Flying Delta today from St. Louis to Memphis (then on to Dallas Love Field) I got a nice surprise – when boarding commenced, the gate agent called my name and asked me to come to the podium. Having looked at the upgrade list, flight load and the type of plane (a regional commuter jet) I knew there was no way I was getting upgraded to first class, so I was curious to see what the change was. The GA informed me that while she didn’t have an upgrade to first class available, she was was upgrading me to economy comfort.
The plane had 17+ empty seats in coach, mind you, so this wasn’t a “I need your seat for someone else” type of upgrade – it was a courtesy from the GA offered to those on the upgrade list who didn’t clear (up to the available seats left in EC). Myself and a non-rev pilot got the EC seats (and had a great talk about the airline industry) and enjoyed a great flight (to the degree you can enjoy a short flight on a CRJ).
I hadn’t heard of DL doing op-ups to Economy Comfort, and I’m pleased that the courtesy was extended to an Alaska MVP Gold. I’m hoping this wasn’t a one time thing… but even if it was, it was appreciated!
