Last week we shared how Delta Air Lines was considering making changes to their Medallion Upgrade policy, which would halt automatic Medallion upgrades to first class. Delta has finally announced they’ll be going forth with these changes, and will be suspending automatic complimentary Medallion upgrades at the respective upgrade window.

Instead, all Medallion upgrades will now be a manual process handled by the gate agents day of departure, which we know can run into some challenges. Delta’s new policy is intended to last through the end of May, as a way for the airline to more closely monitor where each passenger sits as a way to encourage social distancing.

Per Delta,

Starting April 13 through May 31, the following temporary changes will go into effect to further promote a safe flying experience: 

• We are pausing automatic, advance Medallion Complimentary Upgrades. These will now be processed at the gate – still in priority order – to allow gate agents to determine how to best seat customers while considering social distancing and aircraft weight-and-balance restrictions.  

Additionally, Delta is blocking middle seats in their Main Cabin and Comfort +, yet there’s no changes to their First Class or Delta One cabins, meaning despite stopping automatic upgrades, they’ll still sell every seat in those cabins.

Delta has made several recent changes including Delta Reduces Inflight Service on All Flights, which only bottled water is served, so if you don’t end up getting upgraded, at least you won’t be missing out on much.

What is your take on Delta suspending automatic complimentary Medallion upgrades? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.