How are upgrade lists in the 2020 CoronaVirus Era?
 

How elite heavy is the flying population right now? I’m guessing upgrades may be tougher to get with F capacity cut in half, but are those that are flying noticing that? It seems like most flights are full now - do those that want F need to buy it now? Very curious as to the passenger profile right now

Keep in mind some F heavy planes like E175s make up a larger percentage of the fleet right now. I have been upgraded to First on every flight in May and June so far as a PM.

Not very elite heavy is the answer, in my experience. After my reclaim your status match failed due to the virus, I dropped back to GM and have still been near the top of the list. On LGA-DCA last week I was the ONLY person on the list for F or C+. On DCA-LGA last Friday morning, I was upgraded at the GM window. I flew LAX-DTW a couple of weeks ago. Even with the capacity restrictions, I think I was going to make the upgrade but don't think the agent processed any of them. It is hard to tell if the "number of available" is the physical number of empty seats or with the current capacity restrictions.

Upgrades at the mercy of the cabin capacity caps...Even hard to get Comfort+ on some routes. Increased flights and aircraft switches to larger capacity planes on busier routes might help...but bleak for now.

On this topic, I think the Fly Delta app has been adjusted to only show seats available/upgrades available accounting for 60% blocking. Prior to this week, the blocked seats were showing in the available totals. Nonrevs were having to do some crazy math at the gates.

Yeah I noticed that earlier this week also... the app is showing the correct seats available for all cabins now.

Two weeks ago on an afternoon ATL-MCO flight (I think it was a Tuesday) the UG list was about 35 deep on a 752. F checked in 9/10, I think one upgrade cleared.

I just got invited to a client in Illinois, and I'm flying on Saturday IAD-DTW-ORD. I got upgraded to F on both segments (both on CRJ-900s) immediately after buying the ticket. I have been upgraded to C+ on the return (which is sooner than 5 days from now). Delta wants to sell me an upgrade to F on the DTW-IAD for $169.00.

Just flew this week, for the first time since March. As a PM, I was in the top 5 for FC on both flights, but no shot since the 50% cap was in effect. It breaks the heart to be stuck in C+ and see 10 empty FC seats, but oh well. Hopefully things will improve soon because flying is a lot less fun than it used to be.

The lists aren't bad but with 50% of the seats in F blocked even with shorter lists the UG situation is no better. UA is only blocking 1B/1E. Not sure what AA is blocking.

Some domestic aircraft (717/739/320 for example), the F cap is actually less than 50%. For example on the 717, F is capped at 5 seats not 6 due to 1BC used by the FAs on takeoff and landing. UGs are nearly impossible on the 717 and it’s hard to even find F availability these days as some stations are all 717 these days out of ATL.

Two comments:

1). There were 31 on the upgrade list MSP-ATL last Thursday. And the flight was sold out. I think there is room to add more hub-to-hub capacity, quickly.

2). The CRJ 900 has 12 first class seats, so 50% should equal 6 occupied seats. Which it did on my flight MSP-RAP on Wednesday. But on the flight back Thursday (RAP-MSP) the gate agent said "they told me to limit it to 5" -- so the plane went out with only 5 occupants in F. Which is ridiculous.

The CR9 should really be able to go out 8/12 given that an entire row are just singles.

I’ve had 1/8 flights upgraded as a PM out of DFW on A220s and A319s. To SLC, ATL and. MSP. Pretty bleak. Zero comfort+ upgrades although supposedly we can get those at booking now? My next few trips I booked on WN. There is no benefit to booking DL as a PM right now.

on the other hand, AA is trash with sending out 100% full flights.

I flew a short regional round trip a little over a month ago and had mixed success as Silver. On the departure, the CRJ9 went out with seven in F (1 C/D was blocked and occupied by the FA). One Pax was upgraded after the door closed, and six (including me) remained on the list with no upgrade. I was in 5D with the row to myself, so with no PDB service, I considered it the same as First :D.

The return flight was considerably less full, and I got the upgrade with my FF companion, and there was one empty seat left in F when we pushed back (with nobody on the list).

Perhaps this has just been my experience on the routes I take, but it has seemed to me that Delta is running more CRJ9's on my regional routes, rather than CRJ2's, which I am not sad about.