Upgrade Priority and MM Status
Mar 8, 2024, 10:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Delta DM MM, HH Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite, TSA Pre-Check
Posts: 341
Upgrade Priority and MM Status
Apologies if I have missed this but I searched and could not find it.
I know that MM status has moved up in upgrade priority but does anyone know if it is just figured on different tiers (1MM, 2MM, etc...) or would someone with 1.8 MM hold priority over someone with 1.7 MM. Any advice or knowledge is appreciated.
I know that MM status has moved up in upgrade priority but does anyone know if it is just figured on different tiers (1MM, 2MM, etc...) or would someone with 1.8 MM hold priority over someone with 1.7 MM. Any advice or knowledge is appreciated.
Mar 8, 2024, 11:25 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2019
Programs: Delta PM, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 405
There has been some discussion on this, with the general consensus being that it's only million mile thresholds which matter. So 2MM beats 1MM, but 1.7MM vs 1.6MM is a tie and goes to the next tiebreaker.
Mar 8, 2024, 11:34 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,970
Apologies if I have missed this but I searched and could not find it.
I know that MM status has moved up in upgrade priority but does anyone know if it is just figured on different tiers (1MM, 2MM, etc...) or would someone with 1.8 MM hold priority over someone with 1.7 MM. Any advice or knowledge is appreciated.
I know that MM status has moved up in upgrade priority but does anyone know if it is just figured on different tiers (1MM, 2MM, etc...) or would someone with 1.8 MM hold priority over someone with 1.7 MM. Any advice or knowledge is appreciated.
Mar 8, 2024, 1:02 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Georgia
Programs: DL DM/2MM
Posts: 1,037
While it's true that this is the general consensus, the consensus depends on the assumption that Delta was sloppy when explaining how this works. Read precisely, Delta says that the consensus is wrong:
"For Members who hold Million Miler Status, the Member with the higher number of lifetime flight miles will clear first."
Source: https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles...llion-upgrades
"For Members who hold Million Miler Status, the Member with the higher number of lifetime flight miles will clear first."
Source: https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles...llion-upgrades
Mar 8, 2024, 1:38 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,970
While it's true that this is the general consensus, the consensus depends on the assumption that Delta was sloppy when explaining how this works. Read precisely, Delta says that the consensus is wrong:
"For Members who hold Million Miler Status, the Member with the higher number of lifetime flight miles will clear first."
Source: https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles...llion-upgrades
"For Members who hold Million Miler Status, the Member with the higher number of lifetime flight miles will clear first."
Source: https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles...llion-upgrades
Mar 8, 2024, 1:43 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2023
Programs: Diamond DL
Posts: 130
Those T&Cs are extremely vague. "The Member with the higher number of lifetime flight miles will clear first" can just mean that obviously a 1 MM will have lower priority than a 2 MM but doesn't explicitly specify how the system would treat two members within the same MM tier, e.g., a 1.7 MM vs. 1.8 MM.
1.8 is more than 1.7
"The Member with the higher number of lifetime flight miles will clear first"
it says lifetime flight mileS , not 1mm 2mm 3mm ,,,,
Mar 8, 2024, 1:59 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,970
DL can write one thing which is different than what their systems can actually accommodate OR have been set up to process. Same way that for years and years, we had to correct DL's incompetent agents and product marketing teams who didn't know the difference between fare class/booking class and class-of-service/cabin class for same-day change purposes.
Mar 8, 2024, 5:49 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,044
I actually have this situation coming up in a few weeks. I'm on a flight with another Diamond 1 MM, but I have some more MMs than he does. I'll try to remember to report back once we see the upgrade order.
Mar 8, 2024, 6:24 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Delta DM MM, HH Diamond, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite, TSA Pre-Check
Posts: 341
Would love to hear back....I guess we need to probably just ask DL for an "official" answer
Mar 9, 2024, 3:37 pm
#11
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Georgia
Programs: DL DM/2MM
Posts: 1,037
Would you have priority over the other DM 1MM DL even if DL were to rank all 1MM equally? (e.g. you have the DL Reserve and he doesn't?) You'd have to go down the priority list until you find a tiebreaker.
Mar 9, 2024, 4:29 pm
#12
Join Date: Oct 2019
Programs: Flying Blue, Hilton Honors, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 2,403
Pretty much would need something like 1.6MM DM with Reserve getting upgraded ahead of 1.8MM DM without Reserve.
Mar 9, 2024, 4:35 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: On the run
Programs: DL 2MM/DM, Hilton LT Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriot Titanium
Posts: 573
1.8 MM DM will clear before the 1.6 MM DM Reserve carrying based on lifetime MM miles. The likely hood of two MM’s having the same identical life time MM balance is nil.
Mar 9, 2024, 6:47 pm
#15
Join Date: Oct 2019
Programs: Flying Blue, Hilton Honors, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 2,403
I read the published priority as you do (that Reserve and MQD would only matter if lifetime totals were equal), but there was a post that stated very confidently that it was bucketing by whole million miles (which, to be fair, matches behavior that DL would want to encourage). So I was just stating the kind of data point that would prove the bucketing interpretation (which is a strained interpretation IMO).