2018 Upgrade Success (Or Lack Thereof)
Dec 29, 2018, 5:45 am
#496
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,015
Since I started flying Delta about 7-8 years ago, I've received exactly one operational upgrade to D1. That was January 2018 from NRT-PDX and it was both me and my wife on an award ticket. We were already seated in C+.
Its not a very fair data point as 95% of the time, if I'm on a flight with D1, I've already paid for it and am sitting up front anyway.
Its not a very fair data point as 95% of the time, if I'm on a flight with D1, I've already paid for it and am sitting up front anyway.
Dec 29, 2018, 5:53 am
#497
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,015
You are about 3 revisions behind. Delta opened domestic D1 to comp upgrades for all Medallions effective April, 2018. DM's had been eligible at one point, but then lost eligibility for comp upgrades on domestic D1 from July, 2015 until the recent policy change in April, 2018.
Dec 29, 2018, 6:14 am
#498
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: West of CLE
Programs: Delta DM/3 MM; Hertz PC; National EE; Amtrak GR; Bonvoy Silver; Via Rail Préférence
Posts: 5,378
When the Big D inaugurated its D1 route between DCA and LAX, I was attempting to upgrade using RUCs. On the inaugural DCA-LAX, I was #2 for 1 seat 45 minutes before departure when suddenly there were two no shows, and I got one of the upgrade seats. On the way back, I got upgraded at the gate as #2 for 3 seats. I've tried to upgrade with RUCs on four segments on this route since then and went 0 for 4; D1 was sold out days before departure; I was #1 on the UG list on each of the flights and all the reservation holders showed up. If I want to use RUCs on the LAX trips, I have to connect in ATL or MSP.
Dec 29, 2018, 7:38 am
#499
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Motown
Programs: DL, WN, AA, IHG Diamond, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,408
As silver I got moved up to Delta One on DTW-MSP last month. The flight was a repo operated with an A330. So 1 for 1, as that was the only domestic flight I was on with a D1 cabin.
Dec 29, 2018, 7:56 am
#501
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Mostly living in the basement
Programs: Newly minted free agent; MR LT(!)TE, HH SE, BA SECM, DL MM, UA PS, 2V Fanboi, CBP GE
Posts: 5,106
I've been upgraded three times on JFK-LAX and 2 of 3 was a Saturday and one a Monday holiday (memorial day). The memorial day upgrade was shortly after they introduced what was then BE on this route, I was upgraded as an FO. I think holidays and Saturdays can make a difference.
Dec 29, 2018, 9:09 am
#502
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Programs: Delta DM
Posts: 425
Looking at today, a Saturday between two holidays when travel is presumably lighter, for the JFK-LAX departures that haven't left yet, 4 have between 4 and 6 J seats available, and 2 (a 75S and a 763) are sold out in J. So basically the same pattern I see other days of the week.
Dec 29, 2018, 2:34 pm
#503
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: PIT/WAS
Programs: Delta GM
Posts: 256
As FO:
F upgrades
1/1 DTW-GRR
7/4 BOS-DTW
C+ upgrades
3/4 MDW-MSP
3/4 MSP-JFK
3/12 MSP-MDW
7/1 DTW-BOS
7/4 DTW-AZO
9/29 MSP-DEN
10/2 DEN-DTW
Upgrade requested, didn't clear
7/1 AZO-DTW
Not upgrade eligible/not requested
3/4 JFK-DUB (exit row)
3/12 DUB-AMS (KLM operated), AMS-MSP (exit row)
4/5 outbound, 4/8 return AZO-DTW-MSP-AZO (E fare)
9/29 LAN-MSP (CR2)
10/2 DTW-LAN (CR2)
10/5 outbound, 10/7 return SBN-MSP-SBN (E fare)
Segments remaining for the year:
12/29 AZO-MSP-SLC-SFO
F upgrades
1/1 DTW-GRR
7/4 BOS-DTW
C+ upgrades
3/4 MDW-MSP
3/4 MSP-JFK
3/12 MSP-MDW
7/1 DTW-BOS
7/4 DTW-AZO
9/29 MSP-DEN
10/2 DEN-DTW
Upgrade requested, didn't clear
7/1 AZO-DTW
Not upgrade eligible/not requested
3/4 JFK-DUB (exit row)
3/12 DUB-AMS (KLM operated), AMS-MSP (exit row)
4/5 outbound, 4/8 return AZO-DTW-MSP-AZO (E fare)
9/29 LAN-MSP (CR2)
10/2 DTW-LAN (CR2)
10/5 outbound, 10/7 return SBN-MSP-SBN (E fare)
Segments remaining for the year:
12/29 AZO-MSP-SLC-SFO
AZO-MSP in coach on a CR2
MSP-SLC F upgrade at window
SLC-SFO C+ at about T-2.5 hours
Dec 29, 2018, 5:42 pm
#504
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC/ EWR/ PHL
Programs: UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 2,209
Dec 29, 2018, 7:59 pm
#505
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,882
January was tough for upgrades for me last year, I think due to the overlap where DMs who didn't requalify not falling out of status until 1/31.
