757,

A Delta flight gets designated 'Payload Optimized' on the flight plan when either revenue pax or cargo will be left behind or the flight is planned to be within 500 lbs of MTOW/RATOW. The payload optimization program automatically sets in motion a number of items. Dispatch reviews the entire fuel load, the Load planners eliminate any tolerance, rampers use actual bin weights and gate agents use child weights. The clearing of non-revs is taken away from the gate agents and given to the load planners to determine if any wiggle room remains. Many of the things you might do to squeeze some extra pounds are done as soon as the flight is designated 'payload optimized'. As I mentioned, the union did manage to get a reserved Delta jumpseater as guaranteed on these flights.

I'm a domestic narrowbody guy, so I don't run up against this too often, and the few times I have, it ends up being a takeoff with some sort of bizarre flap and packs off combination because we are right at limits. I've been a commuter my entire career.....never known anything but commuting, so I'm very attuned to non-rev woes. I've gone up to the gate podium to referee jumpseat arguments and held the cabin door open for non revs running down the jetway. However, if I'm handed weight and balance paperwork that tells me I'm right at MTOW and this Optimization program is supposedly designed to wring out all the pounds it can, there's not much you can do. I'd certainly make a few calls, but I'm not sure you'd get very far. Again, I'm not an international guy and to the best of my knowledge I've never had to leave non revs behind on a "Payload Optimzed' designated flight. Some of the widebody guys might have some better war stories.