And I thought DL was stingy with upgrades..NW F half empty
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New Orleans (for now)
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And I thought DL was stingy with upgrades..NW F half empty
MSY to MSP last Tues. night on NW I heard the man behind me ask a buddy who was just boarding if he got his upgrade. Buddy says, no he didn't and ambled on back to coach. The flight took off with the F cabin half empty.
MSP to DSM was half empty also and coach was full. Are they stricter than DL with upgrades?
MSP to DSM was half empty also and coach was full. Are they stricter than DL with upgrades?
#2
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Los Angeles, CA - Nearly 4 Million Actual Miles Flown
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One flight does not even come close to provide a good sample size for any type of study. Just because a specific flight is half-empty doesn't mean anything.
#3
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: SDF
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I don't see how either NW or DL's domestic upgrade policies ever come close to be "stingy." Most people here would argue that they are too lenient.
#4
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I have never missed an upgrade on DL and seen an empty seat in F on the same flight. Stingy is certainly not the word I would use to characterise the DL upgrade process.
If I were non-elite, I might feel differently. I have sat next to a few empty seats in DL F, but AFAIK only after every Medallion on the aircraft who asked for an upgrade got one.
If I were non-elite, I might feel differently. I have sat next to a few empty seats in DL F, but AFAIK only after every Medallion on the aircraft who asked for an upgrade got one.
#5
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Right here
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My UG rate as a NW Silver was over 90% for a 2.5-year period. When I was Silver, I did put more effort into selecting flights with the best UG chances than I did when I made Gold, but based on my experience, NW is very generous with UGs. On the NW board, you will regularly see people post that NW's F is among the worst there is, but the consistency of free UGs coming through wins loyalty versus other propgrams where UGs are harder to obtain.
#6
Join Date: May 2001
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Just have to think that the guy you overheard was not a NW or CTL elite. Their policy is auto upgrades for those groups if the seats are available. Now is he was a DL elite, I could see that. I have been back in steerage as a DL elite when there were empty NW seats up front.
#7
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Originally Posted by jeffreyt
One flight does not even come close to provide a good sample size for any type of study. Just because a specific flight is half-empty doesn't mean anything.
I agree that F on NW was not much to crow about. The FA's were extremely nice on the way up. Not so nice on the way home yesterday (which was full in F by the way).
#8
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Originally Posted by Marylou
Well, actually that was 2 flights. Both full in coach to & from a major NW hub, which was why I thought it odd. I just find it hard to believe that there were no elites sitting in either Y cabin on a Tuesday evening. Or maybe they thought it wasn't worth the hassle?
I agree that F on NW was not much to crow about. The FA's were extremely nice on the way up. Not so nice on the way home yesterday (which was full in F by the way).
I agree that F on NW was not much to crow about. The FA's were extremely nice on the way up. Not so nice on the way home yesterday (which was full in F by the way).
I think you're perhaps seeing the effects of CHAOS affecting NW's elites? Flocking to other carriers (like myself) until everything's settled with the FAs.
#9
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Was his buddy a non-Plat with 1 or more non-elite companions on the same PNR? Or a Plat with 2+ companions on the same PNR? Or a Silver on an award ticket? There could be a number of explanations.