Playing The Alaska Elite Upgrade Lottery On Delta...

Actually, AS Elites aren't dead last - SPG Platinums are bottom of the barrel in upgrade priority.

I'm curious what is on your Delta boarding pass as an Alaska elite. Does it reference that you are an Alaska MVP, fake gold medallion, or elite plus? Those slimmed down benefits don't appear much better than having the Delta Amex.

How were you placed on the upgrade list automatically? Every time I enter my Alaska number (MVP Gold) on a delta reservation I still have to go to the gate to get added to the upgrade list.

@ Matt -- Hmmm, the two times I've tried, I've been placed on the list automatically.

@ Brendan -- It shows my Alaska status on the boarding pass.

@ Ben @ Matt -- How many digits are in your Alaks number? There seems to be an issue withd some numbers having more digits than others. My SO and I have AS numbers of different lengths and sometimss some systems like BofA CC applications or DL SM wont recognize them as valid. Very weird...

@ Gene -- My Mileage Plan number has nine digits.

Not sure if you realize this, so just to make it clear...the upgrade list only shows folks who have checked in for the flight AFAICT. So, checking in reasonably early will always paint a rosy picture of your place in the list. Then, usually, your hopes will be dashed as the flight time nears :-).

Glad it worked out for you this time (and it has for me in the past as well), but just something to know in the future - checking the list early in the 24 hour window is not an indicator of your true place in the queue!

I would book the Delta flight as you still can't bank us airways miles to your alaska account. I found Delta's domestic first better than us airways and american... My experience with aa is you see the flight attendants only in the first part of the flight and not much thereafter and us airways just seem disorganized on their domestic first flights...

Early Saturday morning flight greatly increases your chances of an upgrade no?

@Gene, mine has nine as well but I noticed when you enter it that preceding zeros are added for some reason.

Congrats ... people with "last-place" upgrade status (companions, Alaska elites, Starwood Platinums, AF/KL elites (I think in some cases)) do clear occasionally, especially on short routes flown by E175s/CRJ900s where there is an unusually high ratio of first to economy seats, but I have definitely never heard of anyone in that category clearing on a transcon flight!

Ben, I am like you perhaps unreasonably loyal to AA, but I still have to admit that Nick does have a point. DL is by no means AF or KE, but that tray looks much better and has more flair than any of the plastic trays with crumpled paper liners that I've seen on AA recently 😉

Yeah, Ben, to echo @Andrew's point (obviously, since he's on Team Nick), what's so trashy about the tray and bathroom floor? I get that it's not 100% genuine Indonesian teak, but I actually like the "hardwood" look.

Not sure what you paid for the ticket and if it was miles or money. You have to keep in mind that class of service and "ticket price" is used in determining upgrades. I've seen it first hand with last minute expensive tickets getting a GM upgraded.

@Gene - interesting point you raised. All three accounts I "manage" have 8-digit account numbers. Wonder if we should be using a "leading zero" as standard practice...

I agree that as an AS MPVG, your number in the queue the day before, has no reality to your chances at the gate. Time and time again, I was number one on-line with several open seats, only to show up at the gate and be somewhere between 10-20 down on the list!

@ Danny -- Yeah, in general they should indeed.

I like the tray comment! I personally do like those trays, but I'm glad you got to jab Nick.

One correction in there, you said that AS elites don't get priority seating in coach, this is not quite correct. They do not have access to C+ (formerly economy comfort) seats, but they do have access to the priority seating (windows and aisles closer to the front of the plane, exit rows etc.). On some planes there are some pretty good priority seats that you can snag (maybe not a day out though).

I had what must be the mother-of-all DL upgrades. As an Alaska MVPG, I got upgraded both ways on SEA-HNL and the return flight also had an equipment swap to a 75S with lie-flat Delta One seats.

Despite the relatively weak frequent flyer programs, JetBlue and Delta get my domestic business. Why? In-flight crews have always treated us well. Exceptional? No. But never had one be pissy either. Let's be honest, DL's current First domestic product is what we used to get in coach in the old days. Tickets were more, but not First-class more. I still miss those days and would gladly pay more for better service.

"Let’s be honest, DL’s current First domestic product is what we used to get in coach in the old days"

Complete with complimentary cigarette smoke? 🙂

I don't seem to recall WiFi and TVs and power at seats that went completely flat in coach, but perhaps you were flying a different airline...