That said, had my last trip of the calendar year yesterday (finally hitting my MQDs on the last segment), and I did pretty well for the year.
As a DM for the full year, with a Reserve card:
Out of 121 eligible segments I was upgraded 103 times, or 85.124% of the time.
67 of the upgrades were either at the 5 day window or at least > 24 hours prior to departure
22 were comp upgrades at the gate
14 were RUCs (out of 17 tries)
6 of the RUCs cleared immediately, 8 cleared at the gate
Of the times that the upgrade went to the gate, UG list position not using RUC:
#1 16 times
#2 4 times
#3 2 times
When using an RUC
#1 5 times
#2 3 times
When I didn't clear
Not using RUC:
#1 6 times
#2 3 times
#3 4 times
#4 4 times
#5 1 time
Using RUC:
#1 2 times
#3 1 time
Was pulled up from the back after boarding 3 times (Battlefield upgrade).
Longest upgrade list was 70, EWR-ATL. Shortest was 3, SEA-PDX.
Largest number of available seats at the gate was 5 (twice), the smallest number was 0 (11 times, though I actually got the upgrade 2 of those times)
Most common routes:
PDX-SLC 10 times
SLC-PDX 10 times
SEA-PDX 9 times
PDX-SEA 9 times
PDX-ATL 6 times
ATL-PDX 6 times
I hadn't noticed the symmetry of that before. At first glance it would appear to be a bunch of round trips, but almost none of them are. It's more of an artifact of having to connect through a hub to go almost anywhere.
Confessions of a data junkie.....
That said, had my last trip of the calendar year yesterday (finally hitting my MQDs on the last segment), and I did pretty well for the year.
As a DM for the full year, with a Reserve card:
Out of 121 eligible segments I was upgraded 103 times, or 85.124% of the time.
67 of the upgrades were either at the 5 day window or at least > 24 hours prior to departure
22 were comp upgrades at the gate
14 were RUCs (out of 17 tries)
6 of the RUCs cleared immediately, 8 cleared at the gate
Of the times that the upgrade went to the gate, UG list position not using RUC:
#1 16 times
#2 4 times
#3 2 times
When using an RUC
#1 5 times
#2 3 times
When I didn't clear
Not using RUC:
#1 6 times
#2 3 times
#3 4 times
#4 4 times
#5 1 time
Using RUC:
#1 2 times
#3 1 time
Was pulled up from the back after boarding 3 times (Battlefield upgrade).
Longest upgrade list was 70, EWR-ATL. Shortest was 3, SEA-PDX.
Largest number of available seats at the gate was 5 (twice), the smallest number was 0 (11 times, though I actually got the upgrade 2 of those times)
Most common routes:
PDX-SLC 10 times
SLC-PDX 10 times
SEA-PDX 9 times
PDX-SEA 9 times
PDX-ATL 6 times
ATL-PDX 6 times
I hadn't noticed the symmetry of that before. At first glance it would appear to be a bunch of round trips, but almost none of them are. It's more of an artifact of having to connect through a hub to go almost anywhere.
Confessions of a data junkie.....
Dec 29, 2018, 8:19 pm
#506
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC/ EWR/ PHL
Programs: UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 2,209
January was tough for upgrades for me last year, I think due to the overlap where DMs who didn't requalify not falling out of status until 1/31.
That said, had my last trip of the calendar year yesterday (finally hitting my MQDs on the last segment), and I did pretty well for the year.
