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Using Global Upgrades on Delta (GUCs) post 2/1/2022 Changes
With the 2/1/22 changes, we will open a new thread going forward to be the definitive GUC thread.
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This may technically be a bit of a liminal situation between pre-2/1 and post-2/1...I was on hold for hours last night as a DM, tried the various chat features, and everything took forever. Wait time on the phone kept going UP, after the online chat feature reached the 60+min quoted time, it then said an agent would be with me in about 85 more minutes, and the texting feature had an agent (after a 45 minute wait) saying she needed to check with the medallion desk, followed by radio silence.
After explaining the circumstances, an agent this morning let me apply my GUC from Economy to Delta One on JFK-ATL-JNB. So, success! Now to find an agent who knows how to apply them to a KLM-operated flight for the return. |
Dear Friends,
I called today (2/1) for a minor non GUC issue. But I got a good agent and asked her to look at my current reservation with a GUC. The reservation is SLC>JFK>PRG with a return BUD>AMS>SLC (in Sept 2022). I cleared the JFK>PRG segment at time of ticketing (OY class). When I spoke with her, she told me the SLC>JFK cleared today under the new rules (OV class). So the outbound GUC was really a mix of new rules (SLC to JFK) and old rules (JFK to PRG). The agent didn't need to do anything to clear SLC to JFK (I selected seats in F without her help to re-issue, etc). She told me she could clear me into PS (Premium Select) for the return AMS to SLC (and use the waitlisted GUC). She also told me that I could buy-up to PS and the GUC would clear for Delta One. Note: This must be a new inventory bucket, since Delta One (OY) was not available prior to Feb 1st. She also wondered if having the GUC upgrade requested would automatically move me to PS and use the upgrade (not confirmed this would actually happen, she just kind of wondered this outload). Anyway, the upgrade to PS was $811. My threshold was $500--but I'm getting older and 'bit the bullet' and paid the $811 for Delta One for my wife and I (booked in OV class). I believe this was higher than if I had bought PS at time of booking. She was able to clear the BUD to SLC (KL) in Z class. So my ticket is: SLC>JFK (OV) JFK>PRG (OY) BUD>AMS (Z) AMS>SLC (OV) I haven't posted here for a while—but this forum has really helped me over the years better understand the in/outs. Thank you all for your contributions to this community! Papa Ostler/Happydad100 |
I’m a little confused. Aren’t the rules for the global upgrades the same for flights with F and D1 flights with no premium select? So any available seat can be immediately booked into? Such as the transcons?
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Several of us have seen what appears to be an internal Delta graphic that instructs agents how GUCs and RUCs apply in different cabin/aircraft scenarios and what specific inventory buckets are needed to confirm GUC/RUC usage. This data has been updated in the WIKI both here and in the Regional Upgrades thread. It also outlines how the new delta.com Upgrade Availability flags work (now there are 2 flags "Global Upgrade Certificate Available" and "Upgrade Certificate Available") and examples of each scenario.
