US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Amsterdam Upgrade Runaround

I surrendered 40M Dividend Miles 2 months ago for Envoy class upgrades coming & going to Amsterdam 8/30 & 9/4. I haven't been upgraded yet, but everytime I call I get conflicting information. I was wondering if anyone knows which statements from USAirways are true.

1.) Mileage deductions for upgrades (I'm gold) (transatlantic) have priority, even over CP.
2.) Since the seats remaining are revenue seats, upgrades won't be given until I get to the gate in Phl
3.) If you get upgraded, it will happen when I check in @ GSO my origin airport
4.) US will call me / US will not call me if I'm upgraded before the day of departure
5.) I'm on a wait list now, but I should get on "the list" again when I check in @ GSO

Thanks in advance for any help

My experience is:
I upgraded my parents on this flight not long ago, and 1 month ahead of their flight. They were DM members but not elite. They didn't know either end until the day of the flight if they were upgraded. They missed out on their outbound as elite members upgraded on the day of the flight. (There were still 10 seats open according to AMEX site the morning before the flight...as they missed out on FC, the next day half the miles were deposited back in my account) On the way back, they did get upgraded day of flight) I think, even though you are using miles, you are stuck in the 7-3-1 loop for that flight. That's all I know, and I was told if I had donated much, much earlier, the miles MAY have locked them in) Therefore I think there are a very limited amount of seats eligible for mileage upgrades on transcon. Good luck!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dwsnc:
I surrendered 40M Dividend Miles 2 months ago for Envoy class upgrades coming & going to Amsterdam 8/30 & 9/4. I haven't been upgraded yet, but everytime I call I get conflicting information. I was wondering if anyone knows which statements from USAirways are true.

1.) Mileage deductions for upgrades (I'm gold) (transatlantic) have priority, even over CP.
2.) Since the seats remaining are revenue seats, upgrades won't be given until I get to the gate in Phl
3.) If you get upgraded, it will happen when I check in @ GSO my origin airport
4.) US will call me / US will not call me if I'm upgraded before the day of departure
5.) I'm on a wait list now, but I should get on "the list" again when I check in @ GSO

Thanks in advance for any help </font>

1. I'm not totally sure, but I think that upgrades off of the Airport Standby List are processed by DM-level. So a CP using a systemwide upgrade would clear before a Gold using miles. Within level, I think the list is based on time on the Airport Standby List. Again, I'm not sure on this, so I'll defer to others.

2. While its possible that more Envoy Class seats will be dumped to the upgrade bucket (class O, if I recall correctly) before the day of travel, it is unlikely. However, it can't hurt to call once a day and ask if anything has opened up. You never know, and even if you are on the waitlist, you might not move autmatically into seats that open up.

3. It might happen at check-in at GSO, but it will be more likely to happen at the departure gate of your transatlantic flight in PHL.

4. As stated above, even if they open up more upgrade seats, you might not automatically clear into them. Call once a day. It'll take just a few minutes, and you might be able to upgrade where otherwise you wouldn't have been.

5. You have to add yourself to the Airport Standby List when you check-in in GSO. The telephone waitlist you are currently on will not clear over. Just like domestic flights.

P.S. I'm sure you've looked at the seatmaps, but your AMS-PHL flight looks quite good. The PHL-AMS will be a tougher upgrade. Hopefully your Gold status will make the magic happen for you.

To BizJet's comments:

1. Sounds right. Airport standby list is based on time of check-in-- if you're originating Philly, pays to show up very early. Not sure how connecting check-ins are put on the airport standby list but I think it is not strictly the time you check in in in the connecting city as that would really screw Philly passengers. Anyone know for sure?

2. This is true, however, note that inventory will review the flight and release O inventory, for Chairman's Preferred only 3 days before the flight.

Keep calling back -- you never know when people will cancel and O inventory will open up. My experience on US has been so-so and I usually clear 3 days before when they do the Chairman's review. Also, make sure you are on the waitlist when you check in in GSO and AGAIN when you get to Philly.

Good luck!

[This message has been edited by kv99 (edited 08-11-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kv99:
To BizJet's comments:

1. Sounds right. Airport standby list is based on time of check-in-- if you're originating Philly, pays to show up very early. Not sure how connecting check-ins are put on the airport standby list but I think it is not strictly the time you check in in in the connecting city as that would really screw Philly passengers. Anyone know for sure?

</font>

This is one of the great benefits of starting out in the boonies (or on the west coast) -- check-in time is from where you start.