As a DM for the full year, with a Reserve card:
Out of 121 eligible segments I was upgraded 103 times, or 85.124% of the time.
67 of the upgrades were either at the 5 day window or at least > 24 hours prior to departure
22 were comp upgrades at the gate
14 were RUCs (out of 17 tries)
6 of the RUCs cleared immediately, 8 cleared at the gate
Of the times that the upgrade went to the gate, UG list position not using RUC:
#1 16 times
#2 4 times
#3 2 times
When using an RUC
#1 5 times
#2 3 times
When I didn't clear
Not using RUC:
#1 6 times
#2 3 times
#3 4 times
#4 4 times
#5 1 time
Using RUC:
#1 2 times
#3 1 time
Was pulled up from the back after boarding 3 times (Battlefield upgrade).
Longest upgrade list was 70, EWR-ATL. Shortest was 3, SEA-PDX.
Largest number of available seats at the gate was 5 (twice), the smallest number was 0 (11 times, though I actually got the upgrade 2 of those times)
Most common routes:
PDX-SLC 10 times
SLC-PDX 10 times
SEA-PDX 9 times
PDX-SEA 9 times
PDX-ATL 6 times
ATL-PDX 6 times
I hadn't noticed the symmetry of that before. At first glance it would appear to be a bunch of round trips, but almost none of them are. It's more of an artifact of having to connect through a hub to go almost anywhere.
Confessions of a data junkie.....
That said, had my last trip of the calendar year yesterday (finally hitting my MQDs on the last segment), and I did pretty well for the year.
As a DM for the full year, with a Reserve card:
Out of 121 eligible segments I was upgraded 103 times, or 85.124% of the time.
67 of the upgrades were either at the 5 day window or at least > 24 hours prior to departure
22 were comp upgrades at the gate
14 were RUCs (out of 17 tries)
6 of the RUCs cleared immediately, 8 cleared at the gate
Of the times that the upgrade went to the gate, UG list position not using RUC:
#1 16 times
#2 4 times
#3 2 times
When using an RUC
#1 5 times
#2 3 times
When I didn't clear
Not using RUC:
#1 6 times
#2 3 times
#3 4 times
#4 4 times
#5 1 time
Using RUC:
#1 2 times
#3 1 time
Was pulled up from the back after boarding 3 times (Battlefield upgrade).
Longest upgrade list was 70, EWR-ATL. Shortest was 3, SEA-PDX.
Largest number of available seats at the gate was 5 (twice), the smallest number was 0 (11 times, though I actually got the upgrade 2 of those times)
Most common routes:
PDX-SLC 10 times
SLC-PDX 10 times
SEA-PDX 9 times
PDX-SEA 9 times
PDX-ATL 6 times
ATL-PDX 6 times
I hadn't noticed the symmetry of that before. At first glance it would appear to be a bunch of round trips, but almost none of them are. It's more of an artifact of having to connect through a hub to go almost anywhere.
Confessions of a data junkie.....
Dec 31, 2018, 7:15 pm
#508
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: JFK / LGA.. EWR is not part of NYC!
Programs: Brand loyalty is for suckers
Posts: 1,046
Jan 1, 2019, 11:35 am
#509
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 20
Final update for 2018:
GM:
8/1 DL5977 DFW-LGA cleared to First T-72
8/2 DL3722 LGA-DFW cleared to First T-72
PM:
Monday evening DL5426 PWM to LGA cleared to First (+companion) T-120
Friday evening DL2918 JFK to ATL cleared to First (+companion) T-120
Friday evening ATL to EWR cleared to First at gate
Saturday evening LGA to FLL cleared to First at gate
Thursday morning LGA to GSP cleared to First T-120
Thursday evening ATL to GSP cleared to First T-120
Thursday evening JFK to FRA op-uped to D1 at the gate along with companion (pretty nice way to end the year!)
Jan 3, 2019, 9:23 am
#510
Join Date: May 2015
Location: BWI
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 165
I was about 75% for upgrades to F in 2018. I did far better to/thru ATL than expected, reading all the stories here about DMs "in the back of the bus" out of ATL. Only one close call for C+, ATL to JAN, upgraded at gate. I suppose this was because of the Alcorn/Jackson State football game. Getting to Jackson must really be fun the week of the Egg Bowl.
