Delta Gives Customer Free Upgrade With Free Drinks On 7-Hour Flight To California. Here’s Why She’s Upset: ‘Please Give Me My Old Seat Back’

A personal finance enthusiast explained why seat upgrades aren’t always worth it. After scoring an upgrade on a recent seven-hour Delta flight to California, she says she requested to return to her original seat. Why? Because having access to the aisle trumped whatever amenities she’d get in the “better” part of the plane.

Jadyn Bryden (@jadynfinance) also broke down a feature airline travelers may not know about. And it’s a tip that could ensure if you are offered an upgraded seat, you’re only getting one you really want.

Is A Delta Free Upgrade Really An ‘Upgrade’?

Bryden begins her video speaking into the camera while seated at the airport. “I just asked the gate agent to give me my old seat back because they upgraded me to Comfort+ middle for a seven-hour flight to California. And that just doesn’t sound enjoyable,” she says. At first, she says she weighed the benefits of accepting the upgrade. “I was like, ‘Well, it’s free drinks. It’s like a little bit better snacks,'” she says.

However, after carefully weighing the differences between the seats, she says she opted for her non-upgraded one. She argued that the benefits of having an aisle far outweigh the perks of Comfort+. “I’m like, ‘Stop playing with me.’ A middle seat in a slightly bigger seat for seven hours vs. an aisle—where you can walk around, stretch your legs, go to the bathroom. No, I was like, ‘Sir, please give me my old seat back,'” she recalls telling a Delta worker.

“And luckily, I got it back,” she says, happily.

Following this, her video cuts to another clip where she shares a tip for travelers who’d like to avoid middle seats when presented with a free upgrade option. “Sometimes they just completely ignore your preferences. To only upgrade to the aisle of the middle seat. So I’ll now go in before check-in. And see if the only Comfort+ seats available are middles. And I will take myself off the upgrade list. Because sitting in the middle seat is genuinely torturous for me,” she says.

Use Your Airline App To Designate Preferences

Next, she then performs an on-screen run through of Delta’s upgrade protocols on the airline’s mobile app. As she does so, she narrates her thought process. “If the seat map shows that there are some decent upgrades still available. You can make a request that you specifically want the aisle or the window instead of the middle. Before you check in,” she says.

Indeed, as demonstrated in her screen recording of the app, there are selections for seat placement settings. For her purposes, she checks off the “Aisle” and “Window” selections on her app.

“This is super important if you do get upgrades, because I’ve had travel days that have been completely ruined by a middle seat ‘upgrade.’ Even while I was pregnant, and I’m, like, I can’t. I cannot do this. So it’s worth the extra couple of steps,” she promises travelers.

And others have opined on this preferential seat upgrade tidbit as well. Travel site One Mile At A Time published an article dedicated to Comfort+ Upgrade Seat Preferences. And it corroborates what Bryden shared in her social media clip—that flyers can choose seat upgrade preferences for Comfort+.

One Mile At A Time referred to this proposed perk as “the cursed middle seat upgrade.” The outlet noted that, like Bryden, throngs of travelers aren’t keen on this placement.

Other airlines purportedly offer similar free upgrades. USA Today noted that United Airlines gives customers these same upgrade seat options. And judging by the airline’s info, travelers can pick their own seat from a seat map. However, there doesn’t appear to be an auto filter, as Delta gives its passengers. American Airlines warns that folks placed on upgrade lists may be given a middle seat. There doesn’t seem to be an option to block these when it comes to free class bumps.

BroBible has reached out to Delta and Bryden via email for further information.