A First in First
 

well this is new...the 10am departure today ATL-RIC couldn’t believe they left the gate with 2 empty F seats! I included the picture as I’ve never seen such a thing in my 20+ years of flying!https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5596366ac.jpeg

It's been happening A LOT lately on my routes. I'd be grumpy if I were in the rear with the gear...but I won't complain when I have a F seat with no one next to me.

Were there people on the list? If not this isn't that crazy - it does happen from time to time.

My JFK - RDU flight last night went out with 1F empty and the 6am RDU - LGA flight yesterday morning would have gone out with 2 empty in F but RDU - EWR was delayed and 2 of us (including me) who had been upgraded to F on the EWR flight were moved over to the LGA flight.

A mid-week, mid-morning flight isn't exactly peak time so it's not completely crazy to think that the medallion count is light.

Yesterday, out of LAX, I SDC to an 3 hour earlier flight to SMF. I had already been upgraded (5 days prior) on this leg but didn't care if I was if they could get me on the earlier flight. SC rep in T2 got me on, but wasn't even Econ+, just main cabin, but still was fine with it. Flight left about 45 mins late due to coming in late. When I boarded I was given a new seat in Econ Plus, which was ok. So boarded and when they were done and had about 3 or 4 mins b4 closing door, seems someone didn't show up, so one open seat up front (this was on a E75). Gate agent came on and came up to me to have me move up (i was already in row 5 (just behind the seat that was open) and didn't have anyone next to me, I passed. Said, thanks so much for coming on board and offering, but I am fine here, for a 1 hour flight. She had to go to 2 other folks that were in the rows next to me before someone finally accepted.
So I guess the story here is that am seeing them come on and move you up, even if you did already board. But none the less, if I really would like to get an upgrade and think there is a shot of it, I will board last (in event its a Gate Agent that leans more to the YBYL thinking)

So, has the latest lax policy of ambiguity on gate upgrades, simply made the GAs LAZY to the point where we don't even see Shena anymore - - They just leave the seats OPEN?

Aren't the GAs taught or trained that this is a published benefit of the SkyMiles program, and that THIS is one of the TOP PERKS that frequent flyers base their loyalty on?!? :mad:

I just don't get it.

Flew JFK-BOS a couple weeks ago during ice storm meltdown. F flew out with 3 empty seats on A320.

Nobody on the upgrade list though so deadheading FAs got those seats. They were exhausted.

I was one of 2 people in F on a CR9 last month from SLC-RNO. The whole plane had about 30ish pax but only two medallions I guess. Sunday mornings are a great time to fly.

Earlier this week they flew 2 seats in FC empty GEG-LAX, even with 13 or so left on the upgrade list.

I have flown 22 segments this year and have seen this often. Very frustrating with deep medallion UG lists and elites in back. So much for that CEO promise to "try" to come onboard and upgrade folks. Loyalty rewared?

Loyalty, are you somewhere in a cloud? Airlines don't need loyalty anymore.

I was on a MIA to ATL flight this week, went out with two empty seats in first. One other seat was occupied by a jumpseat pilot who moved out of the cockpit, so really three empty on the computer. We left with 10 - 12 people on the upgrade list.

Please report this to DL. The GA should have processed those upgrades unless doing so would have delayed the flight.

I've had this happen 2 of my last 4 flights that F went out with 1 or 2 seats empty. Weird thing was the upgrade list was 10+ long and the plane boarded way ahead of schedule and pushed back early with no rush.

Please report these GAs to DL. They're not doing their jobs.

The in print wording said "if the GAs have time"! That is the out. Like weather. Do you as a mega FF thing DL really cares? I really want to know. I think they have given up.

I’ve flown as the only FC passenger on a DL flight. Not a big deal.

Do they? It seems not, but, you'd think they would care, since, I think it's fair to say that, it's the number one perk that most frequent flyers look for, and, the bad will that it surely genetates when Medallions see empty seats up front, knowing that they're on the UG list, and hafto sit there stewing about it during flights, while they're watching the seats fly empty!

Report these events to:


I have reason to believe that DL has become sensitized to the resentment caused by this failure of the benefits program.

It's probably more common than you think on off-peak flights (Holidays, weekends, seasonality, time of departure, etc.) but if you travel primarily on peak flights, you won't realize it. I even had an MD88 flight in early fall (while traveling on Economy Basic fare) GPT-ATL with nobody in First.

Still surprises me. Would have figured they'd start giving FCM offers for $10 just to guarantee no elites got upgraded :D

I hopped an earlier flight this week to MSP, GA moved me to the earlier flight per my ask, assigned me a seat but skipped putting me up front. When I boarded, the red coat pointed to my status on my boarding pass to GA, he shrugged his shoulders. Flight departed with empty seats up front. It does happen.

