Alzarian

It took me all year, as I don't fly as frequently as all that, but I just got the message that I have achieved Silver Medallion status with Delta. Woohoo!

I have one flight remaining to take for this year, and im just a bit confused about this whole upgrade thing, so perhaps some wise traveller can explain it to me.

When I go into the delta app, I see my name listed as being 17 of 17 on the standby list for first class. (My initial ticket was for Delta Comfort so any upgrade for me would be into first class).

When I first checked earlier this morning, right at 24 hours before my flight and the earliest i can even get on the list as a silver medallion member, i was listed as 8 of 8.

So I guess I'm curious as to why I went from 8 of 8 to 17 of 17... did nine people somehow get added onto the upgrade list over the course of the afternoon. Also, I must be really low regarding status to be in dead last place!

Finally, I am a bit curious as to the point of being on such a list. If there are only 3 first class seats available... It seems I would have zero chance of getting one of those seats. In fact, even if I had been number 4 on the list... what good is it? Only the first three names are going to be upgraded... and surely they are diamond members or something...

My Silver Medallion status will extend through 2018, so I am sure I will learn more as time goes on... but does silver status ever result in an upgrade? Is it more to do with having bought a delta comfort seat and trying for a first class that is the sticking point? Had I just bought a main cabin seat, I wonder if I'd be pretty much assured of getting bumped to delta comfort class as there is only 1 name there and not 17 as is the case for those trying for first class.

anyway, first timer here just trying to wrap my head around how this system works. Thanks!

xliioper

People are only shown on the upgrade list after they check-in. Anyone who has higher status than you and checks in after you will bump you down the list. Time of check-in has no bearing on upgrade priority.

Eddie98

Congrats!! Now check in is automatically done for you. Your upgrade chances depend on what route and times you are flying. Where do you normally fly to/from?
I got upgraded as SM a few times to FC but the route was not a big one for a lot of medallion flyers.

indufan

Yes, Silvers do occasionally get upgraded, mostly on off days or off hours.

The list is just that, the list. There was a time they would cut off the list....and little made me more mad. It is crazy how dynamic bookings are. IROPS do major things to availability and I have seen it go so strange that a flight that was oversold ended up with only a dozen or so passengers and everyone on the list that originally was miles long got upgrade. Sure it is unlikely that someone on the bottom of the long list gets upgraded but never say never.

SoroSuub1

Congrats!

If you're a silver and want to max out the VIP experience available to you, try flying to Shanghai next year. The China Eastern SkyPriority benefits are available to all SkyTeam Elite (as opposed to most hub airports that restrict it to SkyTeam Elite Plus) and the check-in area is pretty nice too. Also full 100% MQM's and some connecting flights to SE Asia are on B fare, which earns 150% MQM's.

On Delta flights, you also get access to preferred seats - if you're booking leisure flights early (like I do!), you can nab the best exit row seats (or you could grab them now if they're still available).

ATOBTTR

Congrats on making Silver

As mentioned above, as more people with status acknowledge their check-in they are added to the list as well. The list can change significantly in the 24 hours leading up to the flight as seats become available or disappear and as people switch to or from your flight. You will find many examples here of people checking in and being #1 for 4 or 5 open seats, and then by the time they get to the gate for their flight, they are #1 for 0 seats. You'll likely never really know why - did those seats go to people who were given upgrade offers at check-in or did people with FC seats on other flights switch to yours, etc. Just the way it is. Following the UG list in the 24 hours leading up to the flight can be a lot like following your Fantasy Football scores on Sunday - one minute things look good and then before you know it, it's all gone to hell. If you don't clear at the upgrade window, best to just try not to think about it and let the chips fall where they will when you go to the gate. You can't do anything to really change your position anyway***

***One "trick" is what's called "You Board, You Lose". When you board, your name is removed from the upgrade list. What can happen sometimes is there is a a FC passenger who becomes a no-show or the GA hasn't processed the upgrade list when boarding starts. The GA may then clear the last seat to whoever is remaining on the list, which if you haven't boarded, could be you. The GA also could just print the UG list before boarding starts and go find the person who was #1 on the list and UG them directly on the plane. There's a lot of debate on this forum about this practice and there's no way to know what the GA will do unless you ask the GA ahead of time, but you could always ask if they plan to use "You Board You Lose", and if they say "yes", you could remain in the gate area to see if the no-show remains a no-show and then get processed into the seat.

Yes, it's amusing to see a list that's longer than there are even seats in the FC cabin, never mind seats remaining. But everyone who is eligible - and their companion - is on the list.

