Earning Global Upgrade Cert for over sold flights
Feb 21, 2018, 8:22 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 45
Earning Global Upgrade Cert for over sold flights
Has anyone had success earning Delta Global Upgrade certificates as compensation for oversold flights? What would Diamond members value these certificates at? Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere.
Thanks
Thanks
Feb 21, 2018, 8:33 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: JFK/LGA
Programs: DL DM, HH Gold, SPG Platinum 100, National Executive Elite
Posts: 1,687
No, this is impossible. VDB compensation is given in Delta Dollars, or a selection of gift cards.
GUC value is whatever you value it at. It is whatever you would have paid to fly in J over Y. Also, it depends on your ability to be flexible enough to actually use them.
GUC value is whatever you value it at. It is whatever you would have paid to fly in J over Y. Also, it depends on your ability to be flexible enough to actually use them.
Feb 21, 2018, 8:33 am
#3
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: PSC
Programs: Hilton Diamond/IHG Platinum/DL Plutononium
Posts: 1,728
Have not heard about this at all. The only thing I have heard offered as VDB compensation is a free RT ticket on a carrier like Virgin Atlantic, but Delta always seems to offer Delta $s.
Feb 21, 2018, 8:48 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: DL-PM
Posts: 266
I tried to solicit one on an oversold ALB-DTW flight when they were offering $1000. The agents said they don't have a system in place for that so it isn't something they can do, but they did like the idea. So I ended up taking the $1000. This was a few years ago.
Feb 21, 2018, 8:58 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 45
Also, thanks to everyone else for your responses.
Feb 21, 2018, 9:40 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Location: Nashville -Past DL Plat, FO, WN-CP, various hotel programs
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Years (and years) ago, getting upgrade certs with little to no restrictions was part of their plan. Seems like a no brainer to me vs giving away all that money. Then again, maybe not.
And, where there is "discretion" on the part of the GA/Supr, giving away something that is considered just a piece of paper vs cash would result in more being given out.
And, where there is "discretion" on the part of the GA/Supr, giving away something that is considered just a piece of paper vs cash would result in more being given out.
Feb 21, 2018, 9:49 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 8,414
Maybe an RUC would end up saving DL money in this scenario, but GUC's are potentially very valuable, and I think most often DL gives away DL dollars, not cash, because most of the time DL is dealing with volunteers, not IDB. If we guess that the typical compensation in DL dollars is $1,000 (not sure if this is true), then this is easily a better deal for Delta than a GUC which might represent several thousands of dollars in value, and even more in some circumstances. Of course, there are flights where someone using a GUC will get a seat than otherwise would have gone out empty or with a non-rev using it, but certainly there are plenty of D1 seats with pax on GUC's that DL could have otherwise sold.
Feb 21, 2018, 10:18 am
#8
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Maybe an RUC would end up saving DL money in this scenario, but GUC's are potentially very valuable, and I think most often DL gives away DL dollars, not cash, because most of the time DL is dealing with volunteers, not IDB. If we guess that the typical compensation in DL dollars is $1,000 (not sure if this is true), then this is easily a better deal for Delta than a GUC which might represent several thousands of dollars in value, and even more in some circumstances. Of course, there are flights where someone using a GUC will get a seat than otherwise would have gone out empty or with a non-rev using it, but certainly there are plenty of D1 seats with pax on GUC's that DL could have otherwise sold.
Feb 21, 2018, 10:51 am
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
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Posts: 50,262
DL does a lot of big data analysis to figure out what VDB costs vs. IDB (including the cash + reputational hit). It could clearly issue anything it wants by way of internal credits (which is all GUCs/RUCs are). But, it chooses not to. This suggests that it does not want to start creating a whole bunch more of them than it already does,
The cash outlay to buy someone off with VDB Is not a simple dollar-for-dollar trade. If that were the case, it would be simpler to call for volunteers and if none to IDB people
Another way to look at this is that if you have a $1,000 in gift cards in hand, why not use them to purchase D1 / F if that is what you want?
The cash outlay to buy someone off with VDB Is not a simple dollar-for-dollar trade. If that were the case, it would be simpler to call for volunteers and if none to IDB people
Another way to look at this is that if you have a $1,000 in gift cards in hand, why not use them to purchase D1 / F if that is what you want?
Feb 21, 2018, 11:28 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Feb 21, 2018, 11:37 am
#11
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Minneapolis
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 2,235
I love it when people outside of the airline industry love to speculate why airlines do things.
My guess is that the majority of the people who are bumped off a flight only really care about a free ticket of some sort, not really worried about a first class upgrade. Also, since GUC's and RUC's are already difficult enough to use, why would anyone who knows better elect to take one? People who don't know better might accept one and then when they try and use it and are not successful, will complain and say "I want the $1K certificate". Then you have even more people complaining about upgrade value. Look how many Plat's and Diamonds already say they don't pick them as Choice Benefits.
My guess is that the majority of the people who are bumped off a flight only really care about a free ticket of some sort, not really worried about a first class upgrade. Also, since GUC's and RUC's are already difficult enough to use, why would anyone who knows better elect to take one? People who don't know better might accept one and then when they try and use it and are not successful, will complain and say "I want the $1K certificate". Then you have even more people complaining about upgrade value. Look how many Plat's and Diamonds already say they don't pick them as Choice Benefits.
Feb 21, 2018, 12:39 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Feb 21, 2018, 3:34 pm
#13
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Minneapolis
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Posts: 2,235
Please reread my post. I wasn't speculating on what the airlines do or why they do it. I was speculating on what passengers do and why i don't think it would not work. And most of that was drawn from posts on this board.
Feb 22, 2018, 4:54 pm
#14
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I love it when people outside of the airline industry love to speculate why airlines do things.
My guess is that the majority of the people who are bumped off a flight only really care about a free ticket of some sort, not really worried about a first class upgrade. Also, since GUC's and RUC's are already difficult enough to use, why would anyone who knows better elect to take one? People who don't know better might accept one and then when they try and use it and are not successful, will complain and say "I want the $1K certificate". Then you have even more people complaining about upgrade value. Look how many Plat's and Diamonds already say they don't pick them as Choice Benefits.
My guess is that the majority of the people who are bumped off a flight only really care about a free ticket of some sort, not really worried about a first class upgrade. Also, since GUC's and RUC's are already difficult enough to use, why would anyone who knows better elect to take one? People who don't know better might accept one and then when they try and use it and are not successful, will complain and say "I want the $1K certificate". Then you have even more people complaining about upgrade value. Look how many Plat's and Diamonds already say they don't pick them as Choice Benefits.
As someone who takes VDBs almost whenever possible, I like Amex (or Visa) gift cards over Delta Dollars; I'd probably take a GUC over $1,000 in Amex cards depending on my future travel plans. (And I'm a special case, most people in similar situations would be more likely to want GUCs.)