I realize DL does not permit upgrades on the dreaded L fares, but I thought the certificates could be used on all other fares. Is this not correct? (Sorry, I haven't flown Delta lately and don't have any DL certs. lying around.)

DL allows upgrade certificates to be used on ~any fare~ except "L."

As has already been said, Delta upgrades are valid on any fare except L class, and there are fares that are a good distance further than "shouting distance" from full fare that are upgradeable, including K and Q.

Looks like Efrem and PremEx have been lead astray by UA and AA with regards to DL upgrades and their use on discount fares. Clearly AA and UA upgrades are much, much more expensive (mileage-wise) than DL or US.

Nope. Not lead astray. Sure there are other fares besides the L fare, but you have to PAY MORE for them. So when compairing, you have to take this into account. A co-worker here flys Delta and he always calls for the lowest fare (who wouldn't) and these seem to be clasified as L no matter what the price. It's really very simple...on United you can upgrade domestically on even their lowest published fare (and even E-Fare web specials). Last week my co-workers and I were split between flights on United and Delta from LAX to MCO. Both had a $215 R/T fare available, and United's was upgradeable (and we did), but the lowest fare Delta had that was upgradeable (Q) was $396. Since they had to go with the lowest fare of $215 (an L), needless to say they flew in coach with Delta. It's clear to me which way I'd rather go.

[This message has been edited by PremEx (edited 02-16-99).]

Not having checked Delta fares recently, I was unaware that they seem to be classifying everything as L class. I thought these fares were only available on certain routes and because they were deeply discounted there were not too many of them. I would agree that if DL is calling everything an L fare, then the upgrades available on other airlines are certainly more appealing.

Another problem with DL upgrade certificates, unless you happen to be Gold or Platinum Medallion, is that you can't use them until 24 hours before flight time. And that's on each leg. If I'm leaving DC at 12:01 on Tuesday to Atlanta, I can't call until 12:01 on Monday; if my return is at 12:01 on Thursday, I can't call until 12:01 on Wednesday. Even if I paid for my upgrades.

Phil ~ The 24 hour restriction is in effect at most airlines, not just Delta for segment upgrades.

Am I the only one that does not like the 500 mile increments of stickers. Most flights from Chicago out east are 600 to 850 miles yet I need to use 2 stickers (1000 miles). Since upgrade accounts are now electronic (at least mine is on American) why not just deduct the actual miles from this account.

First, I don't think I've been led astray on the Delta L fare issue. Thanks to a 1998 switch I'm both Delta Gold Medallion and AA Platinum AAdvantage, most likely losing Delta elite this year but earning AA Exec Platinum, and speak from LOTS of personal experience with both. Nobody has fed me a line on either airline. My experience confirms that Delta's premium for upgradeability vs. the cheapest available fare is typically 2-3 times more than the cost of purchased AA upgrades for that route. This, to me, more than offsets AA's relative stinginess with free upgrades.

Second, on balance, the smaller the increment the less likely you are to waste miles. For BOS-ORD, 867 miles, I have to use 1,000 miles of AA upgrades but would need 1,600 miles of Delta's if Delta flew that route. BOS-SFO is 3,000 miles of AA upgrades, 3,200 miles of Delta's (again, if Delta flew that route). There are examples where any given size works out best, and one person's travel patterns may happen to use those routes a lot, but on balance the smaller size will statistically waste fewer miles overall.

It should be noted that it seems that Delta only allows Medallion members to buy upgrades for the fees outlined earlier in this thread. General members can use miles to upgrade though but can not buy the 800 mile segment upgrade points. This is from their web site:

Delta's one-class 800-mile segment upgrade points are a special benefit available only to Medallion � level members.

Some clarification on American's upgrade costs.

Yes, eight 500-mile stickers cost 30,000 miles. Not worth it. But 16 stickers cost 40,000 miles, or 2,500 miles for every 500 miles of upgrade. On a coast-to-coast itinerary, this means you would need 10 stickers, which translates to spending 25,000 miles (at the 16-sticker redemption rate), as long as your trip doesn't exceed 2,550 miles each way (American gives a 50-mile leeway for the required number of stickers).

25,000 miles is a better deal than 30,000 miles for an upgrade award. Yes, I know that the award is confirmable when you buy your ticket, but if you're a Platinum, you'll get the upgrade 72 hours ahead of time better than 90% of the time. Plus, who wants to use 30,000 miles to upgrade a shorter trip than coast-to-coast?

For the record, JFK-LAX is 2,475 actual flight miles, but trips involving connections through Chicago or Dallas and most other coast-to-coast itineraries come out to more than 2,550 miles.