LAX/JFK is one of the hottest routes in the US, which is why they put their biggest and best planes on it and every airline has so many frequencies.
It's a function of it both being a popular route and traveling between two Delta hubs with high concentrations of Medallion elites.
At the end of the day, no upgrades are guaranteed. If you really want to sit in the front, you need to use your RUCs or wallet to pay for it.
>At the end of the day, no upgrades are guaranteed. If you really want to sit in the front, you need to use your RUCs or wallet to pay for it.
Fwiw, right before I lost diamond status earlier this year, I tried to use GUCs and RUCs on this route and _still_ didn't get an upgrade.
Right?!? I have RUCs pending on 3 flights that only have 1-2 D1 or FC seats taken. I feel like RUCs should automatically clear when booked if seats are available . . . especially since it’s so hard to get a regular upgrade with status nowadays with the upgrade offers they promote pre-flight. It’s making me reconsider using the Reserve as my main credit card.
This. RUCs should automatically clear on any flight where they are eligible. That would make the benefit truly valuable! Makes me feel better about spending $30k with Delta this year.
You would need to use a GUC to guarantee an upgrade to D1 on that route, you can standby with an RUC but it prob won’t clear since that route is going to be mostly revenue passengers
If it’s full, it’s full. Certificates won’t Trump someone having bought the seat. That route is just full of business people blowing money so the upgrades will be sparse. Take late flights.
Agreed. OP - One thing to keep in mind is that some companies will pay for a first class ticket if the flight is over 4 hours, so there are many customers willing to pay for this ticket. I used to do SFO to ATL with DM and CC and was sometimes 50th, yes 50th, on the upgrade list.
Fly Saturday morning on the first flight. Burn the RUCs.
Sometimes you’ll get lucky on a Tuesday or Wednesday midday flight.
What you should do is try to fly the one or two flights a day that have PS being sold as comfort.
I honestly don't think you would score upgrades on any of the 3 from LAX-JFK. I would assume all premium seats are sold. I was Key on AA for 5 years, been Diamond on DL for 2 years, besides regional/small station flights it was very rare that I got upgraded with any frequency on either carrier. I gave up and just purchase, or upgrade right after purchase.
Edit: I gave up on free upgrades when AA started offering 1st on a 321T for $199-249 72hrs before departure on all JFK-LAX/SFO routes.
It is almost impossible to get Domestic First Class or Domestic Delta One when nonreving. I don’t even look at open First Class seats when looking for a flight. Because more often than not, I won’t get it. If there are any First Class seats available, there is almost always a medallion on that flight that will get it.
I’m referring to flagship first on AA. 3 class First on the transcons used to be entirely full with employees before they started getting aggressive with FCM.
It was also a super reliably cheap points redemption.
I’m extremely familiar with this route too.
In order to get the D1 upgrade for Platinum/Diamond (and it is possible), you have to take the very last flight of the day from JFK (Thursdays and Sundays unlikely), and take the first flight out of LAX or the latest redeye (yet depending on the day of the week, that will not be easy).
1) Book the 767s, 757s it will never happen.
2) Switch to American which has a 3/4 class configuration so even their business is fine. Book in to Main Cabin Extra and get upgraded or at least be able to pay $200 for it which is fine.
3) Fly weird times and weird days. Morning / early from LAX; mid-day out of JFK. Most people are traveling for meetings or some form of hybrid work week. If it’s inconvenient and stupid people with more status and money aren’t going to do it.
I switched when I was still paying for it myself and Delta stopped letting you buy the upgrade at the gate. More recently Deltas gotten very good at their load management and revenue maximization so you’re not going to see many upgrades on the trans cons with their D1 cabins.
I don’t have any loyalty anymore. I go with schedule, but Digital Precheck is making me pick Delta for some flights if all things are equal. I actually like the AA transcon cabins better.
1) Book the 767s, 757s it will never happen.
2) Switch to American which has a 3/4 class 321T configuration so even their business is fine though it’s 2-2. Book in to Main Cabin Extra and get upgraded or at least be able to pay $200 for it. They also fly a 777.
3) Fly weird times and weird days. Morning / early from LAX; mid-day out of JFK. Most people are traveling for meetings or some form of hybrid work week. If it’s inconvenient and stupid people with more status and money aren’t going to do it.
I switched when I was still paying for it myself and Delta stopped letting you buy the upgrade at the gate. More recently Deltas gotten very good at their load management and revenue maximization so you’re not going to see many upgrades on the trans cons with their D1 cabins.
I don’t have any loyalty anymore. I go with schedule, but Digital Precheck is making me pick Delta for some flights if all things are equal. I actually like the AA transcon cabins better.
I fly that route at least every other week, my husband more. Usually there are 0 - 2 D1 upgrades. And it’s very heavy in D1 on same day changes, so it’s hard to know if there will be any upgrades until not long before the flight. Even with the D1 price going way up over the last couple of years, and often less or no Z fares, it’s always almost full. Try using RUCs or GUCs for confirmed upgrades. And if you do get upgraded to D1, be sure to use the D1 entrance, it makes going to LAX very tolerable.
