r/delta • u/Front-Muffin-7348 • 12h ago
Discussion My experience secretly upgrading to first for a girl friend trip.
I was reading on here about how others upgraded their parents etc on flights and decided to try it for an upcoming trip for me and a dear friend, who have been best friends for over 50 years.
I had her confirmation number so off to chat I go. I wanted this to be a surprise. I knew ahead of time what the upgrade price was according to my page. The agent quoted the price for the two first class seat upgrades.
The agent was happy to help. She took down my friends confirmation number, her date of birth, address etc, and upgraded her seat to the one I had chosen in first.
HOWEVER!! Once one seat was officially taken, the price sky-rocketed and the other seat next to her was now over 50% higher than it had been five minutes ago.
Not what I was wanting to pay but now we were in a pickle because these upgrades are non refundable.
I told the agent the quoted price for the two tickets was what I was expecting and after much going back and forth, she was able to do the two seats within a few dollars of the quoted price. Sheesh, that was nerve-wracking.
Hopefully my friend is excited at the upgrade. Just wanted to share what can happen when tickets are booked separately and one seat gets taken. That price for the other jumps!
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u/Magali_Lunel 12h ago
Dynamic pricing needs to be illegal
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u/Weed_O_Whirler 11h ago
You think your mid week ticket should cost the same as a weekend ticket? Not get a discount for taking a red eye?
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u/Dull-Salamander5914 11h ago
Not sure time of flight is considered “dynamic pricing”
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u/Weed_O_Whirler 11h ago
It by definition is.
But if you don't like that one, then fine.
You don't think buying your ticket 2 months before should pay less than buying a ticket a day before?
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u/Dull-Salamander5914 11h ago edited 9h ago
No, it’s not. Dynamic pricing is the price changing in real time based on number of inquiries and demand.
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u/Beautiful_Cost_5430 10h ago
And income. Don’t forget they look at YOU as a person given your ad profile now and decide how much they think you can afford.
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u/Suz626 9h ago
I haven’t found that yet and we would be big targets for that, especially my husband, we fly rt D1 every other week. I often use the RUC / GUC, but he doesn’t and he’s been doing this for years since before Covid and all through Covid. I check the flights to see what other people would be charged and I have never had our flights be more. Because when that happens, I’m gonna lose it. 🙄
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u/Weed_O_Whirler 8h ago
That's a form of dynamic pricing, it's not the only form:
Dynamic pricing, also referred to as surge pricing, demand pricing, time-based pricing and variable pricing, is a revenue management pricing strategy in which businesses set flexible prices for products or services based on current market demands. It usually entails raising prices during periods of peak demand and lowering prices during periods of low demand
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u/UniversityAny755 10h ago
I think we are talking several different things. Different prices for different flights is not dynamic pricing.
But a different price if you purchase same ticket on a Tuesday morning vs a Saturday afternoon is.
Changing the price the day before the flight is to me an acceptable area of dynamic pricing. It's also been a well known and understandable pricing strategy in which customers clearly know that last minute purchases can be more expensive.
That being said, in the past when flights were less filled, it was more advantageous for the airline to drop the price to get seats sold.
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u/tesmith007 10h ago
Actually ticket prices can theoretically go DOWN as well at the last minute. Good luck seeing this happen these days
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u/Suz626 9h ago
Actually lately on my every other week flights, they are starting at the highest price — and randomly drop them. I’ve rebooked the day before to get an eCredit, but usually I just wait out the game of chicken. Not today Delta, not today. I used to buy as far forward ad they were booking for the best price, but those days are gone, at least in D1.
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u/MistakesForSheep 9h ago
Whether that's considered dynamic pricing or not, no. I don't think you should have to pay more if you purchase last minute vs ahead of time.
If a seat on a flight costs $300, it should cost $300. Changing the price based on when you purchase is bullshit.
If I go on a 4 hour road trip, gas is still going to cost $4.25(ish) whether I planned it 2 months ago or 2 hours ago. I don't see why flights are any different if there's seats available.
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u/hamilkwarg 7h ago
I don’t agree here and the analogy doesn’t fit. Supply and demand is what affects prices. If the supply of gas goes down, as we see with the Iran war, then price goes up. What affects the supply of airplane seats is how long you wait to purchase. Last minute means there are limited supply left and so it’s reasonable price will be higher.
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u/radicalgamingHD 5h ago
You are way out of your element here, Donny.
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u/Weed_O_Whirler 5h ago
Like happens all the time on this site, people know one possibly version of a term and think "this is the only definition of this word "
Dynamic pricing, also referred to as surge pricing, demand pricing, time-based pricing and variable pricing, is a revenue management pricing strategy in which businesses set flexible prices for products or services based on current market demands. It usually entails raising prices during periods of peak demand and lowering prices during periods of low demand
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u/Brave-Quote-2733 7h ago
You have no idea what dynamic pricing is. Stop embarrassing yourself.
