Delta Upgrades - Questions & Answers

UPGRADES For the life of me, I can't understand how Delta's flight segment/upgrades programs works. Would anyone be willing to try to explain it to me? Think of the 500-mile segments as a form of currency. The more you fly the more of these that you accumulate. When you're an elite member and want to upgrade you cash these in. A 1000 mile trip would require 2* 500 mile segments. You must also book an upgradable fare class, then wait for an upgrade window. It will take some studying of delta's policies to get a handle on it. Why do I have to upgrade both legs for L,U,T class fares? Flyers are used to being able to upgrade all their itinerary legs at the time of the first upgrade window. But L,U,T class fare upgrade windows behave differently. Flyers are noticing that L/U/T fares behave as 2 upgrade windows for 2+ legs itineraries. So, if your outbound itinerary has 2 legs (both L/U/T's), then each has its own upgrade window. Apparently Delta is giving those flyers who are beginning their trip from the hub an equal chance to upgrade as those that are connecting from other cities. 500 MSU UPGRADES - 101 This is from Delta Handbook page in GRS (G*9721/10-24), it says: ------ ADVANCE BOOKING / BOOKING CLASS ------ 500 MILE SEGMENT UPGRADE -- BOOKING CLASS: FIRST..V BSNS/BSNS ELITE..X BEFORE FLIGHT DEPARTURE..MAY UPGRADE Y/B/M/H/Q/K FARES - FO:24HRS / GM:72HRS / PM:ANYTIME* L/U/T FARES - FO/GM:12HRS OR PM:24HRS NOTE: MAY ALSO UPGRADE CONNECTING FLT IF NO LONGER ELITE..MAY STANDBY AT GATE   Operational upgrade- definition An operational upgrade is an upgrade obtained by means other than payment, using miles, or using electronic upgrades. So an example would be a flight that was oversold in coach, and they 'bumped' people into business or first class. As far as ways to increase your chance, there are a few ways that can be answered. First, flights that are very full/oversold have a higher chance of resulting in people getting bumped, obviously. As such, there are more popular routes, days of the week, and times of the year in which flights have a higher propensity of being oversold. Second, most airlines will bump passengers with elite status before they'll bump regular passengers. Operational upgrades can happen even when you're flying on an award too. Does anyone know what fares & classes can be upgraded using DL miles for international flights? Y, B, and M fares can be upgraded with miles on transoceanic flights. How can I earn 500-Mile Upgrade points? For every 10,000 miles flown your account will receive four 500-Mile Upgrade points. End of year balances will not carry over into the next calendar year for the purposes of awarding 500-Mile Upgrade points (i.e., the year-to-date flown mile counter will reset to zero on January 1 each year). Will Platinum medallions still get unlimited 500-mile segment upgrades next year? Platinums continue to receive unlimited segment upgrades until the end of 2003. In 2004 you'll receive a starting balance of twenty 500-Mile Upgrade points and begin accruing 500-Mile Upgrade points at the rate of four 500-Mile Upgrades points for every 10,000 flown miles. Can I purchase 500-Mile Upgrades? You can purchase 500-mile upgrades with cash or by using miles.  In 2004 you'll receive a starting balance of twenty 500-Mile Upgrade points and begin accruing 500-Mile Upgrade points at the rate of four 500-Mile Upgrades points for every 10,000 flown miles. For example, four 500-Mile Upgrade points will cost $160, or 25,000 miles, or one 500-Mile Upgrade point will cost $50. Delta's Double Waitlists If you waitlisted at your upgrade window, you always need to get put on the airport upgrade list also because once the airport takes control of the flight. ALWAYS ask a human to activate you on the airport standby list if you were previously on a waitlist. And if you have the opportunity,  always ask another agent (gate, CRC, etc. ) to verify that you are on the active list. Can I use Delta skymiles to purchase an upgrade on a United or Continental flights? You cannot get upgrades on code-share Continental or Northwest using Skymiles. SkyMiles Medallion level members will get early boarding privileges on Continental and Northwest flights, as well as access to special check in lines. OTHER QUESTIONS I plan on using miles for my wife and I to go to Europe ill have an infant with us. Do I have to use miles to get the child a seat also? The infant can be in posession of an actual ticket & seat, or you can hold the child as a "lap baby". If you go the lap child route, it will cost you $$$. Unlike domestic routes, where lap children fly for free, on international routes one must pay a percentage (10% IIRC) of the applicable adult fare. BTW, your child doesn't accrue any SkyMiles for this arrangement, adding insult to injury. If you choose to get a seat for your child you might want to check with DL about their policy on use of the car seat. They might require it to be used during the flight. You can only use a FAA approved car seat aboard a plane. With this option you would buy the child a coach seat and upgrade using miles or PMUs, if you have any. FROM THE DELTA WEB SITE: International Flight Delta infant International Flights All children, regardless of age, must have a ticket. The price of the ticket varies, however, according to whether you choose to hold the child or purchase a seat. The fare for a lap child is approximately 10% of the adult fare. If you choose to purchase a seat, however, the fare is approximately 75% of the standard adult fare. For further assistance, call Delta International Reservation Sales at 800-241-4141. Are you able to upgrade a passenger to allow for a new kitten to travel onboard?  After making online reservations (which are non-refundable)  the passenger was informed that there was already one (the limit) animal booked for her flight.  This kitten would fit in a small carrier under the seat. Delta limits the number of pets per flight to: one in first class, one in BusinessElite®, and  two in the main cabin-(depends on plane configuration). See Delta's Pet policy Here' some possiblilities: check-in the pet as cargo (needs special container) or ask to speak with a Delta manager (they may  refund your $$ if you booked wrong type of flight, etc.), or post your question to http://www.flyertalk.com (someone else might have ran into this same problem) . Hoping that an upgrade will fix the problem might not be a good idea, unless you book a first class flight (where 1st class is guaranteed).    These questions and answers above are commonly brought up in many diifferent airline forums, and web blogs, and user groups.  These posts are accurate to the best of my knowledge as of July 7th, 2003. This is unofficial information. So, always check with Delta to verify your facts since policy might have changed. If you notice any inaccuracies please let us know. - Last Updated 7/7/2003-

Delta's been changing the upgrade rules by the month. Check Delta's site for the latest 2004 upgrade policies.NewRules -UB Admin