MSPeconomist

The Reserve card is a tiebreaker for upgrades. It's unlikely to give you an upgrade alone, although of course this depends on the routes and times you're flying. Even as a PM or DM, your odds of an upgrade to FC or domestic D1 aren't great, but you can get C+ if you buy your tickets in advance and especially are willing to accept a middle seat.

ManFactSpendLA

With all the lounge and card rule changes I was curious about virgin Atlantic.

I have Amex plt and flying premium economy on virgin Atlantic lax-Lhr.

is it possible to use my plt to access the new delta sky club at lax?

thanks

MSPeconomist

My guess would be no, but you can access the AmEx Centurion lounge at LHR T3 on the return part of your (I presume) RT, although it's far from the VS and DL gates.

squirk

I’m Platinum (was so close to Diamond before COVID hit), but my travel is almost exclusively domestic, and usually for work. So, while I’m not a newbie per se, international travel is not my area of expertise, nor is buying upgrades to FC/One.

I am traveling from the U.S. to Norway next winter with my son, using miles, and we have Comfort+ on the long 7.5-hour leg between DTW and AMS. It’s my first international trip in a very long time, and my son’s first int’l trip ever, so I was thinking about upgrading to One for just that leg of the trip. I know he’d dig it.

My understanding is that, as a Platinum traveling on miles, and with no GUC, my chances of getting complimentary upgrades to One on an int’l flight are pretty much zero (save for an exception granted by a generous Delta agent).

Assuming that is accurate (and please correct me if it’s not), Delta is offering me paid One upgrades @$900 per passenger for the DTW-AMS leg. I have absolutely no frame of reference to know if that is a comparatively good deal.

So I have two questions:

1.) Is $900 a below-average or above-average price for that upgrade?

2.) Do these upgrade prices ever go down - i.e., is it possible the upgrade price could be adjusted downward if the One cabin doesn’t start to fill up over time?

Ultimately, I guess I am trying to decide if I should buy these upgrades now, or hold tight and take a wait-and-see approach to see if I can nab them cheaper.

Any guidance you can share would be much appreciated. Please and thank you!

RDP

Long time SkyMiles member, but do not have many opportunities to use my miles, but I've found a way to use them for an upcoming flight, but wanted to clarify a few things:

Outbound HND-ATL-YYZ
Return YYZ-DTW-HND

1. I tried to book in "PS" for everything. What turned out is that I'm in PS for the HND-ATL portion, then being automatically assigned Comfort+ for the ATL-YYZ flight, and the same on the return with Comfort+ for the YYZ-DTW flight, and then back into PS for the DTW-HND segment. I swear I read this somewhere, but can no longer find the reference, but when booked on a PS international ticket you are supposed to be put into domestic First, not Comfort+? I just want to confirm that this assignment is the expected outcome.
2. My ticket when reviewed via the Delta App shows "Sky Priority" at the top left of the trip overview screen. I believe this service is important given the priority security screening it provides at the airport. I'm wondering two things in this regard. For my ATL-YYZ portion of the HND-ATL-YYZ flight I'm coming off the PS flight (HND-ATL), then boarding the Comfort+ flight (ATL-YYZ). Due to the downgrade to Comfort+ for the ATL-YYZ portion do I loose the Sky Priority priority security screening at ATL as I make my transfer? How about on my outgoing from YYZ-DTW? I assume due to flying out of YYZ I get zero access to any priority security screening? I assume I do get priority security screening at DTW as I'm now boarding as a PS passenger for the final DTW-HND leg.
3. The YYZ-DTW flight of my return was cancelled by Delta and automatically rebooked, and now I arrive into DTW at 11:09, with my DTW-HND flight departing at 12:40. Seems very much impossible to me!!! What responsibility does Delta take to handle me if I cannot make this flight due to their fault (if that could ever be proven). I feel they've really put me in a very unrealistic position. Thoughts?

many thanks in advance,
RDP

xliioper

When they initially introduced PS, they would generally book domestic segments into FC. But they stopped doing that a number of years ago and having been booking domestic segments into C+ for quite some time. Sky Priority status from PS fare will carry-over to all segments (including C+ segments). YYZ, like most major Canadian airports, has pre-clearance. You will actually clear US customs in YYZ and the YYZ-DTW flight is treated like a normal US domestic flight and there will be no additional international screening or security in DTW. 1.5 hours is plenty of time to make connection.

