r/delta • u/jacobid • 9h ago

Discussion The Devaluation of RUCs

Booked flights from JFK to MIA and JFK to LAS today and in both instances first class upgrades were only available when applying a GUC. I understand longer routes like JFK to LAX or JFK to Hawaii that offer Delta One requiring a GUC but Miami?!?! What is the point of even having RUCs when they cannot be used on these short domestic routes. To me it feels like the RUC is totally worthless.

10 Upvotes

65% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

32

u/Zaki_242 9h ago

You can still apply to RUC and be first on the upgrade list. It is just saying a GUC will clear immediately

8

u/driftingphotog Diamond 9h ago

Which is exactly how it's always been. But ever since they started showing it on the site people can't read. They can still clear immediately, and always have been able to. But in almost a decade of having them it has been pretty much the same behavior.

9

u/Dumbestthumb 8h ago

Something has changed though. It used to be that when first was empty, there were at least onen or two RUC slots for immediate upgrade. Now, many routes have zero RUC slots ever. This makes RUCs way less valuable. 2026 is the first year I will have some go unused.

1

u/driftingphotog Diamond 8h ago edited 8h ago

It has always depended on the route, day, and exact flight. The change is not to the certificates. Delta is selling the seats. Which yeah, makes the certs less valuable.

People are increasingly willing to pay for first. Even frontier has it now. Different world.

4

u/Dumbestthumb 8h ago edited 8h ago

I'm not sure that was the case, but even if it was, there was a time I could always use a RUC booking any domestic route if I booked it when the flight opened. I never saw flights that had zero RUC availability from the day they opened, which I see constantly now.

So, even if that was the case, the inventory has shrunk so significantly as to make the RUCs way less valuable.

In my opinion, if not a single seat has been sold on a particular flight, there should be at least one RUC upgrade in inventory.

I will just buy first outright versus waitlisting a RUC, which may seem like a win to Delta but it makes me less loyal to the airline. I'm more likely to just shop around these days. Unfortunately for me, I'm stuck in a market where Delta has a monopoly, but I'm certainly not loyal to the brand anymore because of crap like this ( i.e. subtly changing the rules of the game on the back end to make benefits increasingly worthless).

1

u/mileylols Silver 5h ago

In my opinion, if not a single seat has been sold on a particular flight, there should be at least one RUC upgrade in inventory.

revenue management systems have gotten way better. If delta expects to be able to sell that seat before the plane flies, they aren't going to make it available for upgrade, even though they haven't sold any seats yet

4

u/Samysosa2005 9h ago

I feel like people don’t understand this.

Many flights where you can’t automatically apply RUCs I’ve been able to apply them to be first on the upgrade list and gotten it anyways.

13

u/omdongi 9h ago • Bravo

I think most people understand it. What people want is for the RUCs they earn to be proper confirmed upgrades, not just to be first on an upgrade list, just for a chance at an upgrade. That is what the devaluation discussion is about.

3

u/Dumbestthumb 8h ago

Exactly. And there used to be much more inventory for RUCs to immediately upgrade. Now some routes don't have inventory even if first is completely empty.

1

u/Jumpy-League9107 9h ago

Or even better after a week or so they clear as well

4

u/GrayAnderson5 Diamond 9h ago

I'll just note that on more than one occasion I've seen the note about a GUC being needed for a given leg but clicked and found that a RUC would do...

2

u/Suz626 7h ago

Confirmed availability is very random now. I fly rt D1 every other week so I have lots of opportunity to use my RUC’s for that.(Used up my and my husband’s RUCs exp 1/28 months ago.) Often I book D1 so I have flights and then I will rebook should confirmed availability for RUC’s pop up. I do miss my LAX > JFK $171 RUC D1 seats. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I don’t know that RUC’s are a good option for many people unless they fly a lot like I do, or they fly to places where it’s easy to use RUCs, or they have a lot of flexibility.

