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What’s a First Class upgrade worth to you? What factors figure into your valuations? Would you pony up $48 for a flight that’s less than one hour?
Here’s Why I Ask
We’ve written about Delta Air Lines selling First Class upgrades for practically anything as opposed to upgrading loyal Medallion® elite status members.
A Redditor taking a trip on a CRJ-900 regional jet posed this question in the Delta subreddit:
I always feel anxious flying on CRJs but I’m taking a flight where the flight time is 50 or so mins. There are single row first class seats available and it doesn’t help that I’m a bigger person so not being able to have a row to myself off the bat is already stressful to me. They’re only charging 48.00 for a first class upgrade, mind you, in the past I’ve paid $160 for 4 hour flight FC upgrades before.
Should I just bite the bullet and do it? Do you get a (pre-departure beverage) on those journeys?
If you really want First Class and have $48 to throw around, why not? Plus, you get an extra $40-ish MQD toward status, for whatever that is worth to you.
Otherwise, here are some key points to consider.
Drinks, Distance, Destress?
If you really want something to drink — alcohol or not — during your flight, First Class is the only cabin that enjoys drink service on Delta trips under 250 miles. That’s very likely within the distance of this 50-minute hop.
But even an $8 liter of water at a Hudson store should quench your thirst and save you $40.
Or if adult beverages really factor into your decision, consider:
Not all flights serve pre-departure beverages – it’s pretty hit-or-miss
How much alcohol can you (safely) consume during the 50 minutes to make it worth your money?
Redditor “jeffpi42” brought up a good point: “I do it just for early boarding and quick off. The rest is bonus.”
For people with connections, the quick deplaning could mean the difference between making and missing a connection. Why? It depends on where this flight parks and where your next flight leaves.
This is especially true when traveling on a regional jet, such as in this situation. For example, most Delta regionals at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) depart and arrive from the A, B, and C concourses.
The unfortunate might arrive at the B concourse — and their connect at, like, F10. If you have a few hours, you’re fine. But if your layover is short, you risk missing your next flight.
In that case, $48 might be worth it to sit up front and be one of the first people off the plane. The First Class seat, drinks, and snack basket are nice bonuses.
“scottsinct” brings up an interesting point:
If you have to check a bag and don’t have another way to get it for free, then this is definitely worth it.
The first checked bag on a Delta domestic segment costs $35. (That’s if you don’t have one of the six Delta credit cards that give cardholders their first checked bag for free.) In this instance, you get a checked bag and $13 of fun extras for about an hour.
For the original poster, though, let’s look at this sentence:
There are single row first class seats available and it doesn’t help that I’m a bigger person so not being able to have a row to myself off the bat is already stressful to me.
If $48 buys you peace of mind, then go for it.
What Would I Do?
I’ve taken plenty of 12-hour flights in coach. Heck, I went to Catholic school for 13 years, worked retail jobs during the holiday season, and am in the entertainment business. I can put up with a lot. I’d probably pass on this offer.
If time were a concern, I’d maybe consider it. If this were a special trip (vacation, etc.), then maybe. If I wanted to be comfortable working on my laptop to get a very time-sensitive project done — and I could gross least $75 or $100 solely because the upgrade helped me get my project finished — then sure.
Otherwise, meh.
What Would You Do?
I’d love to hear your take! There are no wrong answers. (At least, I don’t think so.)
Please drop your thoughts in the below Comments section!
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and and may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Take it. Added perks nice but you could also get stuck on the plane for an extended amount of time and if that happens you will regret not snagging the upgrade.
I do it for the better seat, better / faster on and off and beyond the $x itself of the cost upgrade you’re now accruing more miles (50% more IIRC?). Also because any semblance of Loyalty has long been flushed by Ed after Richard left.
I’m getting old and soft. Price an upgrade at a reasonable price and I’ll pay for it everytime.
I’d wish that Delta wouldn’t sell those seats and leave them for upgrades. As a Diamond I will typically get those upgrades most of the time. Last week, I was flying from SLC to MSP and when I checked the day before in I saw that there were 7 First Class seats open AND I was #1 of 63 on the upgrade list. As the next 24 hours counted down, I maintained my #1 upgrade spot but when I arrived at the airport 6 of those 7 First Class seats disappeared. Perhaps there were some last-minute travelers who booked first class seats, but I am assuming that Delta sold most of those. I did end up with that last first class seat, but I am guessing that there were a bunch of Diamonds and Platinum in that queue of 63 wondering what they need to do to get that upgrade. For a longer flight like that, you have to make that educated guess: do I want to eat something at the Delta SkyClub or somewhere in the airport if I am going to be fed on-board (First World problems, yes) or roll the dice that those upgrades will stick.
How about this for the idea box?
Upgrades are priced by your medallion status. e.g.
No status – $150
Silver – $100
Gold – $75
Platinum – $50
Diamond – $25
This lets Delta collect some revenue for the seats, but benefits frequent fliers by giving them access to lower cost upgrades.
I would go for it unless there are lots of FC seats left and ….Hope… for an ungrade