Cancelling one of two passengers - but want to keep elite benefits
 

I'm booked together with wife on a round trip. She booked the trip for both of us since she has medallion status and I no longer do. We routinely both get upgrades this way.

We're both flying out today. She needs to cancel her return flight and fly elsewhere instead of returning home. Not concerned about the money, ok with eating that. When should she cancel? If, hypothetically, she was to check us both in to that flight, with usual upgrade, could she later cancel herself without affecting me? If she cancels now, several days before the flight, do I lose any chance at her usual perks? Any other issues I'm forgetting?

Once she cancels, all medallion perks go away.

If you were upgraded before cancellation, you will likely be downgraded. It did not used to be this way, but seems to now be this way.

I suppose that you could do online check in, and then she could cancel, which would give your boarding pass Sky Priority stamped on it, and you could then use that check in and security line. Print the boarding pass and don't show it to SP check in in case they would take it away and give you a new one.

However, if you are already upgraded and do it this way, you risk being downgraded to a bad middle seat.

Unless there's enough time for you to board in your upgraded seat, and she doesn't. This happened with me where I had to divert in ATL after we both flew EWR>ATL together. My new flight was 3.5 hours after hers, so I waited in line with her. She boarded in her upgraded seat in 1D, then I just walked away.

It was only a 30 minute ATL>HSV seat on a 717, so I wasn't losing much to just let it ride. Later that evening I boarded my ATL>SNA flight. They never went onboard and moved her.

Does she even need to cancel? Can she just not show up for the flight so that the OP can keep his seat?

If you are going to "eat" the ticket cost, then maybe a no show would be better.

If you cancel, things can happen.

Unless this is a companion ticket or some other oddball promotion, the sole impact of the wife's no show or cancellation will be that OP does not get her Medallion benefits.

As she is remaining in ATL, whether it pays for her to cancel depends on the cost of the segment she does not wish to fly. If a standard domestic penalty of $200 and the segment is worth more than $200, then cancel close to departure and she will have the value of the segment less $200. If not, do not bother cancelling. If, for some reason the flight is cancelled or significantly delayed, she may then cancel for a full cash refund of the segment fare.

As to gaming OP's ticket, the short answer is that the sole likely benefit that matters is the upgrade and that either will not happen or will be "revoked" if she does not board and there is a waiting list for the seat.

So if we just check in as normal, and she never gets on the plane, any ramifications for her?

She will forfeit the remaining value of her ticket if it is a nonrefundable fare(1). Beyond that, no.

(1) - If the ticket is refundable she can call after the flight to get a refund for the unused portion of the ticket. DL does not require cancellation before departure for refundable fares.

Thanks. It's nonrefundable, don't care about forfeiting value, which isnt much anyway. I guess a side benefit is I'm assured an empty seat next to me.

I don't believe you're assured of that by any means, especially if you're in F. Pretty sure once she's a no-show and offloaded her seat becomes fair game. Standby, nonrev, maybe the flight was originally overbooked, etc.

If loads are light and you're in Y, then maybe.

You state that your wife now needs to "fly elsewhere instead of returning home." If her new flight is on Delta and if it conflicts with her original flight, she runs a risk that her new flight (or both of her flights) will be cancelled by the airline.

Rather than letting the seat uncertainty play out, if she currently has the aisle and you the middle, log-in and swap the seat assignment now rather than being left on the middle seat. If there other open seats available in your area of service, you can do so yourself on-line by going through the seat change 3 times to first move her out of the aisle, then you into the aisle, and finally her to your now released middle seat. Or you can call it in and ask them to swap the seats explaining how you want to seat on the aisle and you really need the record to be correct :)