MSPeconomist

You should totally forget the idea that some "generous" DL agent will upgrade you and your son to D1. It won't happen, even if you dress well, ask politely, say it's a special trip, bring chocolates, etc. No chance.

Be aware that when you purchase an upgrade, it's nonrefundable if you make any voluntary changes. For example, if you must cancel the trip because of illness or new COVID-19 regulations, your 2 X $900 will not be refunded or credited and you will not get the upgrade on your new flights, if any.

Does your TATL aircraft offer PS? If so, C+ to D1 would be considered a two cabin upgrade.

RDP

Thank you VERY MUCH!

That leaves me to figure out how much time (never enough I guess) I need for all the formalities at YYZ as a regular pax (no Priority screening, etc..).

I'm still concerned about the timing, I got burned last year with a connecting flight in YVR as part of a YYZ-YVR-NRT booking, and I'm still in the process of a claim in with the Canadian transport commission as Air Canada and I could not come to agreement. While they did protect me to a JAL flight the next day, I remain out of pocket for my hotel. Not something I want to repeat again soon.

One remaining Q: Does my YYZ-DTW-HND flight have the bags checked all the way through, or do I need to pickup and re-check at DTW?

thanks again,
RDP

xliioper

Your bags will be checked all the way through to HND and you will not have to re-check.

SuraBoy

Hi all,
first post here and looking for insights and suggestions!

My friend was scheduled to fly from Michigan to MCO via ATL with a sufficiently enough 3hr layover. As announced at the gate, her first flight was delayed by 2h45m due to pilot shortages. A constant change of flights on her itinerary from ATL to MCO ensued, but Delta said they'll give her a hotel room as all flights were on +1 day's AM hours. After reaching ATL and standing in line for 2 more hours, she was told they had no more rooms. Frustrated with Delta at this point, she slept in the terminal.

How to get compensated for this freak show and what is an appropriate amount?

Thanks!

squirk

Thanks. Yes, I wasn't really counting on a "generous" agent doing anything to help. You hear stories, but I'm certainly not placing any stock in anything anecdotal.

To your question, yes the TATL has a PS cabin @ $300 pp for the upgrade. But it's really "One or bust" because the only reason I am even considering upgrading at all is to treat my son to the One cabin.

My questions are really about the cash upgrade, as I know that's my only route from C+ to One: again, is $900 high/average/low for a route like DTW-AMS? If average or low, do I need to buy now to lock in the price, or do I have breathing room to take a "wait and see" approach?

EasternTraveler

Has anyone flown to AMS on DL lately? How do you do the proof of vaccination for entry?

beachmouse

Given the usual price gap between C+ and D1, $900 seems pretty reasonable to me.

My impression of D1 international free upgrades is that they’re only if you’re so far down the IRROPS rabbit hole that your ticket got flagged as ‘any available seat in any cabin to get the passenger to their destination’

squirk

Thanks much. Do you happen to know if these upgrade fees fluctuate over time, or do they stay relatively level?

For example, if One cabin starts filling up, will Delta jack up the upgrade fee because there's obviously demand? By contrast, if the One cabin is almost empty a few weeks before departure, will they lower the fee in order to incentivize people to upgrade?

MSPeconomist

Of course it's somewhat supply and demand based, but you can't really predict which way the price will go. Also, seat maps don't reflect inventory very well.

Have you looked at the cost to upfare the entire ticket (or for all flights in one direction of a RT)? Sometimes this can be *less* that the price offered in the app to buy a seat in a different cabin for just one segment. You typically need to call DL to make the change, but you can see current D1 prices for your flight by doing a dummy booking. Doing it this way makes the additional amount you pay refundable or able to be included in your crdit if you make voluntary changes.