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u/Weed_O_Whirler 7h ago
Crazy
Dynamic pricing, also referred to as surge pricing, demand pricing, time-based pricing and variable pricing, is a revenue management pricing strategy in which businesses set flexible prices for products or services based on current market demands. It usually entails raising prices during periods of peak demand and lowering prices during periods of low demand
So, flights at low demand costing less than flight during high demand. Shit, it's almost like I do know.
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u/Magali_Lunel 9h ago
That’s not what that is
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u/Weed_O_Whirler 9h ago
If a restaurant changed it's price based on time of day, everyone would call it dynamic pricing no problem. So, why not an airline?
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u/Walway 8h ago
Dynamic pricing is changing the price once the provider realizes you are interested in buying. To use your restaurant example: you see a steak on the menu for $30. You tell your partner ‘that steak looks great - that’s what I’m getting!’ The waiter overhears, and when the server takes your order, tells you the steak is now $40. The restaurant knows you want the steak, so is upping the price b/c they know you want it and might be willing to pay more.
I just made flight arrangements to get my college kid home for Thanksgiving. I had the flight up on my computer, but was waiting to confirm purchase while my kid figured out a few details. While the ticket was on the screen, the ticket price went up a few hundred dollars. THAT is dynamic pricing (and it is fucking annoying).
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u/Weed_O_Whirler 8h ago
I mean, that is a form of dynamic pricing, but it's not the only form:
Dynamic pricing, also referred to as surge pricing, demand pricing, time-based pricing and variable pricing, is a revenue management pricing strategy in which businesses set flexible prices for products or services based on current market demands. It usually entails raising prices during periods of peak demand and lowering prices during periods of low demand.
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u/Walway 7h ago
That definition is exactly what I described.
Having the same meal priced differently for lunch vs dinner is not dynamic/surge pricing.
Dynamic/surge pricing means there is not a set price for the item. The cost will change per item based on what the seller thinks the market will bear at that moment in time. Think of a vending machine selling soda. In a dynamic pricing model, the price for the soda will change based on how hot it is. A soda sold at noon when it is 90 degrees will be more expensive than a soda sold the same day when it is 70 degrees outside.
The soda selling venue may increase soda prices for a big event, but that’s not dynamic pricing.
Dynamic pricing takes advantage of the fact that you’ve expressed interest in an item, so the seller knows they can get away with charging you more. In my soda example, it feels unfair to pay twice as much for the same soda at noon, but you can walk away from that transaction. In the airline example, fliers don’t generally have as much flexibility to walk away once the price has been increased. For my college kid, they are in a somewhat out of the way location so it takes multiple flights to get them home. I figured out a ticket that worked. The airline algorithm knows I want that flight, and the flight price was going up in the 5 minutes it took me to actually finalize the purchase.
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u/Weed_O_Whirler 49m ago
I'm not saying that isn't dynamic pricing. I'm just saying setting different prices based on the time of the flight is also, by definition, dynamic pricing. Both are.
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u/charles_tiberius 7h ago
Yes, dynamic pricing comes in many shapes and sizes. The one that OP used as an example is one that many people have problems with. "2 seats remain, for $X each." "Ok great, we'll process them one at a time cuz it's different reservations. Got the first done, oh so now there's only one seat left, so it's $X + 50%." That's dynamic pricing, and it's a super shitty tactic.
Same with "hey I saw an upgrade for $100, let's do it." "Oh, well now that you're asking about, it's $200."
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u/Suz626 9h ago
Glad it worked out! What a lovely surprise for your friend!
That reminds me of when I use my husband‘s RUC GUC (confirmed upgrade only) to upgrade into D1 and we have to be flying together. (We don’t book together.) Rather than book our flights, him right into D1, me into PS usually, and then call and ask agent to use his certificate to upgrade me, I call and have them do the whole process, because they can make sure it goes through because there’s always a chance that buying his seat will knock out the certificate of availability. Or the price going up. I feel bad for making the agent do more, but lately they’re always so pleasant and I’ve had great agents who know the drill.
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u/DigitalFStopper 12h ago
Two browsers load up at the same time don’t let one stay in the cart while you book the next.
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u/1ManofManyInterests 12h ago
Great tip. I will be using this one in the future.
However, it is absolutely disgusting that this "trick" needs to be done in the first place!
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u/bk1insf 3h ago
the inverse scenario also happens: if i’m booking for two people and one of the cheaper fare buckets is nearly full, they charge both seats at the higher price. i’ve intentionally booked my husband and i on separate tickets (knowing the irrops risks that introduces) in order to get the first ticket at a lower price.
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u/madmach1 11h ago
Delta , breaking up friendships since AI “convenience pricing” came along.
Yay shareholders
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u/michaelppare 7h ago
That's an awesome surprise to give your friend!
Yeah, this dynamic pricing is out of hand. I'm glad the agent was able to help you in this situation.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Age8937 Diamond 12h ago
When my husband and I are on separate reservations and we both want to upgrade we do it at exactly the same time to try and make sure the price stays the same. It can sometimes jump up as soon as an upgrade is purchased. It can also drop back down later that day or the next day. You are at the whim of the algorithm.
Glad they got it to work out for you.