Hey All, first I know I am only a Silver. That being said - where are the upgrades this year? I have been elite for each of the last 12 years, most as a Silver, and I have never sat in coach as much as I am this year. I am 1 for 15 so far this year.

Is anyone else seeing this? I really had hoped March 1st would change things but so far it's the same.

Thx.

What days of the week are you flying and between what markets. My upgrade at the beginning of the year was pretty dismal but has been getting better, I actually cleared a DCA-DTW segment for the first time in a year a couple weeks ago. (pre-consultant rush hour time, though)

OP, you're also flying out of MSP where there are a ton of elites. Even as a Plat, this year I've missed two segments to/from MSP.

What routes you fly and when you fly them also plays a very large role in your upgrade chances. Keep working toward that Gold card.

To be honest my days of the week have have been every day except Saturday. Routes flown have been to PHX, LGA, JFK, TPA, MEM, DTW, ORD, EWR, ATL, OMA, DSM - so all over. I know a lot of these routes are very elite heavy, but this has been my routes for years and I have never had this much issues getting upgraded.

Wow - You are batting .067!

Even the Washington Nationals wouldn't take you!

I don't know, is Jim Bowden still the GM?

The problem is, we need to change our approach here on FT. The new message is: mileage runs and Y-ups are bad for you; they cause cancer and all that stuff.

I think we are all feeling the pain See this thread for instance. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=679788

It is unlikely that there are suddenly, this year, five times as many golds and plats as before.

It's likely that either:

1) Corporate travel departments are suddenly snarfing up F fares or Y-up fares at never-before-seen levels;

and/or

2) NWA is experimenting with offers to corporate agencies and/or travel departments or making F available at discounted rates to individuals, so that F is filling up with people who are "paying" for F well before EUA runs, at never-before-seen levels.

Something like this happened back in the early 90's -- NW made some deals with some large companies to provide what were essentially Y-UP fares. There was about six months were getting an upgrade was a chancy thing on many flights. I remember a friend from CID told me that UA (thru ORD or DEN) was better for him but flying NW got him 1st Class most of the time so he would request NW. I said "Hey, that's my upgrade you're sitting in"

I'm batting 100% as a Gold on NWA, almost all upgrades occur BEYOND the official Gold window....ie Sunday's flights upgraded today....unfortunately Friday's havent yet...ugh doing BWI-DTW, think that might be a tough one even on a 755...you darn plats, why dont you fly outta DCA or IAD this week

>>>>>-- NW made some deals with some large companies to provide what were essentially Y-UP fares. There was about six months were getting an upgrade was a chancy thing on many flights.


This is wholly understandable with an airline trying to battle its way out of bankruptcy. Giving the F seats to generate a raft of revenue makes sense, in a quick fix sort of way.

Though it does "shift" the spectrum of what has been the previous strategy for driving revenue (i.e., customer loyalty; years of elitehood) in a rather rude, abrupt, and unannounced sort of way, if this is indeed what is happening.

I've never understood this logic. Essentially EVERY NW flight is to/from a hub, where there are a 'ton' of elites. We are all competing against many elites.

this makes a lot more sense to me. Flying FROM MSP on Monday morning is different than flying TO MSP on Monday morning.

If you're going from NYC to MSP/DTW/MEM, you're only competing with the NYC residents that have chosen NW as their primary carrier. They could just as easily choose UA, AA, CO, etc., so your highest revenue flyers and elites are likely spread across a larger number of airlines. However, MSP residents are faced with >80% domination by NW and thus, assuming they care more about nonstops and variety of destinations, more people -- on a relative scale -- will be elite on NW than there are out of NYC.

Well, using your first statement and logic that everyone is competing against many elites, they would both be the same. On the one hand you've got all the MSP-based elites going FROM MSP on Monday morning. On the other hand, you've got the 'ton' of elites from every part of the country coming TO MSP on Monday morning for connections. I fail to see, based on your logic that it doesn't matter where you depart/arrive from, why this would be any different.

(I think it IS different, but because of the hub-captive elites I described earlier)

BWI-DTW is tough. I think a lot of it is b/c the RT F-class fare is usually btw $200 and $300. When I fly this route, I often just buy the F ticket.