RobOnLI

Also remember that this policy is not all that different from NW elite upgrades on AS. NW Plats and Golds are put at the bottom of the upgrade list, after all MVP Gold and MVP members. In fact, we're put on the list in the same bucket with those willing to pay for an upgrade - although according to all of the AS agents I've talked to, NW Plats/Golds would still get upgraded before those willing to buy the upgrade.

So while DL may dump some seats for $$ before upgrading some people, AS doesn't appear to do that. Both of them have the ability to put NW elites at the bottom of the list.

But I'm curious...how in the world does Delta know whether you are a keeper or a junk NW elite? My *guess* would have been that NW only tells Delta what your elite level is and nothing else. I guess maybe they have created a much tighter integration between the two systems than NW & CO did.

-RM

FLLUAFlyer

Wirelessly posted (Apple iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5G77 Safari/525.20)

After being last on airport list Monday morning and being told by the GA I was behind all DL PM/GM/FO, I sent an email to Delta CS. They responded by saying the GA had not put my "standby status" (their words not mine) in correctly and that I should have been listed along with other DL Plats.

So armed with this "new" knowledge, I went to the airport Thursday and sure enough I was dead last on the Upg list. So I talked to a Crown Room agent who told me I was listed as a "UP6" which is the lowest status. The wonderful agent spent the next half hour trying a million tricks, but the computer would always put me back as a "UP6". He read the rules and it definently said NW Plats should be "UP3" which is also what DL Plats are listed at. But nothing worked.

He said of is a bug in the system, because prior to the airport list, NW Plats are correctly listed as "UP3" for the 5-day upgrade window. But once it goes to airport control the Delta computers are not listing it correctly.

So he is sending an email to his supervisors to alert them, and I sent another email to Delta. I guess they will eventually get it right.

By the way, I also had the GA try to work it. She was aware if the issue but could also do nothing. But she was nice enough to rebook me in F. So even though I technically did not get upgraded, I did ride in F! :-)

secretsea18

In retrospect, I was also #2 of 2, last on the list. This may have been what happened to me too, but I did not pursue it with the GA, as I couldn't stand her attitude any longer than I had. In the future, if I have any more DL flights (which I doubt), I'll keep this UP3-UP6 situation in mind.

GBadger

I knew it!!! This has to be fixed! NW Plats should be listed with DL plats at the gate...end of story.

SFO voyageur

Today I was last on both upgrade boards with DL (behind scores of others) going SFO-ATL-JAX. (no upgrade of course on either flight)
I certainly felt like a 2nd class "Platinum" and even worse when I think about reading in the Delta board all their successes scoring upgrades on NW regardless of elite level. Why is it NW got it right for them but Delta doesn't reciprocate for us?

pbarnette

I think this is right. I am glad that DL is systematically disenfranchising NW elites. This was our plan all along. This was the only reason to ever merge with NW.

Some would say that growing pains with regards to local upgrades might be difficult to overcome, but they are clearly idiots. Anytime I miss an upgrade, I KNOW it is because of a conscious DL attempt to disenfranchise me. I am glad I know this, since it will provide me with a bogeyman to blame for all my problems. I was wondering why I didn't get an upgrade on a SK-coded/LX-operated flight, but now I know.

secretsea18

Oh Please just stop being so antagonistic. It really is not necessary.

motytrah

Honestly, DL's IT is INCOMPETENT. Seriously. Just read the threads over on the DL forum about how long they have been trying to get the web site/reservation/awards to work correctly. It's not pretty. Their QA team is a joke. I can't imagine how bad it would be if it wasn't for the DL FTers bringing up the obvious issues.

jjlovecub

Well reading this post my frustration is justified. My last trip I was upgraded 5 days out SRQ-ATL as a PE but upon getting to ATL for my return I was 19 of 19 on the upgrade list!! i thought wow a lot of Platinums until I boarded in Coach and was sitting next to a DL Silver on a rock bottom fare who was listed 15 of 19 on the list This is just wrong! What can be done to change this?

remedy

What NW Platinum members would DL not want to keep in the fold, and why??? This does not make sense to me.

runninaway

Being in PHX, you could achieve Platinum by taking 17 r/t flights to PVD for a total cash outlay of around $2400 (just under a third of which would be taxes and fees). If someone were to earn Platinum in this fashion, I have no trouble understanding why DL wouldn't exactly value their business.

If that $2400 in revenue actually generated any income, I'm sure it was greatly, if not more than, offset by the marginal costs of the benefits bestowed as a result of plat. status...bonus RDMs, bag fees...etc.

I think this all points to a looming re-definition of status that is revenue driven, not mile dependant. Anyone that wants to see the future of Skymiles should take a look at how DL SkyBonus (DL's version of BizPerks) works IMHO.

GTITAN

Perhaps, the airlines will turn to a "revenue" based FFP as opposed to a "loyalty" based FFP, but we have this debate so much on FT that it has become comical.

The FT crowd that gets Plat on less than three grand total is tiny amount at bestof the total of the Platinum ranks which in turn is tiny amount of NW/DL FF membership. The folks that argue that riff-raff elite are bringing the airlines down might have a point if there population were some significant no. FT and its adherents are not an accurate reflection of the bulk of either frequent fliers nor certainly "casual travelers." It would be using an AA meeting as your demographic for folks that drink. The numbers are in and of themselves are skewed.

The "riff-raff" have their place. They pay for a portion of the fuel; they evangelize for the airline generally; and they also help the loads look favorable.

No, back to the pig lipstick thing that seems to have become popular here, DL/NW want more fees as they are easy to come by. I do not begrudge them their fees at all. They charge, and if the market bears such fees, then so be it. That is the way the free market works. However, to offer as the rationale frequent abuse of deposit/redeposit is both condescending and disingenuous. Just don't insult the collective intelligence of your members. Say you're generating revenue, and that's that. Oh well .... time's almost up for WP anyhow. Been great.

Safe Travels.

Travelwithpet

I didn't want to start a new thread,but travel on NW how does UG determine? Is it just like UA?
1.status 2.time of check-in 3.fares?

Thanks.

hnewman

How do I find out if I am valued? Thanks? That will determine my future plans.

GBadger

What does this have to do with growing pains? DL's IT has managed to place NW Plats behind all DL elites in at the gate upgrade situations. I'm not saying it was done consciously, but it is wrong.

There are repeated reports of NW PEs being last or close to it on the upgrade displays at the airport. There are also reports of NW PEs given UP6 priority, while DL PMs are given UP3 (which, coincidentally would easily explain all of the reports of PEs at the bottom of the list). In the rules, it states that NW PEs should be UP3 as well. That has nothing to do with how DL values you, it simply has to do with incorrect implementation of the system. How many times are DL PMs listed at the bottom of the list, when there are also GMs and FOs on the list??

DL and NW are claiming "full upgrade reciprocity", and by the accounts on the DL boards, there have been no problems with DL elites being upgraded as expected on NW flights. Unfortunately that's not the case with NW elites on DL flights. This is something that needs to be fixed.