Does Delta have an elite seating section?
 

Looks like I'll be booking some last-minute tickets onto Delta down to PNS. They offer sane flight times and miles to CO, my only problem is that seat selection is crap right now. On three of the four segments all there is left is the odd middle seat every few rows.

On NW, they hold the first few rows for their elite customers for advanced booking, but when the 30 hour mark hits, anyone can check in online and grab those seats. Often times rows are empty and I can either get a bulkhead or secure two or three seats next to each other.

Can anyone shed some light onto Delta Elite seating? When the seat map shows seats grayed out, does that mean there's a butt in that seat, or will that seat become available 30 hours out?

Thanks in advance guys!

BTW, I did do a search and just found a thread from '01.

While I wouldn't consider myself an expert on the inner working of Delta elite seating, I can tell you that Delta reserves several up-front rows in coach and usually some select (exit row) seats throughout the cabin for their Elite (SM, GM and PM) paxes. If not an elite, the seats will show up as "greyed" out like the truly "butt taken" seats on the seat-map on their web.

I don't believe that Delta has a similar "30 hour release" rule as NW, and thus the open elite seats are going to appear occupied on the web to the departure and will only be assigned to those non-elite paxes who have "seat request" confirmation (or perhaps request elite seats at the gate?). To substantiate that I just for the heck of it ran a reservation 24 hours from now showing seats available to me as an elite that was greyed out when running it as a non-medaillion.

I do know that even a front-line phone agent have some power over deviating from this as I more than once have had them put my elderly parents in elite seats - possibly based on my status and the fact that I made the reservation. Thus, a truly convincing sob-story may result in a non-elite being able to reserve an elite seating, though only on the phone or in person and not on the web.

In a nut-shell, when you are able to check-in online at NW (30 hours out) any unused elite seating becomes available to non-elites checking in, I'm wondering whether Delta releases their elite seats as well at check-in?

Not 30 hrs for sure, only chance is maybe at the airport.

As far as I know The Duck is correct is saying, "I don't believe that Delta has a similar "30 hour release" rule as NW, and thus the open elite seats are going to appear occupied on the web to the departure and will only be assigned to those non-elite paxes who have "seat request" confirmation (or perhaps request elite seats at the gate?)."

Admittedly it has been a while since I haven't been an elite, but I have never heard anything that conflicts with the above wisdom. If you have a flight(s)you want me to check, feel free to PM me and I can check whether there are seats available to elites. Assuming there are seats available, perhaps a call to the reservations folks with a specific seat number request will help? Just a thought.

This is a waste of time. Just ask at the airport.

Worst case scenario, you sit in a middle seat from ATL all the way to PNS. It's not that far. I sat in a middle seat from ATL to JAN one time and, to add insult to injury, was served a frozen bottle of lemonade that didn't melt until minutes before touchdown. Somehow I survived! :)

you can see all seats here
 

I have been told that DL will not automatically release those so-called elite seats to non-elites. They would rather leave them empty other than give them to non-elite members without request. They also mentioned that they always have last minute crew members getting on the flight who deserve those seats. I always request those seats 15-30 minutes before departure to make sure that gate agents would not think me as too picky. I have been on quite a few DL flights that the front coach cabin is very empty but the rear cabin is packed.

I agree, DL will not automatically release those seats to non-elites and I thank them for it. Many times when I was GM (when I actually flew in Y sometimes), there would only be one empty seat on the entire plane and it was right beside me.

Interesting how Delta manages to do this without an official Seat Blocking policy.

People in the UA forum are foaming at the mouth over non-elite passengers taking "their" blocked seat.

When I'm in coach, there is someone next to me 90% of the time. I would prefer a seat blocking policy to the current practice of marking the first 8 rows of coach reserved for elites. All in all, I care far less about someone next to me than I do about how close my seat is to the one in front of me. :)