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Does companion lower your spot on the upgrade list?

Does companion lower your spot on the upgrade list?

Old Dec 28, 2017, 2:32 pm
  #1  
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Does companion lower your spot on the upgrade list?

I don't feel like I've seen this articulated... but my recent experience suggests otherwise.

Flew with the family over the holiday and we always book multiple PNRs since the DL system won't upgrade any of us otherwise. Mr. Curl (Silver) on one res, me (GM) and BabyCurl (member) on the other. Same fare class on all, booked at basically the same time, give or take 5 minutes. Mr. Curl hits his Amex $25K spend right before our trip (needed not for waiver as he was already over spend, but the 10K MQM bonus) so now he is GM too. at T-72, both ways, Mr. Curl gets F, and Baby Curl and I get C+. Eventually an hour or two before the flight, we get bumped too. So, I'm curious, why did he get FC at T-72 and we got battlefield UG at the gate? (both ways, there showed several FC seats available a few days out) We are both GM, both DL Amex plat, same fare class, same last name. (though mine comes before his in alphabet) Does having a companion downgrade you on the list to the bottom of your medallion level?
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 2:36 pm
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Who bought the ticket first?
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 2:39 pm
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Originally Posted by curl
I don't feel like I've seen this articulated... but my recent experience suggests otherwise.

Flew with the family over the holiday and we always book multiple PNRs since the DL system won't upgrade any of us otherwise. Mr. Curl (Silver) on one res, me (GM) and BabyCurl (member) on the other. Same fare class on all, booked at basically the same time, give or take 5 minutes. Mr. Curl hits his Amex $25K spend right before our trip (needed not for waiver as he was already over spend, but the 10K MQM bonus) so now he is GM too. at T-72, both ways, Mr. Curl gets F, and Baby Curl and I get C+. Eventually an hour or two before the flight, we get bumped too. So, I'm curious, why did he get FC at T-72 and we got battlefield UG at the gate? (both ways, there showed several FC seats available a few days out) We are both GM, both DL Amex plat, same fare class, same last name. (though mine comes before his in alphabet) Does having a companion downgrade you on the list to the bottom of your medallion level?
Apparently at the time of the upgrade, there was only one FC seat released (or remaining as available after others higher on the list had been cleared) in the appropriate inventory bucket for free elite upgrades on the flight.
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 2:41 pm
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Originally Posted by pvn
Who bought the ticket first?
Well, I personally bought all of the tickets, though I don't remember the transaction order.
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 2:48 pm
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Apparently at the time of the upgrade, there was only one FC seat released (or remaining as available after others higher on the list had been cleared) in the appropriate inventory bucket for free elite upgrades on the flight.
Here's the interesting thing... we were already in the 72 hour window when he became GM. (we'd moved to C+ already at 72hrs) I went in his account, checked and unchecked his UG requests and then he went from coach to FC. So, it was like he leap-frogged us when he became GM.

Also, I confirmed, I booked the two tickets first, then Mr. Curl's two minutes later.
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 2:48 pm
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Originally Posted by curl
...Mr. Curl hits his Amex $25K spend right before our trip (needed not for waiver as he was already over spend, but the 10K MQM bonus) so now he is GM too. ...
Had the bonus actually been applied and recognized in the Delta system? Did the ticket/pnr actually show as a gold? (timing)

EDIT - I see he got the upgrade before you. The bump terminology confused me. Hmmm...
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 2:55 pm
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Originally Posted by NoStressHere
Had the bonus actually been applied and recognized in the Delta system? Did the ticket/pnr actually show as a gold? (timing)

EDIT - I see he got the upgrade before you. The bump terminology confused me. Hmmm...
flight was 12/24, BabyCurl and I got UG to C+ on 12/21. (nothing for Mr. Curl that day, still Silver) Mr. Curl gets "welcome to GOLD" email the morning of 12/22. that's when I went in and played with the UG requests and he moved up to FC.
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 2:57 pm
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Originally Posted by curl
flight was 12/24, BabyCurl and I got UG to C+ on 12/21. (nothing for Mr. Curl that day, still Silver) Mr. Curl gets "welcome to GOLD" email the morning of 12/22. that's when I went in and played with the UG requests and he moved up to FC.
.....because there was one and only one FC upgrade available at that time.
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 3:10 pm
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Originally Posted by curl
Here's the interesting thing... we were already in the 72 hour window when he became GM. (we'd moved to C+ already at 72hrs) I went in his account, checked and unchecked his UG requests and then he went from coach to FC. So, it was like he leap-frogged us when he became GM.

Also, I confirmed, I booked the two tickets first, then Mr. Curl's two minutes later.
So like the other poster suggested, there was probably only 1 RU inventory available when the window opened, with no PMs or DMs in front of you. So since you had 2 on the PNR, you didn't get it. When his GM cleared, after the window was already opened, he cleared on the next sweep.
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 3:12 pm
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thanks for the explanation, MSP, does that mean that single travelers will leap frog you then, if only one seat at your UG window? (I.e. it would go to the next single traveler)
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 7:29 pm
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Originally Posted by curl
... does that mean that single travelers will leap frog you then, if only one seat at your UG window? (i.e. it would go to the next single traveler)
exactly ... my story is from several years ago, but its still relevant: my wife and I were #s 4 and 5 for 4 seats; the upgrades went to #s 1, 2, 3, and 6

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Old Dec 28, 2017, 7:56 pm
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Originally Posted by curl
thanks for the explanation, MSP, does that mean that single travelers will leap frog you then, if only one seat at your UG window? (I.e. it would go to the next single traveler)
This may be true at the window but if there is only one FC seat open at the gate and I am on top of the list with a companion, on at least three different occasions the gate agent (at three different locations) asked me whether we would like the one upgrade and if so, who he/she should upgrade. I have not experienced that if only one FC seat is available a group of two on top of the list was skipped at the gate unless being asked.
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Old Dec 28, 2017, 7:56 pm
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They really have no choice.

One seat open. Two options
a) take HALF of the next available GM
or
b) Take the next available solo
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Old Jan 3, 2018, 10:34 pm
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Originally Posted by NoStressHere
They really have no choice.

One seat open. Two options
a) take HALF of the next available GM
or
b) Take the next available solo
If it's not at the gate, they have a third option: Take nobody yet.

If at the gate, they ask the next group if they want to split.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 8:25 am
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Originally Posted by sethb
If it's not at the gate, they have a third option: Take nobody yet.

If at the gate, they ask the next group if they want to split.
Which is probably what happened here, and hence why one RU was still available when the solo obtained GM status. If his ticket was bought first and then he got HM, presumably he may be (correctly) above the two-person PNR on the upgrade list at that point. Since the next solo on the list wasn't upgraded at the window, then the upgrade was available once the solo got their new placement on the UG list.
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