Depends on your routes and travel patterns. Though I'll be dropping to Platinum Medallion next year and expect my UG percentage to drop with it, as many of my upgrades this year were into one of the last seats in FC, there are years where I did about as well as a Silver Medallion (frequently abbreviated "FO" here on FlyerTalk) as I did this year as a Diamond Medallion for the first time (that's also partially because my UG percentage this year as a DM wasn't that high). But I flew far different routes this year as a DM than I did as a Silver and the program was different too. As a Silver you're unlikely to see many upgrades on cross-country flights, especially from ATL or DTW. I'm a DM and I didn't clear SEA-ATL/ATL-SEA or SEA-DTW/DTW-SEA once this year on a complimentary upgrade though that's not to say it's impossible. Yet I've done well on a route like SEA-LAX/LAX-SEA, and on other routes out of SEA that aren't to major hubs, even when I moved out to Seattle with Gold Medallion status. I've also been on a handful of flights that went out with empty first class seats, so any Silver Medallion on the UG list did clear so yes, you may see some upgrades depending on when and where you go.

Yes, many of us choose not to request C+ upgrades if we can't get C+ seats at booking. We might prefer a regular (main cabin) aisle or exit row to a C+ middle seat or even maybe to a C+ window seat. It comes down to personal preference. If you don't care about being in a window or middle or aisle, then it doesn't hurt to request a C+ upgrade. If you do have a preference, then you may be best to either just pay out for C+ or not request the C+ upgrade.

Enjoy the Silver perks. Many on FT rag on Silver Medallion as being worthless but I think many of these are people who have such a high status level and have had it for so long they've forgotten what it's like to travel without any status. Any time I fly HA when island-hopping as a non-status passenger, I remember just how awful traveling without any status is. Silver Medallion is at least enough to make traveling from "awful" to "bearable" and "manageable". You'll have at least one free bag (2 if you also have a DL AmEx), access to priority check-in, access to preferred seats at booking, a little better phone line, and better IROPS handling and priority.

Alzarian

Very helpful information! Thanks!

pharmawalk

Congrats on Silver, now see below:

Start thinking about how you can get higher status...then you will really begin to appreciate what status means.

Qualifier: I have never been silver. Always been gold or above since started focusing my travel

No_Name

will PMs be able to get a FO to carry our bags or will that remain a DM benefit?

All seriousness, when I was FO I found the increased priority when calling handy.

skeets50

Last June I made a trip as a silver holder to Fairbanks. I got upgraded to first class on all segments except the msp-Atl segment- I paid for first upgrade on jfk- sea segment
FLL-JFK-SEA-Fairbanks-Minneapolis - -Atalanta - New Orleans

obscure2k

Welcome to Flyertalk and the Delta Forum, Alzarian.

daloosh

Alzarian, congratulations on making FO (or Flying Orchid)! Silver is absolutely worth it, as ATOBTTR said, it makes it bearable at least, and at the other end, sometimes you get the upgrade. It will all depend, on factors such as where you flying out of, the time of day and day of the week, and how many other Medallions are traveling. At the same time, airlines are expert at taking things away from the traveling public and making it more unbearable, so have qualified expectations. I would say that just having a better phone line and some priority when things go to hell can be a lifesaver!

Fly safe,
daloosh

JoelThomas

Congratulations Alzarian!

I made silver for the first time just about six weeks ago, and I share your excitement.

I have only been able to take one trip since attaining FO, but the miles of leg room in some of the exit rows has been a wonderful benefit to me. I know people value things differently, but flying is such a different experience to me when I am able to simply stretch my legs during a flight.

I feel like I have learned a lot from the FlyerTalk community, and I urge you to just spend time reading different threads here.

As a final point, it is very refreshing to see the replies you've gotten! Everyone has been supportive and congratulatory! At times, people can be combative and condescending on FT, but this reinforces that there is more good and support here on FT. Don't hesitate to ask about anything you don't quite understand, welcome to FT, and again, congratulations!

aquamarinesteph

Congrats on achieving SM status! I made it at the end of last year and wound up with Gold Medallion after my last flight this year. I've learned SO MUCH from reading these forums. Hope the information here serves you as well. Happy flying!

NoStressHere

As to why all those names on the list > here is a good reason why.

If many of us did NOT see our name on the list, we would then go the GA agent and ask where we stood on the list. That is what we did before those gate screens and the phone apps. Drove the GA nuts. Now they don't have to find a way to nicely say -

No Way In Hell Are You Getting Upgraded. Go Sit Down.

LOL!

As to silver. Best part is ability to pick your seats.