I was #3 on UG list not too long ago, and while F checked in full per GIDS, at T-5 mins there was one empty F seat. T-1 the GA came on board, chatted briefly with an FA in the galley, and then they closed the door and we flew out with an F seat empty. At #3 on the list, in my window C+ seat, I stayed quiet. But it did seem kinda crappy. UGs are getting more and more rare, and GAs who won't pull up a seated elite when there's a no-show are frustrating. Can they not say to the FA: "offer 14D the UG after seatbelt sign is off" if they don't want to delay the push?

Does that actually work?

I basically stopped even looking at DL after paying for F on SFO-ATL, and being told the only option left for me was some kind of cold platter that was roughly equivalent to the appetizer handed out on AC flights of similar length. Meanwhile I got to watch most of the rest of the cabin eat a decent hot meal.

I commented to the FA that they advertised a meal when I bought my ticket (though I did not explicitly say "I paid for first").

For reference, the website currently says "For flights over 1,500 miles, you’ll find a fresh, full meal service — featuring a variety of healthy and local options as part of your meal. You’ll have several meal selections to choose from."

I was not offered a "full meal" by any definition. And there were no "selections". I believe the entire cabin had 2 options at the beginning (hardly "several"), and I certainly did not have a choice.

Even if you think paid F customers should get meal choice priority (which isn't a published benefit), calling out another customer specifically as being an upgrade and therefore less worthy than you is a really bad move. That passenger didn't wrong you.

So...you knew your meal choice wasn't available after your seatmates order....or...just flexing your
verbal muscle to let the FA know you're the boss? The verbal DYKIPFTS? (Don't you know I paid for this seat?)

:eek: Seriously?!?!? :eek:

First of all, I can't imagine sitting next to someone who did that for the rest of the flight, but, secondly, . . . . .

Is there some official protocol that the FAs are supposed to give first choices to pax who paid for F? How would they even know? My understanding is that, they know who's a non-rev, and that's it.

Is there a reason you just took it instead of attempting to communicate with the Red Coat to secure your upgrade?

Its passive behavior like this that reinforces bad behavior by gate staff...you should always ask them about the upgrade, not just shrug your shoulders over it

No, you are the only one being tacky. FAs are allowed to go by status. Everyone who is in F paid for that flight, and some were upgraded/had their meal orders taken before you because they are more loyal to DL than you.

You are just a lowly gold. If I were the FA, I would apologize and ask you to write in online with your complaint, but its certainly unacceptable to take a higher status pax's meal simply because you paid for F for that flight. What if the PM or DM who was upgraded paid a higher main cabin fare, than your discounted first fare?

Point is, your behavior and language you used for a meal choice is wild. I hope I never sit next to you

My DTW-DCA flight Friday night went out with one empty seat in first. My upgrade cleared as a lowly FO on a miles ticket, so they clearly scraped the bottom of the elite barrel. Comfort plus only had two passengers total. They cleared everyone at about 22 hours out.

I just texted my FA friend, and asked her if their manifest tells them who paid for First Class vs who got a free UG. Here's the response verbatim:

"It says who's a full fare. It doesn't specifically say who's been upgraded. It says what your status is, but not if you were upgraded for free."

IMO, it's simply not a passenger's job to tell a FA how to do their job. If I see something done that I didn't like, I might question the FA, and report it later if I didn't feel the answer was satisfactory, but, telling them who should get first meal choice? That's simply wrong.

I don't see this as an issue of who more appropriately deserves first choice... paid FC or UG FC or whatever.

Rather, I see this as another facet of DL pinching pennies.

I am not saying that, if there there are 2 entree choices and X FC pax, there should be a total of 2X meals catered. But, 1.5X, split equally between the two selections would not be unreasonable to lower the probability of disappointment.

DL said they want to attract 70% (or was it 80%?) paid FC seats. To do so, they need to put emphasis on making FC a first class experience.

To have to tell a FC pax "Sorry, you don't get a meal choice because you are seated in the last row. You should have selected the first row." is not providing a first class experience.

Is the intent to make FC really first class, or is it just intended to be "other than coach."?

And...she shouldn't be telling you anything from Deltanet or hasn't she read the Delta Social Media policy?

I have asked and discussed this with MANY FAs.

I asked her what she would tell someone who told her that they should get first meal choice due to paying for F, and, she said . . .

"We don't give priority to people who paid vs people who are upgraded."

No...you two probably don't....but, Delta does. She shouldn't be passing you any information gleaned from DeltaTerm whether by telephone, telegraph, tell "readywhenyouare or any other manner of communication. It's actually none of your business.