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Delta Air Lines offered me opportunities to purchase First Class upgrades from my Comfort+ seats for upcoming flights between Fargo (FAR) and Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP).
And the prices are crazy.
They Want How Much?
Most Delta flyers are aware of the airline’s first class monetization (FCM) efforts. Delta gives ticketed passengers in coach the option to buy up to First Class.
Upgrade prices vary, of course. Available inventory certainly plays a part.
I’m originally from Fargo. My wife, daughter, and I visit the 701 a couple of times each year to visit family.
The flights between Fargo and MSP are pretty short. Our upcoming MSP to FAR hop is scheduled for 1 hour, 14 minutes (gate-to-gate). The FAR to MSP return is blocked for 1 hour, 17 minutes. Realistically, we spend about 45 minutes in the air. (Certainly not long enough for Delta to provide cabin service for anyone behind the First Class curtain. Heavens, no.)
We usually see First Class offers between FAR and MSP in the range of $85 or so when there are no seats occupied on the seat map. The price goes up as people claim seats up front. (I don’t remember ever accepting a buy-up offer on those short flights; I can suffer through a 75-minute no-cabin-service trip in coach.)
But I found this offer — with apparently no one claiming seats yet in First Class — quite stunning.
$504.17 for a 75-minute trip — and there’s no one yet in First Class? (Unless most of the cabin is sold and seats haven’t yet been assigned.)
I logged into Expert Flyer to check.
It shows 9 seats available in business class (“J”) — but I believe Expert Flyer displays inventory up to only 9 seats.
But I can use just 46,900 SkyMiles if I don’t want to pay cash.
What a bargain.
For our return trip from FAR to MSP, Delta is offering the same deal: $504.17 for the short hop.
Also, no meals are served during those flights, nor will you find a “large entertainment seatback screen” in First Class.
Delta’s first class monetization certainly isn’t anything new. And the costs are usually prohibitive for me. But five hundy for this short flight is downright ridiculous.
Yeah, I’ll pass.
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I thought you were from the UK like me not Fargo for reason, Chris. Or is this Rene? Anyway I agree, that is a ludicrous price.
On the other hand I upgraded my daughter from JFK to DCA yesterday for 6900 miles or $69! If you had two bags to check and were not using status or a card for free baggage, that would be cheaper than paying for the two checked bags it gives you.
@Barry – Chris did this post. I have Swedish background.
I have a $249 (or 24,900 miles) from ROC-JFK both ways in November. For a CRJ-900. There’s currently 5 people book on the flight.
I don’t understand how Delta hasn’t gotten sued for deceptive practices. They advertise meals. TVs, etc. all the time for flights that don’t have them or aircraft that isn’t configured. A small-print disclaimer saying “seat benefits vary” doesn’t seem sufficient.
@FNT – There is always the “Contract of Carriage” they can fall back on. Also keep in mind Delta is not really an airline – it is a Southern Law firm that happens to fly a lot of jets (or so some say anyway) ! 😉
The one, only, and last time I paid to upgrade was from economy to premium select on a 767 ATL-MAD. The advertised leg rest didn’t work right, the meal was the exact same as economy, and the lav was 40 rows to the back rather than 2 to the front. Cost? $560 cash one direction, 49,000 miles for the other way. Still kicking myself for that one.
I flew DTW-CDG in May (for a work trip). Used a GUC to go from economy to PS, and wait listed for D1. Well, didn’t get D1. PS is not worth it. Seat wasn’t all that comfortable, meal was EXACT same as in regular economy (even presented the same). When they charge 3-4x as much as economy for these seats, the service should be much better. And DAL screwed their DMs by their new GUC redemption. I spend (my company does) $23-25k a year on my airfare…and 3 other co-workers are in the same boat. I love DAL, but they’ve made some bad choices recently in regards to their most frequent fliers.
Delta lost their minds years ago.
Recently got a similar offer on my cash booked fare from LAX-MCO, but it was $350 to upgrade from standard economy to Comfort +. oh, and the price offered was each way. Hard pass.
Yep- I was just offered >$400 to purchase upgrade JFK-BUF last weekend. 47 min in the air. I waited, and was upgraded by computer, for $0. WHo are they kidding?
I find it very “dynamic”. I often fly between Denver and Salt Lake. MOST of the time the upgrade price is $78-86 for the 1 hour segment. Sometimes it’s $300 and I’ve seen it as high as $700! If I ever see it higher than $125, I usually check every other day and most of the time it will drop back down. Now, I am sure there is some dynamic pricing “logic” in there somewhere, but I can’t figure it out. The “logic” eludes me.
At least they offered you a cheaper deal. I was in Fargo last week and also flew to MPS. They wanted over $700.00 for a 1st class upgrade. Crazy for a one hour flight. To be fair, every once in a while they offer some good deals on the 1st class upgrade depending on the destination, but 9 times out of ten it is not usually worth it.
I have been offered over $400 to upgrade Atl to Jax or Jax to Atl….It is a 38 minute or less flight and no service usually not even a bottled watr if you are in the back!!! NUTS This weekend I had bought FC seats but flights delayed and had to take main seats to get my connections…..