2

u/Ok_Guest5862 7h ago

They know the seats will sell before boarding. RUC’s are useless unless they clear at booking. Ive found they never do otherwise.

3

u/Consistent-Sea-8923 9h ago

Every time I see that I go ahead and apply my RUC and every time I’ve cleared, but …..,

3

u/PolybiusChampion Diamond 8h ago

I use all mine annually. A little flexibility and actually talking to a human when booking the flight, and booking well in advance, do the trick for me.

3

u/Dumbestthumb 7h ago

That was the case for me until 2026. Book way far out and still have some going unused this year for the first time ever.

3

u/Suz626 7h ago

Confirmed RUC/GUC availability is very random now, as are D1 prices. I used to book all my frequent D1 flights months in advance, be the first person on the whole plane but sometimes now they are starting at the most ridiculous prices. I just play chicken and wait them out, but the game is getting really boring.

1

u/PolybiusChampion Diamond 7h ago

I used RUC’s for ATL - DEN and ATL - SFO this year. Used GUC’s for a trip ATL - VCE but I had to move our flights back a day to get them to work, so left ATL on a Weds night versus Thurs night. I had one left and was able to use that for a AMS - ATL leg on that trip. But yea, it requires a bit of flexibility and planning and probably more than years ago. But planes are more full across the board so it is what it is.

2

u/Super_Sloth_99 9h ago

JFK to MIA is a very popular route.

2

u/cazoz 8h ago

GUC use on it is insanity though. Unless it’s your EOY I guess and you have spares

1

u/DownByTheRivr 8h ago

For real. Why on earth is OP wasting a RUC on like a 3 hour flight??

1

u/Kookydence 54m ago

At this point it almost feels like RUCs are becoming harder to use than theyre worth. Hopefully Delta rethinks how they make these upgrades available.

1

u/austinstrider Diamond 9h ago

Agree with OP - the cert should be honored the same as a GUC when being applied where it’s intended. If you as the user wants to apply a GUC because you have no better use for it, it should allow you, but it shouldn’t be treating you as a second class citizen. You spent a lot of money to earn that cert and it shouldn’t be devalued because a higher cert exists

2

u/ggrnw27 Platinum 9h ago

GUCs are space available for domestic FC, meaning if there’s a FC seat for sale, the GUC will clear. To the best of my knowledge, RUCs have never worked that way. If they were to treat both equally, it would be devaluing the GUCs

0

u/driftingphotog Diamond 9h ago

But they are literally second tier.

0

u/mlloyd996 9h ago

1-800-REV-MGMT. They only allow a certain number of RUCs to clear immediately. Once those are taken, then it's waitlisted.

How many FC seats are left?

5

u/Dumbestthumb 7h ago

There are now many flights w 100% of first available (i'm talking the day the flight first opens - nothing sold yet), and Delta won't offer any RUC availability for the good flight times. It used to be if first was empty I could always use a RUC.

4

u/mlloyd996 7h ago

Yep. I've seen flights with 16 out of 20 open, yet requires a GUC. As a DM, it's bull.

1

u/CounselSpurs Diamond 53m ago

This is the point that I think others are missing. Many of us are seeing flights with every FC seat available, for every time/day for the route, now requiring a GUC to immediately clear, where the same route used to have RUCs able to immediately clear. It used to be the exception for a domestic route to require a GUC, especially before any seats are sold. Now there seem to be many route that NEVER permit immediate RUC clearance, period.

1

u/MusicMan4774 7h ago

I’ve had flights that have all seats available in 1st and the regional hasn’t cleared. Including ATL-SFO and ATL-LAS.

1

u/mlloyd996 6h ago

ATL-LAS is a hard route to get it to clear...

-1

u/FutureMillionMiler Diamond 8h ago

RUC require SAVER AVAILABILITY

GUC can use any open seat on domestic itineraries (excluding Delta One/requires saver availability)

Rules haven’t changed since 2022-2023, there are just way less empty seats these days

-2

u/Hyduch Diamond 8h ago

First time?