Booking/upgrade questions
Jan 27, 2023, 4:54 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: Delta
Posts: 103
Booking/upgrade questions
I apologize in advance if these are dumb questions. My husband and I are flying ATL-JNB in the fall. We used to travel a lot, and I knew the ins and outs of award travel, however, he is now retired and we are not traveling as often. He is GM, but we are no longer accumulating miles other than by credit card. My ultimate goal is to fly PS without paying full price, if possible. If we book Main cabin, can he choose comfort plus seats on an international flight, or have to wait to see if he is upgraded? Is it better to book flights with $$$ and try to use miles to upgrade? Or purchase tickets with miles and then pay $$$ to upgrade? I don’t want to use most of our remaining miles to book PS. Thank you for any suggestions!
Jan 28, 2023, 6:39 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 27,045
I apologize in advance if these are dumb questions. My husband and I are flying ATL-JNB in the fall. We used to travel a lot, and I knew the ins and outs of award travel, however, he is now retired and we are not traveling as often. He is GM, but we are no longer accumulating miles other than by credit card. My ultimate goal is to fly PS without paying full price, if possible. If we book Main cabin, can he choose comfort plus seats on an international flight, or have to wait to see if he is upgraded? Is it better to book flights with $$$ and try to use miles to upgrade? Or purchase tickets with miles and then pay $$$ to upgrade? I don’t want to use most of our remaining miles to book PS. Thank you for any suggestions!
Jan 28, 2023, 7:03 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,063
They may offer PS/D1 upgrades for purchase with miles/cash after purchase, but these offers can be somewhat unpredictable (see post just today, for example -- PS upgrades?) and can actually cost more than just paying the fare difference.
The current cheapest fares to JNB are seasonal and are only available in the fall for travel between Oct 26th and Dec 9th (on outbound flight) and require a 7 day minimum stay. PS fares from ATL start at $2879 roundtrip which is a $1150 difference from Main Cabin fares at $1729 roundtrip. You might see offers less than the $575 each way fare difference, but I wouldn't expect them to be dramatically lower. The mileage offer is just based on the cash price with miles valued at 1 cent per mile (a $575 cash offer would translate to 57,500 miles).
DL has much more reasonable fares out of more competitive markets like NYC, WashDC, and Chicago where PS fares range from $2134 - $2180 roundtrip (note that DL partner Virgin Atlantic has even cheaper Premium Economy fares starting at around $1800 roundtrip out of these markets -- but these will require a connection through LHR). However, these still represent an $1100 - $1300 fare difference roundtrip from DL's Main Cabin fares out of those cities. Don't know how familiar you are with PS, but note that while PS seats have footrests, taller passengers don't find them particularly useful as the bottom shelf on the footrest does not extend out very far (and your legs will be elevated off the seat when placing your feet on the footrest shelf).
The current cheapest fares to JNB are seasonal and are only available in the fall for travel between Oct 26th and Dec 9th (on outbound flight) and require a 7 day minimum stay. PS fares from ATL start at $2879 roundtrip which is a $1150 difference from Main Cabin fares at $1729 roundtrip. You might see offers less than the $575 each way fare difference, but I wouldn't expect them to be dramatically lower. The mileage offer is just based on the cash price with miles valued at 1 cent per mile (a $575 cash offer would translate to 57,500 miles).
DL has much more reasonable fares out of more competitive markets like NYC, WashDC, and Chicago where PS fares range from $2134 - $2180 roundtrip (note that DL partner Virgin Atlantic has even cheaper Premium Economy fares starting at around $1800 roundtrip out of these markets -- but these will require a connection through LHR). However, these still represent an $1100 - $1300 fare difference roundtrip from DL's Main Cabin fares out of those cities. Don't know how familiar you are with PS, but note that while PS seats have footrests, taller passengers don't find them particularly useful as the bottom shelf on the footrest does not extend out very far (and your legs will be elevated off the seat when placing your feet on the footrest shelf).
Last edited by xliioper; Jan 28, 2023 at 9:08 am