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Earlier this month, a 
Delta Air Lines flight departing from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) had a few spare seats in first class, and as passengers with eligible status had already been upgraded, the gate agent decided to organize a break dancing competition, and the top two dancers got to bust a move and move up to the front of the plane.
As first reported by a View From The Wing, the Delta flight was set to depart from gate A31 at Salt Lake City International Airport earlier this month, and it is presumed that the economy was oversold, meaning that the two spare seats in First Class may have needed to be filled. Those on the upgrade list had already been moved, so it was down to the gate agent’s discretion on how to offer these two remaining premium seats.
First Class Goes To The Best Dancer
According to the report, the gate agent used the loudspeaker at the gate to announce that they needed two passengers who wanted to be seated in first class, and that anyone willing to break dance at the gate would be considered for the upgrade. The gate agent reminded the passenger that it was a free upgrade, and the only caveat was that you needed to bust a move.
Two passengers took up the offer: a man in a hoodie and a woman dressed in dark clothes. The two break dancers at the gate were watched by an eager crowd who laughed and clapped. Both passengers did such a great job that they were both offered the first-class seats.
This is not the first time that Delta has hit the headlines for this rather unusual gate request; over three years ago, the airline also staged a dance-off to offer upgrades to Comfort+.
How To Get An Upgrade With Delta Air Lines
Delta usually offers first-class upgrades complimentary to those with higher frequent flier status. Top-tier Medallion status members can see these cleared between one and five days before travel, while top-tier Diamond or Platinum members have these cleared five days out, and Gold/Silver members between one and three days out.
Otherwise, paid upgrades are available on the website, with the costs for these varying depending on the duration of the flight. Additional credit card perks, such as those with Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Cards, offer a higher chance of complimentary upgrades if not an elite frequent flier member.
The best way to secure a seat in a higher class is by purchasing it directly through the upgrade portal of the app or by avoiding peak travel times, such as business travel, which takes place on Monday and Friday in the early morning and evening.
Why First Class Upgrades Have Become Increasingly Difficult
Airlines seem to be getting stingier when it comes to complimentary or discounted upgrades.
Delta Air Lines At Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is a major airport in the US state of Utah and one of Delta’s major hubs. The airport is the gateway to the Intermountain West and the West Coast and is renowned for having some of the fewest flight cancellations among major US airports. Delta maintains a base at SLC through its Western Airlines merger back in 1987.
Delta operates a total of 80 domestic destinations and ten international destinations from SLC, with international services operating to Amsterdam (AMS), Cancún (CUN), Calgary (YYC), London Heathrow (LHR), Mexico City–Benito Juárez (MEX), Paris–Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), San José del Cabo (SJD), and Seoul–Incheon (ICN). Other international carriers at SLC include 
Aeromexico, Air Canada Rouge, KLM, Volaris (from June 2026), and WestJet.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the most popular domestic links from SLC are to Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, while internationally it’s to Amsterdam, Paris, Cancun, and San Jose del Cabo. The largest airline at SLC remains Delta with more than 56% of all operations, followed by SkyWest (which operates flights on behalf of Delta United Airlines, and Alaska Airlines), Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines.
