GG

LexPax and I are scheduled to fly COS-MSP tomorrow. Our flight is still showing P9,F9,allotherfareclasses9, but no upgrades have come through. (Checking seatcounter and itn.) I know that NW's seat maps aren't a reliable indicator, but the entire F cabin seems to be empty. This is a route on which we usually have upgraded 5 or more days out.

Lex's guess is that they're keeping their options open to allow for an equipment substitution (the plane's usually a 319). This seems plausible, but it seems pretty drastic. As we're stuck flying MSP-SDF on a crudge jet, I sure hope we're not in for another one from COS.

Any other ideas about what's up with this? It's the only NW flight out of COS tomorrow, so I'm sure hoping the flight isn't going to be cancelled entirely.

XNWCSA

The "R" inventory, which is the inventory upgrades come out of, is showing R0. Until they open up "R" availablity, no upgrades can be processed. This happened to me on a trip to LAX a couple of weeks ago. They eventually opened up some "R" availability, but it was closer to departure day. The upgrades came through, but it was just before the upgrades processed for Silver Elite. They have been doing this a lot more lately it seems.

GG

I know upgrades come out of R inventory. I can't check for R, but can infer certain things from looking at other fare classes. The point here is, there seems to be no reason EUA shouldn't have run on an apparently completely empty F cabin. In our experience, EUA to/from COS runs early and often.

XNWCSA

Sorry, just trying to help. I did check for "R" inventory and there is none, so no EUA. That is the reason it did not run for that flight and it is up to capacity control to do that. One can infer all day for the reasons behind that! The other fare classes really don't mean anything if they are not allowing upgrades, worldperks or elite EUA.

ed1

EUA probably ran, and any Y26/27 fares for all elites (if any) got the UG. When EUA runs, it can only process the regular (discounted coach fares) into R inventory - no R = no UGs, it's as simple as that. As to why they didn't release more R inventory, that is a totally different thing, and you'd have to ask those whose responsibilities include those duties.

XNWCSA

Ed1, you are correct. I should have worded that better. EUA did run, but it could not upgrade anyone waiting for "R" inventory. Local stations have different requirements for capacity control. Even though it shows P9F9, capacity control has the final say as to the inventory of the aircraft. Supervisors and managers can call and have seats blocked for various reasons or for downgrades in equipment. A lot of flights into and out of Florida show P5F5 with no "R" inventory with a completely empty first class seat map and cabin booked in the system. I do not understand their rhymes or reason behind what they do, but there is a department that controls this. EUA would have ran, but no upgrades for non-full fare tickets waiting for "R" inventory. Very well put Ed1.

GG

Thanks, I do appreciate the responses. I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what's up.

ed1

Thanks, I did try to get that exactly correct and fully explained.

I know what you mean about the P5F5, I've run into that on 755s into TPA when the F cabin shows only 5-9 of the 22 seats actually taken on the seat map (after GE UGs were processed). Usually I'll get the UG on EUA one to two days out when that happens, but occasionally it's been a BF UG instead.

Lyaec350

The same thing has happened to me before on MSP-YXE. Nearly empty flight, P9F9 till day of departure, F seatmap shows no seats taken. They ended up just handing out FC boarding passes to all elites at the gate, and F was still 1/2 empty. I would imagine there is just some error with the EUA software and it's not running normally, likely you'll get it at the gate.

Bateau

If you are flying tomorrow, have you tried checking in yet? I was flying today BWI-MSP-SEA and EUA upgraded me from BWI to MSP, but not from MSP to SEA. I figured it was all full. Yet this morning, while checking in online, I was offered upgrades (it always seems to) and suddenly an upgrade was found for MSP-SEA run.

GG

Well. Woof. Checking in from MSP.

We're still not sure what exactly they were thinking, but since our guess is as good as any, keeping the F cabin wide open *possibly* had to do with ORD being closed on and off 3 out of 4 days. Friends scheduled to fly back to DAY today from COS through ORD were rebooked for tomorrow. Lex thought NW might have been keeping the F cabin open in hopes that UA and AA actual F flyers might get rerouted onto our flight.

Whatever. When we checked in, F was still wide open, and Lex was told that there were 9 of us who'd get our upgrades at the gate. Which we did.

The plane was full when it went out, and we do think a bunch of people ended up on our flight who'd been scheduled on other airlines. UA had at least 2 flights really delayed (gates next to ours, so we could hear the announcements).

But all that was prelude, as it turned out. The APU on our plane (late in, and a substitute, as the original scheduled flight from ORD had been cancelled) "died" - to quote our pilot - as they were taxiing to the gate at COS. We were scheduled out at 2:30p, actually left at more like 5p, which meant that most people on the flight missed their connections.

Which is where NW really did a great job. Several minutes were wasted getting us to the gate (new ground employees and snow obscuring the markings meant we all had to reseat while the tug positioned us correctly for the jetway). But then, ground agents came aboard and gave us the list of connections which were still good (very short) and told the rest of us to go to the counter for arrangements.

And at the counter, laid out alphabetically by pax name, were packets with hotel vouchers, meal vouchers, and apology packets.

Best NW recovery performance we've seen.

Still not sure why no upgrades COS-MSP this Monday until at the gate, however.