US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Clarification of airport waitlist rules

It's been awhile since I've thought about such things, so bear with me.

Got a PIT-SFO flight this weekend. It's on a 321. G is 0, F is 6. I'm CP and on the "before airport control" waitlist.

My plan is to web check in 4-5 hours preflight (9am) and then have myself added to the upgrade list when I arrive at the airport, on the theory that the pecking order is status and then time of check in. Since I'm CP, I should beat out everybody except the far-flung connecting station CPs, right?

Or is it "time placed onto the waitlist itself?" I can't seem to recall.... I'm also wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with the web check-in procedure, since I'm assuming it is not smart enough to let you put yourself on the upgrade waitlist.

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Saving the world, one clue at a time.

I just had to go thru this myself. I was told by liason that I couldn't check in until 4 hours before flight. So at 8:30am, I go to airport (fortunately only 5 minutes from my meeting location) to check in. Found out I was second in line! The agent sheepishly admitted another CP got there at 6:30 before his meetings and he let him check in.. fortunately there were 5 available seats, so I was OK. If that had not been the case, I would NOT have been happy.

I wonder what happens when someone with an early flight originating somewhere else is connecting to my flight? Is their check in time logged as when they check in for their original flight? That would be my guess..

edited to correct an atrocious spelling error *gasp*

[This message has been edited by svpii (edited 01-25-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by svpii:

I wonder what happens when someone with an early flight originating somewhere else is connecting to my flight? Is there check in time logged as when they check in for their original flight? That would be my guess.. </font>

Correctamundo - one of the joys (not!) of living in a hub city...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ClueByFour:

Got a PIT-SFO flight this weekend. It's on a 321. G is 0, F is 6. I'm CP and on the "before airport control" waitlist.

Since I'm CP, I should beat out everybody except the far-flung connecting station CPs, right?
</font>

Great strategy, but there is one other way I think you can be beat.

If there are I seats left and someone shows up who qualifies for it, they will get the seat before you. For example, if it is I2 and a person on a Y/B fare changes their flight to your flight, they would immediately get the seat since there is I inventory. They would not go on the waiting list.

I got beat by this once.

Actually I just thought of others who would beat you. Anyone with a CS0007 woukd get the seat before you also since that is out of F inventory.

Still, with it at F6 you are in good shape.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by svpii:
... I wonder what happens when someone with an early flight originating somewhere else is connecting to my flight? Is their check in time logged as when they check in for their original flight? That would be my guess.. </font>

You are correct. What counts is the time that you check-in for the first flight. If something goes wrong and the agent forgets to put you on the waitlist you'll still be treated as if you were put there at the original check-in time just as long as you double check prior to the point that they start clearing the list...

A follow up to this scenario:

I tried to check in via the web. It saw my reservation, but of course when I pushed "the button" to seal the deal, it barfed and told me to try at the airport. I can only assume this is because I either changed my seat, or was holding an exit row reservation. Of course, the fact that neither of these things should stop the process and that the programmer at US has once again rolled out a process that does not work is irrelevent. On to PIT.

Checked in at the kiosk (hence my position that the stupid web app really should have checked me in), and had the folks in the Club waitlist me. Unfortunately, due to some kind of snafu with an inbound FRA flight the night before, F had gone from F5 to F0 overnight http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif, and despite being #1 on the list, I sat in coach for the first time in about 6 months. Such is life.

But I did verify that the waitlist is based on status, then check-in time. Which would mean that the web check in would really be a great thing if it worked. *sigh*

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Saving the world, one clue at a time.