Night Flyer

I'm taking this flight next week and it's a 737, although the Delta App is offering me the opportunity to upgrade to Delta One for $799 or 79,900 miles. It's clearly showing the purple Delta One screen and offering "spacious 180 degree flat-bed seat" and the opportunity to "board first with Delta One boarding." And the seat map is the standard 737-8 map but "first class" is in purple.

OP, I'm sorry you are getting jerked around by Delta to this extent. This was a Delta One route from March or April of 2017 until this summer. Their systems are obviously confused by the equipment change, which is no excuse for 4 reps in a row offering mistaken information. You're absolutely correct that Delta markets Delta One as a premium product, with pricing to boot, and eventually you'll get this remedied.

Edited to add: sorry, missed your post 25 but very glad to see you got your refund.

MCO Flyer

I think they still might be using the D1 fares for this route. I just did a dummy booking for 9/16 and the FC fare was $100 more than several of the connecting flight options. Also the flight is listed as “D1” on the seat map, even though the flight is operated on a 738.

Yellowjj

No. Same fare codes of Z,I,D,C,J. Equipment seems to switch back to the 757 in mid November, assuming demand of course. I believe BOS was also downgraded to the 737 for a while

Billy Mumphrey

Very interesting, as it seems the systems are still confused about the equipment change. Yes, it's always been a D1 route (with a 757) since its launch in 2017 until service was suspended in March or April. I've flown it several times and it's not only Delta's best flight out of the DC area, but also the best premium cabin flight on any airline between DCA and LAX. Then the flight was brought back on a 737 in July. What was so strange was they kept telling me I was wrong about what they sold at the time of purchase.

It doesn't look like the current pricing reflects the downgraded F cabin, but maybe there are enough people are still willing to pay a D1 price for this flight. I'm not though.

Billy Mumphrey

Yes, my companion certificate (used for me and my daughter) and the RUCs (used for my wife) are already reopened in my account. The voucher is also in my wife's account, so assuming the credit card reimbursement goes through I'll be whole (and happy).

steveholt

Congrats on pushing back and getting what you deserved, OP. Can only imagine how many people who don't have FT as a resource or who don't pay as close attention as the OP have had to deal with this and then been gaslit about their original intentions.

DiverDave

Connecting fares are often cheaper than direct.

David

MSPeconomist

Not always. From MSP, many of the good fares, especially for discounted domestic FC, require nonstop flights, with connections often being much more expensive. However, unfortunately now there are fewer nonstops, so it should be harder for DL to demand a premium price for them.

ND76

I was on the inaugural DCA-LAX; my trip report (missing the photo I took of the DCA fire department water truck salute) is here;

LAX-DCA-LAX Inaugural Flight

This was always a D1 route with the 757 with 16 sleeper seats up front. I got lucky with RUCs the first two trips I took; after that, it has been impossible to use RUCs to score a D1 upgrade.

fly747first

No, DL sells Delta One on several other domestic routes... even JFK SAN has a daily flight being sold as Delta One now.

I don't know why the OP didn't just ask for an itinerary that would have allowed him/her to remain in Delta One on the longest segment.