That's how you can be the #1 CP on the list and suddenly be #2 -- someone who checked in earlier at another airport will jump ahead of you.

Call the morning of the flight and ask if there are any upgrade seats available. The waitlist will not clear automatically the day of the flight and sometimes seats will be available even when folks are on the standby/upgrade list for them.

In general though ... who knows what the rules are? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

We have three tickets to LGW and back next month. One of us is GP, one SP, and one nothing. Right now the GP and SP are waitlisted for Envoy using 80,000 of the SP's miles ... I asked whose status the GP gets in that case, and the agent said they would get the SP's status ... even though I asked, I'm not sure I buy that ...

Now, I (the GP) will use 40,000 of my miles (once I earn them) to put the no-status person on the upgrade list ... whose status will they get? Just to throw in another wrinkle, I'm only traveling with the no-status person one way, so will they get my status when they are my companion, but not when they are not my companion?

The system views mileage upgrades the same as SWU upgrades. Therefore, DM status will go a long way towards the upgrade game.

So, using miles well in advance and being told there are no upgradeable seats likely means waiting until day of departure. If people with a higher DM status check in before OR after you, they will get first dibs on any unsold seats regardless whether you are using miles or an SWU.

As for companion status on upgrades - if you are GP and a companion has no status, they will get a US2 designation in the system for at least your leg. Personal experience has shown that the companion MAY get it on the leg you are not with them, too. I guess it depends how the agent keys it in.

As a CP, my companions have been upgraded on legs that I wasn't present on. This was because they flew the original segment with me, but we returned on different days. Since a CP needs no certs, they were given an F boarding pass. I had no idea any of this would happen until they told me after the trip happened.

[This message has been edited by PHL (edited 08-12-2002).]

Hey folks - I think I finally got an answer(s) to my Amsterdam upgrade questions. USAirways customer service e-mailed the following:

1.) There is a waitlist that is generated the day of departure - your standing on the waitlist depends on the time you check in at your point of departure and your DM standing.
Being on the list now does not mean you'll be on the list the day of departure. The earlier I check in the higher I'll be on the list behind any CP's.

2.) If upgraded prior to the day of departure I will be notified.

Thanks for all the help - I've come to terms with possibility of having to fly in the back for 7-1/2 hours.

As a side note, you can not upgrade the GSO-PHL portion in the 7-3-1 window without the PHL-AMS upgrade confirmed - even with additional coupons. You can upgrade the domestic portion on the day of departure.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mileshound:
As a side note, you can not upgrade the GSO-PHL portion in the 7-3-1 window without the PHL-AMS upgrade confirmed - even with additional coupons. You can upgrade the domestic portion on the day of departure.</font>
I was planing to use 2 SWU for a R/T EWR-PIT-FRA and then FRA-PIT-EWR. As a Silver, and assuming my upgrades come through either one day prior or on day of departure, would I need more than the 2 SWU since I was hoping to be upgraded on all 4 flights??? (My ticket was booked as connecting flights.)

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mauld:
Originally posted by mileshound:
As a side note, you can not upgrade the GSO-PHL portion in the 7-3-1 window without the PHL-AMS upgrade confirmed - even with additional coupons. You can upgrade the domestic portion on the day of departure.</font>
I was planing to use 2 SWU for a R/T EWR-PIT-FRA and then FRA-PIT-EWR. As a Silver, and assuming my upgrades come through either one day prior or on day of departure, would I need more than the 2 SWU since I was hoping to be upgraded on all 4 flights??? (My ticket was booked as connecting flights.)



Nope.

Outbound EWR-PIT-FRA, if PIT-FRA confirms in advance and you have to gate-standby for EWR-PIT, you can turn in a systemwide at check-in and you need not turn anything at the gate at EWR if your upgrade clears. If EWR-PIT clears in advance but you have to wait for the gate for the transatlantic segment, you have two options. First, you can go ahead and turn in a systemwide, and then you need not turn in anything at the PIT gate. However, if your transatlantic upgrade never clears, you would have wasted a systemwide on a very short hop. The better alternative in that scenario is to turn in a North American 800-mi upgrade for the EWR-PIT segment and then just turn in a systemwide if you clear in PIT.

Same deal on the return.

Another option of course for EWR-PIT is to keep a coach seat (its hardly worth even an NAU). I definitely wouldnt buy an upgrade for this - although having a stock of NAUs is a good idea, if this short trip spurs you into buying a 4-pack of NAUs (for $120) then thats not a bad thing.