US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - CP's -- When don't you clear?

Hello,

I will be making CP in the near future and am actually excited about it, despite the fact that benefits change so frequently. I am curious on what routes CP's haven't cleared waitlists. I remember on a transcon hearing from the agent that I wouldn't be clearing as a gold, and there were CP's on the waitlist that wouldn't be clearing on the PIT-PHL portion.

So CP's, where have you been denied an upgrade?

Chris

There are a million routes where this occurs. Do you mean at the 7 day window, or at the gate?

At the 7 day window, there have been flights I haven't cleared on MSY-PHL, MSY-CLT, MSY-PIT, and vice-versa.

CLT-DCA but asked at 3 day
PIT-RDU twice

CLT-RDU can be tough on a Friday night.

PIT-SFO, PIT-LAX: rarely clear at window, only clear at gate by checking in 4-6 hours in advance (note that coming back, eg. SFO-PIT I usually clear at window).

PIT-LAS: have missed completely in both directions.



------------------
Saving the world, one clue at a time.

Very rarely.

It usually involves a last minute change into the maw of the beast -- Sunday Night/Monday morning flights and Thursday nights being the worst.

Otherwise I mostly clear at the window (unless I'm vying for Ben's attention with a full fare ticket -- then I get an on the spot UG.) I occasionally need to be wait-listed at the airport but that's rare. I used the web check-in at the 6 hour mark trick a couple of weeks ago for one of those -- it worked like a charm http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Just for clarification, I meant by the time you actually got on the plane, so ie, when you are flying in Coach as a CP.

I've actually cleared PIT-SFO as a gold in advance, I guess I lucked out.

Chris

I did PIT-SFO for 27 months and, with the exeception of 100% between 9/14-12/31/2001, I managed to upgrade about 10-15% of the time. I usually hit the counter 31-35 minutes before flight time and some other regulars who checked in earlier would sometimes make it. I got used to 7/8/9 aisle seats on the 757/321's.

At one extreme, I was 14th on the wait list once, and over 10th a few times. On the other hand, I upgraded MrsGP one her way back from Shanghai when we met in SFO, and her boss, a Silver, cleared the same flight.

Edit - I should have mentioned that these were all Monday morning and Friday afternoon flights. I think the Thursday red-eye and maybe a couple of other flights were as bad, but other times of the week are probably much less difficult.

[This message has been edited by CPRich (edited 03-05-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by catwood:
Just for clarification, I meant by the time you actually got on the plane, so ie, when you are flying in Coach as a CP.

I've actually cleared PIT-SFO as a gold in advance, I guess I lucked out.

Chris</font>

My caveat is that I usually depart for SFO on a Friday afternoon/evening, and like to return on a Sunday noon-ish flights. These are about as bad as it gets for upgrades.

If I opt to fly on Saturday morning, I've only missed once.



------------------
Saving the world, one clue at a time.

SAN-PIT in January, my friend and I, both US1, checked in about 4.5 hours before the flight, only I cleared the standby list. There were many US1's on that flight too.

LAS-PHL, at the time I was US2, used a SWU to upgrade ahead of time, again, I noticed many US1 sitting in coach by snooping at people's boarding passes at the gate.

I cleared all but one flight last year. And every flight so far this year. Alot has to do with the fare you pay. 90% or more of my flights are on Y fares, and purchased within two hours of flight time.

------------------

The only time I haven't cleared in 6 months as CP of going to Seattle, Ft Myers, Tampa, Laguardia, hartford Connecticut, Detroit was one time from Norfolk - CLT on a connection. There was a family of 5 going to Orlando that I assume either ugpraded with miles or had just used straight F reward tickets. But I am also obsessive about calling and getting 'on the list' as soon as I book a flight, which is 2-3 weeks in advance.

Pretty much clear at 7 days 100% of the time. I just moved to the west coast so my flights are now always SNA-PIT-DCA or LAX-PIT-DCA or SAN-PIT-DCA. Closest I cam was a Sunday night redeye from San Diego. Checked in 4 hours ahead and was the only upgrade at the gate. This compares to only making it about 50% of the time as gold.

Since becoming CP four years ago, I can only remember ONE flight where I've been entitled to an upgrade and haven't cleared (and 99% of the time 7 days in advance), and this was a last minute change because of a cancellation ORD-PIT, so no big deal.

I used to fly international before the days of Envoy upgrades and fly in coach there sometimes.

My flights are mostly transcon (PHL-SFO/PHL-SEA/PHL-LAX) and I avoid the Monday morning westbound transcon-- I have no problems any other time, including the redeye Thursday or Friday returning flights.

Couple of other things-- I try to avoid 319s (though that's hard to SEA in the winter...), and I do look at the G inventory beforehand-I'll often book flights 2 weeks in advance and only book it if G inventory is still 7 at that point.

I think its harder as a PIT-based flyer than a PHL-based flyer to have this sort of record however...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kv99:
I think its harder as a PIT-based flyer than a PHL-based flyer to have this sort of record however...</font>

Got that right http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif.

I think that is partially due to the number of long haul alternatives at PHL. (UA to LAX and SFO, LH to FRA, BA to London, etc).


------------------
Saving the world, one clue at a time.

Hey Guys, My flight options are either connect in PIT or PHL. Costs are usually the same. That being said, Do you think I have a better chance in PHL than PIT or does my early start at MDT give me a leg up?

Thanks,

G

PHL-IAH is a very tough one. It is filled with CPs.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Gandalf:
Hey Guys, My flight options are either connect in PIT or PHL. Costs are usually the same. That being said, Do you think I have a better chance in PHL than PIT or does my early start at MDT give me a leg up?
</font>

Early starts are definitely to your advantage.

PHL & PIT have offsetting factors -- on the one hand PHL has more O&D traffic so there are a lot of people to compete with -- but connecting passengers have an advantage due to early check-in. And, IMHO, there are more flights on bigger planes (tends to be true for me anyway...)

In PIT almost everyone is connecting -- so the early check-in advantage is diminished. And, IMHO, PIT has seen so many cutbacks that there are way too many people competing for the seats during crunch time.

OTOH (unbridled speculation follows...) if there is anywhere in the US system where an appreciable number of people blindly buy full fare tix it's PHL so there's more pressure on F & I inventory there -- which reduces G more than elsewhere.

The upshot? Connect in CLT http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Thanks for the insights. I do prefer PIT over PHL. I might work CLT in the mix, but for TransCons, I don't need the extra flight time, especially coming back home! I know, I'm whining!!! Go for the miles...

G

Has anyone cleared when the flight is showing F0 on day of departure?

Yes, PHL-SAN, no show at the last minute and I got the remaining seat.

RSW (Fort Myers, Fl). I NEVER clear the 7-day window, and have had some tough times clearing at the gate. This is particularly true RSW-CLT, but less frequent to PHL.

My CTO agent looked at the pax list for an RSW-CLT flight. Out of 12 seats, there were 6 full fare FC seats sold, a couple Y's with upgrades, and a few US20's. Day of flight, I ended up with the last F seat with many 2's and 3's behind me in line. Knowing the "cheap" $625 fare I paid, I felt like a cockroach.

The PHL-ALB 8pm flight is getting very difficult all days of the week.