I echo the outrage. There’s an irony here which you may have missed. It is the justification to remain Diamond. Come February 1, I deliberately will lose all Medallion status for the first time in a decade with no regrets. Fortunately, I don’t suffer from these oddball situations when I’d rather walk than pay for first class but if I did, I might rethink my status and even make mileage runs. Free C+ upgrades at purchase and a good shot at first-class at 5 days would pay for the effort, especially on reservations with more than 1 passenger.
We booked a O/W flight from Fargo to Munich in business class. The flight from Fargo to Chicago is classified business but just coach with no one in the center seat.
That’s European business class. Nowhere in the US does that happen. You either have FC/Business in the states or economy. And since you flew to Chicago, I’m assuming it was a Star Alliance flight, which means United in the US. United does not block any seats (they did for a bit during 2020 and 2021, but that’s long gone).
Hi. I think its really great charge these high prices? to keep first class , first class, ? No? its no one in their correct mind would pay, so more chance of an upgrade,
If first is empty, the cost for one person to move up vs completely empty first is high because first has a dedicated staff. If it was half full already, the cost for one more person up front is nominal.
Bought the upgrade from Munich to Atlanta. 9.5 hour flight for a pod $800. Flew economy going to Frankfurt from Detroit. Same amount of hours, middle seat. Torture. We paid for better seats but they changed the plane and it was a full flight. Total for 6 flights including Delta 1 return $2300 in high season. 2 airlines
Short flights, I never pay to upgrade and always fly low calender days.
DELTA IS OVER RATED!
OLD AIRCRAFT, OLD SEATS AND TIRESOME!
Rest assured that I am not a Delta employee nor am I a cheerleader for them but I find that they are the best carrier in the sky today in the US. Posting something like this is a waste of time. Here’s my thought, if it’s too expensive and you don’t want to do it, then don’t do it. Having to drag the airline through the mud because something was found unacceptable to you is foolish. Maybe there is a reason for it that you don’t know about. I don’t mind reading something about someone complaining about something that is worth a complaint. This was a waste of time for me
“Having to drag the airline through the mud because something was found unacceptable to you is foolish.”
So, your dragging me through the mud for something you found unacceptable isn’t foolish? If reading the post was such a waste of your time, why did you bother wasting even more by commenting?
We give Delta plenty of compliments. But we also call them (and others) out when warranted.
I hope your day gets better.
Um. It’s called capitalism. I live 5 miles from MSP. I know. This summer, it was cheaper for me to fly to DOH and DXB, without cancellation and delay and full luggage food and beverage service on a large twin-aisle, than to fly anywhere in the upper midwest on a small small single aisle with half a tumbler of pop and a small bag of pretzels.
It’s still safer and quicker to fly than drive. And car rental and gas prices are even more expensive.
The domestic economy has gone to 1970’s style inflation and airfares……
I used to jump on some of the upgrade offers when the worked out to less than $50/hr of flight time. It’s been at least 18 months since I’ve seen an offer that met that criteria.
Well, geez, they have to make up for those $10,000 buyouts they offered in MI several weeks ago.
The reason you are paying so much more is the fact that you were flying in to/out of a small city airport. I live in a small city & the fares are usually ridiculously high for most of the year. I’m also sure that Minneapolis-Fargo is a popular route. Still, Delta is better than the other US carriers. I don’t mind paying more to fly Delta.
MSP to any Upper Midwestern destination is expensive, period. While Fargo is the largest city in N.Dak., it is not a popular destination. Period. It is akin to flying PJ (Private Jet.) If you’re not a rich doctor or a rich Meta engineer, then get thee to the bus station.
I know. My first flight ever eas at the age of seven on a propeller aircraft from MSP to N.Dak. (GFK.)
I fly 777s or 380s to popular destinations should I want more satisfaction from my dollar/miles spend.
DELTA IS OVER RATED!
OLD AIRCRAFT, OLD SEATS AND TIRESOME!
That’s not been my experience.
This posts sounds poor. $500 is a perfectly reasonable price, too bad you can’t afford it.
“This posts”?
Yea delta can go [removed] them selves on there ridiculous upgrade prices
No price in DELTA airlines needed attention because the service is so disappointed and indiscultable.no answer.
As a corporate travel agent for over 25 years i have discovered why the airlines do this sometimes. MSP has many International flights to , Europe, Asia, and South America. They price these upgrades so high to keep most seats in first class open to people who are continuing on to International destinations and want first class the entire way and are buying a much higher price ticket overall. Keep checking back closer to fight date as prices can sometimes go down.
Very interesting!
Makes total sense!
I agree
For some reason the upgrade prices they are offering now are excessive. Last December, I took a one way Delta flight from ATL to EZE (that is Buenos Aires, Argentina), and was offered upgrade to Delta one for $500 (and I gladly paid for it). Now, this December I am doing the SAME flight, but this time they want $3000 for Delta one, and $1500 for Premium Select. I know we had some inflation since last year, but to go from $500 to $3000 is preposterous…