding) It is the way it is businesses dont care about you after your check clears.

It reminds me of an old saying in sales even if you closed the largest deal in a companies history, 1 minute after the ink dries everyone asks "what have you done for me lately?"