cubeman

Booked LGA-DTW as a round-trip. When I booked it said I could use a RUC to go to FC immediately but saw there were 5-6 seats left and rolled the dice. Flight was now 3-4 hours away and it dropped to 2 so I figured burn a RUC to jump to #1. I called the agent she said I was now waitlisted and I noticed I was off the upgrade list. She said that's normal but don't worry on their end it's fine. I repeated that I've done this before and me not being on the upgrade list means I'll get skipped and the Gate agents can't do anything. She "asked" a supervisor and said everything is normal.

About T-10 to boarding I noticed that two people were upgraded to FC, I went to the GA to see if maybe they had RUC's applied also but he said "I don't exist on the upgrade list"/. I called the Diamond line and they said "No you cleared FC on our end and are confirmed". Back and forth for 5 minutes and now being told by the GA "You want me to have to tell them sorry my mistake you aren't being upgraded?". Ends up some mistake made it so there was a 3rd empty seat that was assigned to me but wasn't populating correctly. When we scanned my seat it didn't reassign it automatically and required a reissuing of my ticket.

On my return trip I had no RUC as odds were good, guess what? I don't appear on the upgrade list and since I got to the gate pretty late everything was issued and the GA apologized but once again I wasn't on the upgrade list even with it showing that I requested an FC upgrade on webpage/app.

I've literally used 10-12 GUC's and a handful of RUC's and unless it immediately clears upon booking, any type of waitlist/upgrade list is a nightmare and requires constant supervision from the passenger to get anything to work. I typically book FC (paid) myself but try to enjoy some sort of "discount" with my loyalty by using these things and it's a headache everytime.

DLHubber

You'd think that Delta would prioritize quality on a system that literally only impacts their highest-value customers, and yet it's as flimsy as can be.

secretalcoholic

Sounds about right -- if you looked at the main GUC/RUC thread, good luck also getting an agent (on the DM line...) that is familiar with the process without having to HUCA multiple times.

sydneyracquelle

With all due respect, why burn an RUC on an hour flight from LGA>DTW? I use mine only for longer cross country trips.

Tine Rod

I’ve gone through this before and fear it’s happening again. Last time I cleared F with no indication on my end and couldn’t check in online. By the time I got checked in at counter both my F seats were given away in addition to my original plat C + upgrade.

metalblaze

my rule of thumb to even bother using RUCs if the flight is >3.5 hours. Otherwise, it is more headache….of course, YMMV.

WillBarrett_68

You didn't see yourself on the upgrade list, you KNEW this was incorrect, and you didn't say anything until the gate?

Almost certainly the agent who applied the cert did it incorrectly, any time you don't see yourself on the list it's been done wrong, even if they tell you "it's normal" (it's normal in that it happens all the time, but it's not what is SUPPOSED to happen).

in any case, you kinda did this to yourself, a lot of the "RUCs SUCK" stories of woe involve the "there are a lot of seats open today, four months before departure, so I'll roll the dice and try to throw one on at the last minute if necessary" strategy. Especially if you're going to combine this with the "don't say anything until after the GA processes the upgrade list" strategy.

woodenshoe101

Not only prioritizing it for their highest value customers, also for their own bottom line.

It is baffling how agents are so poorly trained on applying these certificates, which should be a fairly common transaction (especially for agents that staff the DM line). You also have to wonder how many steps and manual entries (and tricks?) it takes with the error rates as high as they are. Not to mention that even with good agents it still take 10-15 minutes to apply a G/RUC. Even more time is wasted with probably half the time a second or third call being required to fix the original errors.

Of course it is only one symptom of DL's broader decrepit systems, because other and much simpler things also seem to take forever. If they had a solid and modern back-of-the-house system, they could probably make things work with just half of the phone agents they have today.

BNAChairman

If I apply a RUC and don't see myself on the upgrade list I always HUCA (hang up and call again). Eventually I'll find an agent who knows the ins and outs. Tedious I know but Delta made the bed and I intend to make them lie in it until this is fixed. Hopefully they log the purpose of calls and can see how bad these things are to manage.

DLHubber

Part of the problem is that there aren't actually dedicated Medallion lines anymore. We get to jump the queue, but it's all the same agents. They just answer the call with "X Medallion Line" based on your status.

cubeman

You skipped the part where I told her it's wrong, she "Asked" a supervisor and said that this is correct. I shouldn't have to HUCA to use RUC's.

BOS1971

This is caused by the ticket not being re-issued. To check it all out:
1. One the Delta Website, go to your reservation and click "View Receipt". If the class does not show the code of OU, your ticket has not been reissued.
2. If, 24 hours prior to departure, the phone app shows you can't get your boarding pass and you have applied a RUC, it's most likely that the ticket hasn't been re-issued.

If either occurs, call in and ask to have the ticket re-issued. The best agents can do it themselves, but most will contact the ticketing desk, which just delays your call. This is frustrating for sure.

RobertS975

So at the end of the day, the new feature that was supposed to enable US to use an RUC/GUC at the time of booking hasn't really helped much. These certificates are still mostly a time consuming problem and process.

Here's my recent experience...I have now seen this several times...you ticket a flight that plainly says "First available with upgrade certificate " but after you buy the ticket and call the so-called Diamond line, the agent tells you it is not available to confirm, just wautlist.

secretalcoholic

The feature works 50/50. My recent booking 2 days ago...I was within risk-free cancellation so i cancelled it and rebooked without ticking/checking use GUC/RUC, and then called DM Agent to apply it for immediate upgrade. Or else you'll be wait-listed even though its available according to the website.

PupManS

It seems to me like when they automated “apply at purchase” they didn’t really automate what they agents do. They just turned it into an instant seat assignment upgrade, not a “paid” upgrade requiring ticket reissue. Pretty much like a complimentary seat upgrade. Although it does come out of (and decrement) separate inventory, the two times I’ve had it work there was no reissue.

For RUCs that’s kind of ok. For GUCs and partner flights, the issue is it’s a paid currency, so the taxes, surcharges and fees all require re-calculation. My understanding of the reissue process is they have to do it to be able to redo all that math. Take for instance the LHR departure luxury tax.

Now the real question. If the automated process can just force a seat assignment upgrade, why not have the agents do that, instead of the reissue mess?