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Old Jun 7, 2021, 3:22 pm
  #1  
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More gate upgrade Shena in F

Booked a flight earlier today MSN-ATL. Was 1/9 for one seat available in F (717) (DM w/Reserve) There were 5 in C+ and when the upgrade was processed, I was moved up to 10C in C+ - I asked the GA why I was passed over for the 1 seat in F. She told me they try to sell it up to 30 mins before departure. Seems like a pantload. It was a last minute award flight, but if DL doesn’t honor their commitment to their most frequent flyers, at what point does this need to be addressed. I had the same thing happen in SDF earlier... seems like a bunch of nonsense. Is this their new post-covid policy??
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Last edited by SeaHawg; Jun 7, 2021 at 3:34 pm
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Old Jun 7, 2021, 3:36 pm
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So, at T-30, I checked the app and was upgraded to 2C- This hasn’t happened in prior trips.

This must be a new policy.
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Old Jun 7, 2021, 3:47 pm
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Are you saying the last seat in F went to someone else or that it remained available? They can certainly hold back upgrade inventory in F until the gate. It's not just last minute ticket purchases but also allows SDC. Not unusual at all. There's never been a policy of releasing every available F seat to upgrade inventory at check-in time.
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Old Jun 7, 2021, 3:48 pm
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upgrades not clearing until T-30 is certainly not new, though it is usually sooner than that
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Old Jun 7, 2021, 4:02 pm
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Exactly what I was thinking- generally 5-10 mins before boarding begins. I was upgraded into C+ then, right at 30 mins, it changed to F. It seemed strange timing-wise. Again, I’m aware of FCM, but at 10 mins into boarding?
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Old Jun 7, 2021, 6:22 pm
  #6  
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T-30 is the check in cutoff, so in principle someone could purchase a ticket or SDC until T-30. You can be upgraded even later than this if someone is a no show or misses the flight for whatever reason, including IROPs leading to a delayed connection or overstaying in a SC or airport bar, etc.
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Old Jun 7, 2021, 6:52 pm
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MSP has a great answer. The gate agent seemed to be very sure of herself about this rule. Given that pretty much everything clears between five days out and around 50 mins before takeoff, it seemed weird. Perhaps the GA is absolutely by the book to the letter.

Given the number of empty F seats I’ve seen going out as well as the reports of it on here, I wanted to make sure nothing had materially changed.
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Old Jun 7, 2021, 8:18 pm
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Originally Posted by SeaHawg
Booked a flight earlier today MSN-ATL. Was 1/9 for one seat available in F (717) (DM w/Reserve) There were 5 in C+ and when the upgrade was processed, I was moved up to 10C in C+ - I asked the GA why I was passed over for the 1 seat in F. She told me they try to sell it up to 30 mins before departure. Seems like a pantload. It was a last minute award flight, but if DL doesn’t honor their commitment to their most frequent flyers, at what point does this need to be addressed. I had the same thing happen in SDF earlier... seems like a bunch of nonsense. Is this their new post-covid policy??
Originally Posted by SeaHawg
So, at T-30, I checked the app and was upgraded to 2C- This hasn’t happened in prior trips.

This must be a new policy.
Originally Posted by SeaHawg
Exactly what I was thinking- generally 5-10 mins before boarding begins. I was upgraded into C+ then, right at 30 mins, it changed to F. It seemed strange timing-wise. Again, I’m aware of FCM, but at 10 mins into boarding?
Delta isn’t unique in this regard. I recently had a flight where I was upgraded to Premium Plus at T-45 despite First Class having available seats. Then at T-30, I was upgraded to First Class which made me think that it was somewhat odd but from reports on the UA forum this behavior seems to be normal.
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Old Jun 8, 2021, 6:04 am
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Originally Posted by SeaHawg
So, at T-30, I checked the app and was upgraded to 2C
so where's the shena??? I was promised shena!
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Old Jun 8, 2021, 7:56 am
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On that plane I'd probably prefer a C+ seat on the 3 seat side with an empty middle over a seat in a full F cabin. You'll still get a free drink and a snack.
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Old Jun 8, 2021, 9:51 am
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Originally Posted by Stripe
On that plane I'd probably prefer a C+ seat on the 3 seat side with an empty middle over a seat in a full F cabin. You'll still get a free drink and a snack.
I honestly do not see the difference between domestic First Class nor Comfort Plus right now except for the snack box and perhaps some more attentive service.
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Old Jun 8, 2021, 9:56 am
  #12  
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Shena may be strong, but it was definitely strange seeing that process play out. On my final flight last night, two open seats in F were unfilled and nine on ug list...
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Old Jun 8, 2021, 1:06 pm
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Originally Posted by SeaHawg
Shena may be strong, but it was definitely strange seeing that process play out. On my final flight last night, two open seats in F were unfilled and nine on ug list...
Yeah, on my ATL-LAX flight last Thursday two seats were left open with at least eight on the upgrade list. The aircraft got boarded early, so no excuse to be leaving upgrades on the table.
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Old Jun 8, 2021, 2:37 pm
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Originally Posted by WillBarrett_68
so where's the shena??? I was promised shena!
I came here just for the Shena too!

Last edited by NickDakota; Jun 8, 2021 at 2:38 pm Reason: Capitalization.
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Old Jun 8, 2021, 8:30 pm
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Maybe next time wait till after your flight is complete to claim shenanigans by GAs . Good you got the upgrade in the end.
Agree with previous posts on keeping it open for any SDC or SDS by pax on an F ticket.
I've been upgraded after having sat down in Y, but that was pre-covid and rare so the wait to board advice prevails.

My impression of DL has generally been positive and we cry shenanigans far too often here IMO. GA workload is substantial and on a very tight timeline.
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