Kerrirdh

Hi,
I know supposedly you are last on list of upgrades for having the delta reserve card.

How often does this actually happen ?
Thanks

Goodoldflyer

How would anyone actually ever know?

indufan

Because they don't have any status and get upgraded?

I am sure it does happen from time to time. I flew out of RSW about three years ago and half of FC was empty.

jjl468

During one of the COVID spikes was somehow able to get upgraded to FC on both legs of a SEA-LAX trip as just Medallion Member with the Reserve card. However, I haven't gotten any FC upgrades since even though I'm Silver now, so I would definitely say that there was a lot of luck involved in those upgrades. For the flight down to LAX, there were two seats open and I was 2/2 on the upgrade list, and for the flight back, there was only one seat open and I was somehow 1/2 on the upgrade list.

Kerrirdh

so the 1st time you were upgraded you did not have medallion silver yet?

jjl468

Correct, both times I have been upgraded to FC I did not have any status and have ironically not received any FC upgrades since earning Silver

paterwdb

For those with Reserve and no status, I'm curious where you typically see yourself on the upgrade list? Almost always the last one or two?

Goodoldflyer

How would you know that it wasn't just because they bought their ticket earlier? All you need for an upgrade is eligibility.

So you'd likely have to know a lot of details of both members/tickets to know for sure.

Zorak

OP's question was not about pax A getting upgrade priority over pax B as a result of holding the Reserve card; it was a question about the Reserve card benefit that makes even *non-status* members who hold a Reserve card eligible for upgrades.

MSPeconomist

Eligibility literally makes you eligible for an upgrade (note that we're not talking about OPUPs), but the priority ordering determines who among those who are eligible actually gets an upgrade. Someone with *just* a Reserve card would fall toward the very end to the priority list that ranks those who are eligible for upgrades.

If we observe a case of a flight with empty FC seats when the upgrade list is empty, that would be an example of a flight where someone with just a Reserve card could have gotten an upgrade, but we obviously don't know whether anyone with just a Reserve card was actually on the flight (and presumably upgraded).

Kerrirdh

wow! Debating on chasing the silver, prob not worth it lol

jjl468

This would match my experience, I was always in the bottom few in the upgrade list for FC as a Reserve holder with no status and the only times I got upgraded was when there were only 2 total people on the upgrade list. I would also occasionally see myself around the middle of the pack for C+ upgrade lists as well and it wasn't super rare to get that upgrade on the routes I flew out of SEA

I think the main value in Silver is just the free checked bags, but if you have the Reserve then that's irrelevant anyways. I also get upgraded to C+ a decent amount as Silver based in SEA (~50/50, could be higher if I accepted middle seat C+ over a preferred window seat) and free preferred seating is nice whenever I don't get upgraded, but overall I'd say Silver isn't worth going out of your way for. The benefits themselves aren't amazing and the fact that you're not able to hit Silver naturally would mean that you wouldn't be able to use the benefits often enough for a mileage run to be worth it anyways.

Kerrirdh

is this with no status and just reserve CC?

Kerrirdh

I’m based NYC is this considered a hard hub to get upgraded?

Also is Newark harder or easier for upgrade?

beachmouse

If you’re a tall or leggy sort, the free preferred seating includes the exit rows.