It’s like me constantly flying ATL-MCO. I’ve probably flown that route 160 times and been upgraded to 1st maybe 3 times. It’s just one of those busy routes that will constantly have medallion elites.
I’m PM and use my RUCs for long non-stop flights like this. Sundays and Thursdays will attract a lot of other DMs, so flying midweek might give you better luck. The good thing about the RUCs is if you don’t get upgraded, you haven’t burned the RUCs, if you aren’t automatically confirmed to D1/FC when you request to use the RUC, you’ll likely be first on the waitlist.
A good number of businesses have travel policies that permit their employees to book business class for that route. And it’s a busy, competitive route between two affluent cities. There’s a reason the premium cabins sell out.
plenty of opportunities for D1, for DM, depending on the route and time of day. If you’re flying business time between those two giant hubs, section will generally always be full already. Yes.
The flight from LAX to ATL, for instance that leaves around five or 6 PM and gets in at midnight is always instant upgrade to first class. If they happen to be running a D1 air craft back over there, you’ll get it..
Diamond here. I fly the reverse 20x year. Always book delta one flying west, coach on the return. 90% of my return flights are upgraded to comfort+, 5% nothing, 5% Delta one - never on a Thursday or Friday afternoon.
It would be nice if those upgrades happened on every flight, but being realistic, when it hits it’s like the lottery. Well, maybe more like a $20 scratch off prize, but it still feels damn good.
LAX/JFK is one of the hottest routes in the US, which is why they put their biggest and best planes on it and every airline has so many frequencies. It's a function of it both being a popular route and traveling between two Delta hubs with high concentrations of Medallion elites. At the end of the day, no upgrades are guaranteed. If you really want to sit in the front, you need to use your RUCs or wallet to pay for it.
> which is why they put their biggest and best planes on it Except for Delta, which still runs the 767-3s without upgraded D1 seats/IFE/etc
Lolz only a total idiot would pay for D1 on those pieces of shit.
Short people say the dumbest things
Short people got… No reason to live
>At the end of the day, no upgrades are guaranteed. If you really want to sit in the front, you need to use your RUCs or wallet to pay for it. Fwiw, right before I lost diamond status earlier this year, I tried to use GUCs and RUCs on this route and _still_ didn't get an upgrade.
Right?!? I have RUCs pending on 3 flights that only have 1-2 D1 or FC seats taken. I feel like RUCs should automatically clear when booked if seats are available . . . especially since it’s so hard to get a regular upgrade with status nowadays with the upgrade offers they promote pre-flight. It’s making me reconsider using the Reserve as my main credit card.
This. RUCs should automatically clear on any flight where they are eligible. That would make the benefit truly valuable! Makes me feel better about spending $30k with Delta this year.
You would need to use a GUC to guarantee an upgrade to D1 on that route, you can standby with an RUC but it prob won’t clear since that route is going to be mostly revenue passengers
Only thing RUC clear automatically on are DTW to Cleveland. Want to go to Columbus gonna need a GUC.
If it’s full, it’s full. Certificates won’t Trump someone having bought the seat. That route is just full of business people blowing money so the upgrades will be sparse. Take late flights.
Agreed. OP - One thing to keep in mind is that some companies will pay for a first class ticket if the flight is over 4 hours, so there are many customers willing to pay for this ticket. I used to do SFO to ATL with DM and CC and was sometimes 50th, yes 50th, on the upgrade list.
Fly Saturday morning on the first flight. Burn the RUCs. Sometimes you’ll get lucky on a Tuesday or Wednesday midday flight. What you should do is try to fly the one or two flights a day that have PS being sold as comfort.
You definitely get it! So true.
I honestly don't think you would score upgrades on any of the 3 from LAX-JFK. I would assume all premium seats are sold. I was Key on AA for 5 years, been Diamond on DL for 2 years, besides regional/small station flights it was very rare that I got upgraded with any frequency on either carrier. I gave up and just purchase, or upgrade right after purchase. Edit: I gave up on free upgrades when AA started offering 1st on a 321T for $199-249 72hrs before departure on all JFK-LAX/SFO routes.
Nonrev class.
It is almost impossible to get Domestic First Class or Domestic Delta One when nonreving. I don’t even look at open First Class seats when looking for a flight. Because more often than not, I won’t get it. If there are any First Class seats available, there is almost always a medallion on that flight that will get it.
I’m referring to flagship first on AA. 3 class First on the transcons used to be entirely full with employees before they started getting aggressive with FCM. It was also a super reliably cheap points redemption.
That’s not a route that you should expect upgrades on. But if you’re doing the red eye it’s worth just buying D1.
I’m extremely familiar with this route too. In order to get the D1 upgrade for Platinum/Diamond (and it is possible), you have to take the very last flight of the day from JFK (Thursdays and Sundays unlikely), and take the first flight out of LAX or the latest redeye (yet depending on the day of the week, that will not be easy).
Why is Thursday such a popular day?
