OhDoctor

For the last 15-20 years, I've been an in-between DL flyer -- multiple domestic and international flights per year, but just sporadic enough that I never qualified for status, despite coming tantalizingly close several years. This year, for the first time in my life, I'll qualify for silver. I'm realistic about how valuable that will be, but excited nonetheless. So, I'm curious -- do you remember your first upgrade? Any great stories about your newly-minted status? Maybe the first time you were tempted to DYKWIA??

GRALISTAIR

I sure do - Boeing 737 - Continental Airlines

1. Oct 27th 2002 MCI – Houston (Bush) IAH 1* 150 CO

MCO Flyer

Yes I do. My first was a battlefield UG back in 2009 on a short ATL-MCO leg.

JoelThomas

January 1, 2018. DTW-GRR on a CRJ7 or 9. At about 8am.

Possibly the most underwhelming haha.

RealHJ

I do. Very memorable. That is what made me an Elite with NWA. YVR-SEA arrived late and as me and 19 other pax ran to the gate of SEA-HNL, the door was closed right in front of my eyes as I got there (I was the first), staying strict to policy of all gates closing 15 min prior to scheduled departure no matter what. Got rerouted SEA-PDX-HNL and put in F, as Y was oversold (the bidding for VDB pax at gate there went quite high, as it was overbooked significantly, likely due to the 19 pax from YVR mostly being sent to PDX on an already full flight). The extra miles from that is what got me to Silver Elite that year. And as Hawaii resident even as Silver Elite I got six - or was it eight? - PU464s (that DL of course made sure to discontinue, same for PU503s) each year, which gave guaranteed last-seat upgrade from any Y fare into full fare F seat, that could be exercised at any time and not subject to any inventory restrictions. So, upgrades on HNL-MSP A330 - back before the service was Deltified (massively downgraded) - was always a certain thing. Delta, of course, made sure to ruin all the good will that NWA had built for its stellar loyalty program, and same for the service and food.

OhDoctor

I've never fully understood this term. It's a J no-show and you were next up? Had you already boarded yet?

OhDoctor

Sounds like a totally different era!

aviatorzz

Lol. You and I remember two very different Northwest's. I have to say when you say "stellar" and "service and food" in the same sentence as NW, it truly made me laugh out loud.

Side note, I am not speaking on the upgrades. They were great. The seats, the fare, and service were downright awful. It was bad enough I lived in Toledo, OH for 20+ years.

aviatorzz

My first upgrade was on AA from RDU-DFW (to SEA). Burned through a ton of stickers that month, though as I was moving from RDU to SEA at the time and for about a month it was every two days in either Raleigh or Seattle. Funnily enough, it was my last leg of that month that I crossed into EXP territory and to this day still have 25 stickers sitting in my account.

MCO Flyer

StayingHomeIsBetter

Not quite an UG in the context of a complementary UG in today's program but, IIRC, the first time that I flew domestic FC on DL would have been sometime in 1981 (yes, last century). A business associate and I volunteered for VDB (that acronym probably did not exist at that time) and were given $200 (a vast sum then) and bumped up to FC on the replacement flight.

bennos

My first DL upgrade was JFK-SEA as a Silver (!), back in 2009. I think it even cleared at the window (!). I actually gave it away as a birthday present to my traveling companion. I was on a WN fare sale match.

Before that, my first "elite" upgrade was CO, flying YVR-IAH(-NYC). I had gotten some sort of temporary status invitation from NW (maybe due to my Marriott status at the time?), which I'd forgotten about at booking but had printed out and taken with me. I handed it to the check-in agent at YVR, who was pretty suspicious and skeptical, but he keyed in the number and suddenly his entire attitude changed (ie: became more friendly) and I was upgraded at the gate.

Before that, my first paid upgrade was an at gate purchase on TWA (!), JFK-SJU, for about $100. This was my last flight out of the Saarinen terminal at JFK before it closed.

Before that, I think my first ever was as a kid, flying back to the US from Spain(?) with my family. The only seats for 4 together were in the smoking section, so the GA moved us to business class (!). I think this may have been my first DYKWIA(ATICTS - and that I can't tolerate smoke).

RealHJ

It was. Not that long ago, just before Deltification. Back when Elite still meant something, and when there was a real, genuine loyalty program. That is the one thing NWA did really well, that Delta, unfortunately, clearly places close to zero value on.

RealHJ

Well, it may be different routes. HNL-MSP had multi-course meal (not this Delta One [tray]), actual dessert choices (vs. the cheap and usually horrible 'flavored ice cream' that Delta One has, having cut out the ice cream sundae even on some routes), etc. Out of SEA NW operated on time each and every flight in deep winter snow when 80%+ of all other flights were canceled. On-time operations no matter what may happen is the one thing I appreciated about NWA, along with the ease of making award reservations for any SkyTeam airline (online, easily, and with all OAL PNRs readily disclosed), and of course the loyalty program and feeling truly valued. Sure, the World Business Class seats were angled, but so were all the other airline seats (and WBC on NW was the same as on KL, was it not?). I mean the expectations of the seat and the angled 'lie flat' WBC seats were what was standard back then in that age, so when looking back you have to adjust your expectations for the era. At least NW A330s had far better seats that the horrid DL "BusinessElite" seats on 767s, not to mention much larger screens and better IFE also.

TommyD2

Had to be around 1995 or so. Was a NW flight MKE-(somewhere on west coast). May have been MSP-(west coast).

Had just become Silver. Not much of an avgeek, so not sure what the plane was. It was the 'barcalounger' type seat, though.

L-1011? DC10? Not sure. Just remember the seat was awesome and cabin was roomy.