New Fare Table for GUC/RUC Effective 2/1/2022 *****GUC***** Flight has First Class MC/C+ = Purchased First = Last Seat J (Old Policy = OY) Flight has DPS only MC/C+ = Purchased DPS = Last Seat (GUC=P / RUC=G) (Old Policy = RY) Flight has D1 with no DPS MC/C+ = Purchased D1 = Z (Old Policy = OY) Flight has D1 with DPS MC/C+ = Purchased DPS = Last Seat (GUC=P / RUC=G) (Old Policy = RY) D1 = OY @ T-24h15m Flight has D1 with DPS DPS = Purchased D1 = Z (Old Policy = OY) Note: If GUC applied to domestic flight, it has better inventory than RUC (better chance for D1 transcon or to Hawaii) *****RUC***** Flight has First Class MC/C+ = Purchased First = Z (Old Policy = OY) Flight has D1 with no DPS MC/C+ = Purchased D1 = OY (no change in old policy = OY) New Delta.com Upgrade Availability Indicators that appeared 2/1/22 and what they mean Dom D1 Tag meaning: Global Upgrade Certificate Available = GUC in Z (OY = 0 for RUC) Upgrade Certificate Available = GUC in Z /or/ RUC in OY both available Dom F Tag meaning: Global Upgrade Certificate Available = GUC in Last Seat J (Z = 0 for RUC) Upgrade Certificate Available = GUC in last seat J /or/ RUC in Z both available Example D1 Flights from JFK - LAX (flight numbers are fictitious) DL 01 Dom D1 flight Actual Availability: J5 C4 D4 Z3 Hidden Availability: OY2 Website indicator: Upgrade Certificate Available Actual decode: (2 RUC (OY) open, 3 GUC (Z) open) DL 02 Dom D1 flight Actual Availability: J5 C4 D4 Z3 Hidden Availability: OY0 Website indicator: Global Upgrade Certificate Available Actual decode: (0 RUC (OY) open, 3 GUC (Z) open) DL 03 Dom D1 flight Actual Availability: J3 C2 D2 Z0 Hidden Availability: OY0 Website indicator: No flag - neither is available GUC (Z0) and RUC (OY0) DL 04 Dom First flight Actual Availability: J3 C2 D2 Z1 Hidden Availability: n/a Website indicator: Upgrade Certificate Available Actual decode: (1 RUC (Z) open, 3 GUC (J) open) DL 05 Dom First flight Actual Availability: J3 C2 D2 Z0 Hidden Availability: n/a Website indicator: Global Upgrade Certificate Available Actual decode: (0 RUC (Z) open, 3 GUC (J) open) DL 06 Dom First flight Actual Availability: J0 C0 D0 Z0 Hidden Availability: n/a Website indicator: No flag - neither is available Actual decode: (0 RUC (Z) open, 0 GUC (J) open) |
Originally Posted by mmgm
(Post 33955744)
I’m a little confused. Aren’t the rules for the global upgrades the same for flights with F and D1 flights with no premium select? So any available seat can be immediately booked into? Such as the transcons?
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Originally Posted by happydad100
(Post 33955588)
This must be a new inventory bucket, since Delta One (OY) was not available prior to Feb 1st.
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Originally Posted by DMPHL
(Post 33955227)
This may technically be a bit of a liminal situation between pre-2/1 and post-2/1...I was on hold for hours last night as a DM, tried the various chat features, and everything took forever. Wait time on the phone kept going UP, after the online chat feature reached the 60+min quoted time, it then said an agent would be with me in about 85 more minutes, and the texting feature had an agent (after a 45 minute wait) saying she needed to check with the medallion desk, followed by radio silence.
After explaining the circumstances, an agent this morning let me apply my GUC from Economy to Delta One on JFK-ATL-JNB. So, success! Now to find an agent who knows how to apply them to a KLM-operated flight for the return. |
Apparently Delta is using public inventory buckets J Z P G (and non-public bucket OY in some cases) to determine GUC/RUC availability. However once they have confirmed you the system converts the segment in your reservation to a different bucket. Here is the class mapping:
GUC Usage MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to DPS / P class needed / Books into RV (Clears at T-24.15 into D1 as OX if OY available) MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to D1 (no DPS) / Z class needed / Books into OK DPS purchased / Upgrade to D1 / Z class needed / Books into OK MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to FC (no D1/DPS) / J class needed / Books into OV RUC Usage MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to DPS / G class needed / Books into RX (Clears at T-24.15 into D1 as OX if OY available) MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to D1 (no DPS) / OY class needed / Books into OX DPS purchased / Upgrade to D1 / OY class needed / Books into OX MC or C+ purchased / Upgrade to FC (no D1/DPS) / Z class needed / Books into OL |
Ahhhhhhhhh crap. I forgot about this deadline. Guess I'm not flying AF J using these then.