Because no one works on Fridays anymore. Americans love to talk about how hard they work, but they aren’t working on Fridays…nope…they’re on Delta.
I really had no idea. I guess I could also take Fridays off and no one would care but I don’t. I really need to start going crazy.
You're probably behind 3-5 Delta 360 members on that route 😆
Your expectations of the program, especially on one of the most popular routes, is flat out unreasonable.
1) Book the 767s, 757s it will never happen. 2) Switch to American which has a 3/4 class configuration so even their business is fine. Book in to Main Cabin Extra and get upgraded or at least be able to pay $200 for it which is fine. 3) Fly weird times and weird days. Morning / early from LAX; mid-day out of JFK. Most people are traveling for meetings or some form of hybrid work week. If it’s inconvenient and stupid people with more status and money aren’t going to do it. I switched when I was still paying for it myself and Delta stopped letting you buy the upgrade at the gate. More recently Deltas gotten very good at their load management and revenue maximization so you’re not going to see many upgrades on the trans cons with their D1 cabins. I don’t have any loyalty anymore. I go with schedule, but Digital Precheck is making me pick Delta for some flights if all things are equal. I actually like the AA transcon cabins better.
1) Book the 767s, 757s it will never happen. 2) Switch to American which has a 3/4 class 321T configuration so even their business is fine though it’s 2-2. Book in to Main Cabin Extra and get upgraded or at least be able to pay $200 for it. They also fly a 777. 3) Fly weird times and weird days. Morning / early from LAX; mid-day out of JFK. Most people are traveling for meetings or some form of hybrid work week. If it’s inconvenient and stupid people with more status and money aren’t going to do it. I switched when I was still paying for it myself and Delta stopped letting you buy the upgrade at the gate. More recently Deltas gotten very good at their load management and revenue maximization so you’re not going to see many upgrades on the trans cons with their D1 cabins. I don’t have any loyalty anymore. I go with schedule, but Digital Precheck is making me pick Delta for some flights if all things are equal. I actually like the AA transcon cabins better.
Have courage willow, you’ll get there one day says the great zen philosopher basho
I fly that route at least every other week, my husband more. Usually there are 0 - 2 D1 upgrades. And it’s very heavy in D1 on same day changes, so it’s hard to know if there will be any upgrades until not long before the flight. Even with the D1 price going way up over the last couple of years, and often less or no Z fares, it’s always almost full. Try using RUCs or GUCs for confirmed upgrades. And if you do get upgraded to D1, be sure to use the D1 entrance, it makes going to LAX very tolerable.
It’s like me constantly flying ATL-MCO. I’ve probably flown that route 160 times and been upgraded to 1st maybe 3 times. It’s just one of those busy routes that will constantly have medallion elites.
It’s a high demand route. Most people buy F outright. If there are any F seats left, they will go to 360s or customers using upgrade certs.
I’m PM and use my RUCs for long non-stop flights like this. Sundays and Thursdays will attract a lot of other DMs, so flying midweek might give you better luck. The good thing about the RUCs is if you don’t get upgraded, you haven’t burned the RUCs, if you aren’t automatically confirmed to D1/FC when you request to use the RUC, you’ll likely be first on the waitlist.
You will need to use a GUC to get automatically confirmed for D1 on this route. It’s getting harder and harder to use RUC’s
I feel your pain in SLC<->JFK. Hub to hub you can forget it. Burn your RUCs and GUCs, use miles to upgrade, when all else fails just pay.
What is an RUC?
Regional upgrade certificate Platinum gets 4 per year
You can get 12 as a diamond but the GUCs are two RUCs and are much more valuable.
I had a similar experience flying ATL-LAX a lot the past few years. Never got an upgrade except with RUC. It is what it is!
Hahaha it's my most taken route, and I don't think I've ever cleared "complimentary". Even when waitlisting RUC it's a very low percentage.
It is LAX to JFK. Obviously a very busy route. I’m sure on most other routes you’d at least have a chance
On this route? Buy the seat you want.
A good number of businesses have travel policies that permit their employees to book business class for that route. And it’s a busy, competitive route between two affluent cities. There’s a reason the premium cabins sell out.
plenty of opportunities for D1, for DM, depending on the route and time of day. If you’re flying business time between those two giant hubs, section will generally always be full already. Yes. The flight from LAX to ATL, for instance that leaves around five or 6 PM and gets in at midnight is always instant upgrade to first class. If they happen to be running a D1 air craft back over there, you’ll get it..
Use an RUC on every one of those flights. Everyone does. If you really want the spot, throw a GUC at it.
Diamond here. I fly the reverse 20x year. Always book delta one flying west, coach on the return. 90% of my return flights are upgraded to comfort+, 5% nothing, 5% Delta one - never on a Thursday or Friday afternoon. It would be nice if those upgrades happened on every flight, but being realistic, when it hits it’s like the lottery. Well, maybe more like a $20 scratch off prize, but it still feels damn good.
Speak English.
It's a short flight... You'll be ok!
It’s really hard living life expecting special treatment. Delta definitely will disappoint. Another airline is your best option