Delta will be changing its upgrade hierarchy as of 2024, and it’s interesting to see what the airline is now prioritizing (and conversely, what’s being deemphasized).
Airlines put a lot of thought into upgrade priority
Historically, one of the biggest perks of elite status with a US airline has been complimentary first class upgrades. Unfortunately these kinds of upgrades are going from being a common occurrence to being a rare treat, given how much better airlines are at monetizing first class cabins.
For example, Delta has gone from selling 14% of first class seats in 2011, to now selling 74% of first class seats. If you ask me, this general trend of first class upgrades no longer being a consistent perk, even for top tier elites, really makes you wonder what the point of loyalty is.
Since upgrades are a zero sum game, it makes sense for airlines to put some thought into the order in which they upgrade people, so that the company’s highest value customers are getting upgrades.
Almost across the board, airlines prioritize upgrades first by elite status. But what should the tiebreaker be after that? After all, you’ll have plenty of flights where there might be one first class seat left to upgrade to, but 10 top tier elites who are all hoping to get that seat…
Delta updates upgrade priority as of 2024
Delta will be making changes to its upgrade priority as of January 1, 2024. Both before and after these changes, Medallion elite status will be the number one metric by which upgrades clear. However, priority beyond that is changing.
Under the current system (through December 31, 2023), here are the tiebreakers beyond Medallion elite status (in order of priority):
- Fare class groupings, with higher-priced fares being ranked above lower-priced fares
- Whether you have the Delta SkyMiles Amex Reserve Card
- Delta Corporate Travelers
- Those who earned the MQD waiver with a credit card in the current calendar year
- Million Miler status
- Date and time the upgrade was requested
Under the new system (as of January 1, 2024), here are the tiebreakers beyond Medallion elite status (in order of priority):
- Cabin purchased, including what you originally booked, or what you paid to upgrade to; in other words, for flights with a premium economy cabin, those upgrading from the cabin receive priority
- Million Miler status
- Whether you have the Delta SkyMiles Amex Reserve Card
- Delta Corporate Travelers
- MQDs earned in the current calendar year
- Date and time the upgrade was requested
I find these changes to be quite thoughtful and logical. Who are the winners and losers here? Here are the biggest implications:
- Those who frequently buy expensive economy fares will lose with these changes, as they’ll no longer get upgrade priority; conversely, those who buy premium economy fares will win with these changes
- Million Miler members are much better off with these changes, as that will be the next most important metric for upgrade priority
I think it’s great to reward those who have shown long term loyalty to the airline, so I like to see Million Miler members receive higher upgrade priority. I think it’s ridiculous how currently, Million Miler status is prioritized under being a Delta Corporate Traveler.
Bottom line
As of 2024, Delta will be changing its upgrade priority. The fare class you book is becoming much less important, while having Delta Million Miler status is becoming much more important. Objectively I think this is a positive change in terms of encouraging long term loyalty. Then again, with more and more first class seats being sold every year, at some point upgrade priority will just be a theoretical exercise.
What do you make of Delta’s upgrade priority changes?
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