How to Upgrade Delta Airlines Flight: Complete Guide With Price - The days of getting upgraded just for dressing sharply or being kind to the gate agent are history. Airlines now have strict guidelines to ensure that upgrades are allocated to their top customers or sold prior to departure. Here, you will know about the Delta Airlines Upgrade Process.
Some airline upgrade policies can be complicated, but Delta Air Lines goes a step further and adds a level of secrecy to the upgrade process. The airline does not publish upgrade availability or allow third-party access to this information. You are allowed to purchase or use miles to upgrade at booking or on an existing reservation, if available, but the cost can sometimes be prohibitive. Our guide covers the types of upgrades available with Delta, how the upgrade process works, the value of having a Delta-branded credit card, and tips for increasing your chances of an upgrade on your next Delta flight.
Delta Air Lines offers many upgrade options, including upgrades with miles, complimentary upgrades for Medallion Elite members, companion upgrades, and the ability to purchase upgrades when available.
|
Complimentary Upgrades: |
Available for Medallion
Elites to Comfort+ or first class where those products are available, and
Delta One (business class) for travel on most routes within the 50 United
States. |
|
Global Upgrade
Certificates: |
Available to Diamond
Medallion Elite members to upgrade 1 cabin class on domestic, regional, or
international flights on Delta and select partner airlines. |
|
Regional Upgrade
Certificates: |
Available to Platinum and
Diamond Medallion Elite members to upgrade 1 cabin class on domestic and
select regional Delta flights. |
|
Upgrade With Miles: |
You can purchase upgrades
on select flights within the 50 United States with miles during booking. |
|
Mileage Upgrade Awards: |
Upgrades available for
purchase with miles on existing reservations for select flights worldwide.
International upgrades are limited to fare classes Y, B, M, H, Q, or K. |
|
Complimentary Companion
Upgrades: |
Available for passengers
traveling on the same reservation as Medallion Elite members. |
|
Same-Day Standby Upgrades: |
Based on availability, these
upgrades are available to all passengers for a fee on the day of departure
for specific flight routes mostly in North America, the Caribbean, and
Cancún. |
Other than the relatively new ability to find upgrade space utilizing Global Upgrade Certificates, Delta does not publish upgrade availability and does not release the information for third-party publishing. Further limitations include not being able to view availability for seats in any class of service on your existing reservation other than your own. For example, if you have a reservation and you’re assigned a Comfort+ seat, you may only be able to view that seating section of the plane when you view your reservation. You may not be able to view the first, business, or Main Cabin seating.
The workaround for this restriction is to try a dummy booking for the class of service you wish to view, then count the available seats in the section where you want to upgrade. A dummy booking may not be the most accurate accounting but is a relatively easy way to compare available seating between different flights. Searching for an award ticket may also help you determine if there is upgrade space available, as there can be parallel availability. For example, if you do a search for a business class award ticket and there are seats available, there is a chance an upgrade is available, but this is not always the case.
You can also call Delta to determine upgrade availability space.
Delta Air Lines, like other airlines, has an upgrade hierarchy that determines who is first in line for the next upgrade. Upgrades are allocated based on the following criteria in order of highest priority:
Determine where you might fall in the upgrade hierarchy with Delta using this helpful Medallion Upgrade Priority Calculator from CWSI.
Delta Medallion Elite status is the single most powerful factor in getting upgraded on Delta Air Lines. Delta has several tiers of Medallion Elite status:
If these complimentary upgrades do not clear in advance, Medallion members can be added to the standby list at check-in and cleared for upgrades up until departure.
Complimentary upgrades are valid for Comfort+, Delta One domestic flights, and first class on Delta. There are no international complimentary upgrades except for select regional international flights with Delta or Aeromexico. Complimentary upgrades are available on Aeromexico for Medallion members on all Aeromexico flights within Mexico, between Mexico and the U.S., and between Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia, and Ecuador.
Medallion members receive priority boarding and seating on many international routes and with most partner airlines.
In addition to complimentary upgrades, Delta Diamond and Platinum Medallion members can earn annual Global and Regional Upgrade Certificates to redeem on international and regional flights. Upgrade certificates are available when reaching these levels of status and earning Choice Benefits.
Medallion members who purchase a full Y economy fare are also eligible for instant upgrades, if available.
Having an eligible Delta co-branded American Express credit card delivers flight benefits such as improving your and your travel companion’s chances for an upgrade, providing you with annual companion flight certificates that are also eligible for upgrades, reaching Medallion Elite status faster, or offering flight benefits including free checked bags on Delta flights and priority boarding.
The following Delta-branded credit cards provide all of these benefits and more.
Upgrade with Miles may be available when booking a Delta or Delta Connection flight within the 50 United States.
Log in to your account on delta.com to book your flight, then select a Main Cabin ticket. You will be given the cash price of upgrading your reservation and the option to upgrade with miles at the value of 1 cent per mile. For example, if the cost to upgrade is $450, you have the option to use 45,000 miles.
The pricing will be displayed, and you can decide whether the offer is of good value. In many cases, it’s not.
You may be able to upgrade your existing reservation with a Mileage Upgrade Award. When you log in to your account and view your trip, the option to upgrade with miles may be displayed.
If you cannot upgrade online you will need to contact a SkyMiles representative. The representative will let you know if the reservation is eligible for a Mileage Upgrade Award and provide you with pricing.
The airline deducts miles from your account if the upgrade can be confirmed.
Upgrades are limited to certain fare classes depending on the route. For North America and Central America, eligible fare classes for Mileage Upgrade Awards include Y, B, M, H, Q, K, L, U, and T. For international flights, eligible fare classes include Y, B, M, H, Q, and K.
If you prefer flying in a premium cabin, look for upgrade purchase opportunities at check-in, use miles to upgrade when the value is there, or try to select aircraft with larger premium cabins. If you want to ensure you’ll be flying in a premium cabin, it may be valuable to seek out and compare discounted business class on Delta and other SkyTeam partner airlines or use miles to purchase Premium Select or business class fares.
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