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So the rumored upside of the changes is true - if you do pay the ransom for premium select, you at least only need Z inventory, bringing Delta metal flights roughly in line with the availability we've already been able to access on AF/KL for years.
That's small consolation for needing to pay 2x or more for an upgradeable ticket, though. I continue to not understand why they didn't make these same changes but with a single exception - if OY is available, you should have been able to clear from main at booking instead of at T-24h15m. Increased availability for PS would have been an unqualified improvement, and they could still throttle back OY as far as they wanted to avoid giving away seats that might otherwise sell. It would be easy to understand tiered availability from higher cabins, and everyone would have been applauding this decision instead of panic-dumping their entire stash (as I did over the last few days). |
Originally Posted by BenA
(Post 33956330)
So the rumored upside of the changes is true - if you do pay the ransom for premium select, you at least only need Z inventory, bringing Delta metal flights roughly in line with the availability we've already been able to access on AF/KL for years.
That's small consolation for needing to pay 2x or more for an upgradeable ticket, though. I continue to not understand why they didn't make these same changes but with a single exception - if OY is available, you should have been able to clear from main at booking instead of at T-24h15m. Increased availability for PS would have been an unqualified improvement, and they could still throttle back OY as far as they wanted to avoid giving away seats that might otherwise sell. It would be easy to understand tiered availability from higher cabins, and everyone would have been applauding this decision instead of panic-dumping their entire stash (as I did over the last few days). |
Originally Posted by Utskicat
(Post 33956389)
The last 18 months of systemwide access to AF/Z was incredible. Not to mention the hush hush earn in that case.
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Had a IAD-CDG-DEL flight booked for April with a confirmed GUC upgrade that was applied last month before the rules changed. AF cancelled one of my flights & put me on their next available flight a day later. I called to move back to my original date of travel & was told that there were no AF flights on that day so I would have to switch to either KLM or VS. There was no upgrade availability on KLM & if I wanted to apply a GUC on the VS flight then I would be bound by the new rules. I explained I was not looking to book a new ticket but just wanted to travel on the date I had originally booked. I was put on hold a number of times while the agent checked with a supervisor & after about an hour he was finally able to switch me to Upper Class on a VS flight.
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Originally Posted by Keyser
(Post 33956804)
Had a IAD-CDG-DEL flight booked for April with a confirmed GUC upgrade that was applied last month before the rules changed. AF cancelled one of my flights & put me on their next available flight a day later. I called to move back to my original date of travel & was told that there were no AF flights on that day so I would have to switch to either KLM or VS. There was no upgrade availability on KLM & if I wanted to apply a GUC on the VS flight then I would be bound by the new rules. I explained I was not looking to book a new ticket but just wanted to travel on the date I had originally booked. I was put on hold a number of times while the agent checked with a supervisor & after about an hour he was finally able to switch me to Upper Class on a VS flight.
It makes no logical sense that DL's policy states that they are to always honor GUC/RUC in any J fare class for SDC purposes based on the logic that the now TICKETED class is J and that "using the upgrade certificate is an exchange of value and the ticket is treated the same as if it was a paid J ticket". Applying the same logic, schedule changes should ALWAYS be protected because the same exchange of value has occurred and the ticketed contract is for business class. From what I understand from pushing back this with agents before is that DL's internal system seems to contradict itself in several places regarding this policy OR the policy in places refers to the "original ticketed class" which is actually referring to the ticketed class BEFORE the schedule change, not the original pre-upgrade ticket. I long for the day I see Ed Bastian in the airport on on a flight and can push him if he is aware of this nonsense. If I bought a Y ticket and then upgraded to J using additional $$, its the same concept, I am now a bonafide J ticketed passenger, and they will always protect you. I know I am preaching to the choir here....but every time I hear these stories it makes by blood boil. It shouldn't be a fight. |
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