firehawk

SEA-JFK or LGA
I caught the bug of enjoying the D1 on my first delta flight internationally
Now I want to do domestic from SEA to JFK/LGA however I want to know what tricks are there to get the lowest flight cost in D1. What route should I select? I am planning to go sometime in July or Aug. I understand it maybe peak season but even then, would love to know the best way to get a real good price. Not hard set on the dates.

Should I use a VPN or something else? Some say it helps but im not sure.
I welcome guidance and tips!

sonkie23

Delta doesn't always have D1 on this route. At most it's one flight a day. It's typically just regular domestic first. And even if you book ahead into what you think is D1, it can very easily be changed over time.

FlyinHawaiian

Related threads:

JFK-SEA: D1 no longer an option?
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta-air-lines-skymiles/2109300-domestic-delta-one-sea.html

steveholt

The best thing you can do is just check every day to see what the fares look like, but as others have said, JFK-SEA doesn't always have D1 service and can be swapped out for another aircraft. You're likely better looking for JFK-LAX, which has D1 at all times and more competition. The cheapest fare I can find is $1798 RT - it's possible that the fare can come down lower if one of the airlines initiates a sale and the others match, but you can always cancel your ticket, rebook, and get a DL credit for the difference if that happens.

xliioper

There is currently a single weekly Saturday-only D1 flight on 75S for June 10th through Sep 9th as DL528 on SEA-JFK (outbound on JFK-SEA is DL491). After Sep 9th, it's back to a 100% FC route.

Z bucket ($849 one-way fare) is currently open on DL528 on July 1, 15, and 22.

The Situation

To help set expectations, domestic D1 is far below the standards of international D1. Having done those flights a lot back when JFK/SEA had reliable D1 flights, the only D1 flight that I ever thought was worth the cost was the eastbound redeye and they did away with that one quickly because the yields were terrible. The remainder of flights you never would use the lie flat seat since it was a relatively short daytime flight and the meal is closer in presentation to domestic first class than international D1. Even though it wasn't my money, I would up booking based one schedule, then price, then amenities, and often found that it was more convenient and less anxiety inducing to take a flight out of LGA with a layover rather than making the trek out to JFK for a nonstop. If I were you, and I was looking to make a trip just to take D1, I would look on google flights for the cheapest international D1 flight. Often those are out of the NE or out of competitor hubs.

wetrat0

Some say that if you want an upgrade, it helps to dress nicely and smile at the gate agent. Those people would be wrong, but it doesn't stop them from saying it.

In all seriousness, if there was a "trick" to getting a good price everyone would be using it (and then there wouldn't be any tickets left at the good price). If you really want to fly up front and you're flexible, your best bet is to monitor the Premium Fare Deals forum on FT.

xliioper

I did some back-dated fare checks for D1 fares on SEA-JFK route on EF and the $849 ZAVKA0DQ D1 fare (requires 21 day advance purchase) has been the lowest on route for at least the last 5 months. In other words, it's unlikely they will publish something lower than that on route. As noted above, this fare is currently available on July 1, 15, and 22 on the one and only weekly D1 flight on route as those are the dates where is there is Z bucket inventory open on flight. Note that this fare only permits non-stop routing. The cheapest D1 fares with SEA-LAX-JFK routing is $1258 (requires either booking on separate tickets or as broken fares, as booking on a single through D1 fare is about $3K for a J0DN fare which allows this routing). Also unlikely they will file lower fares than these with this routing.

Fare pricing is driven by a combination of fare filings, fare bucket inventory availability, and meeting various fare rule requirements (mostly advance purchase requirements for domestic D1/FC fares). There's no magic involved here and using a VPN is not going to change any of these variables.

hhdl

But, but, my eight favorite YouTubers brought to me by SudVPN all say using a VPN will get me cheaper fares!

ijgordon

1) Use flights.google.com
2) Buy Bitcoin
3)�.
4) Profit
5) Fly Delta One

jrl767

the airline industry is in a significantly different space today, as are both business and leisure travelers … neither wistful/hopeful/nostalgic FTers nor DL Revenue Management are going to turn back the calendar to ~2016 when D1 SEA<>JFK could be found for $549 (and sometimes less)

firehawk

Thanks all. Sorry for the late reply.
So I just looked and nothing available on 1st or 15th July (for D1)
Going through LAX is more expensive it seems then I need to make my way to LAX from SEA so more cost.
:-/

xliioper

I'm afraid you didn't search very well. In July, there is a single weekly non-stop D1 flight on SEA-JFK (DL528) which is flown on Saturdays. On both July 1 and 15 there is still Z fare availability on this flight at $848.90. This is the cheapest D1 fare available on the route.

Connecting through LAX will cost considerably more as the $848.90 D1 fares only permit non-stop routing. The cheapest through D1 fares which permit SEA-LAX-JFK routing are $2974.20 J fares (you can get cheaper than that with broken fares, but they will still be considerably more than $848.90).

lindros2

as I've seen with Delta and most recently United, the diff in fare price (even one way) can be as much as $1000.

i.e. $317 incl. tax for F, vs. $1397 for D1 (or United Polaris).

Same day. Same route. Slightly diff times.

xliioper

You won't get anywhere near that price on DL for SEA-JFK FC fares. The cheapest FC Z fares (which have 21 day AP) on SEA-JFK route are $678.90. These fares are specifically for FC flights are do not apply to D1 flights.