United MileagePlus (Consolidated) - Free upgrades for non-elites

Had to share a story from a few weeks ago. Was traveling SJC-IAH-RIC two weeks ago with a co-worker. We were both booked on the same outbound itinerary. I'm a United 1P and he's a Lufthansa general member and we booked our trips separately.

I was upgraded to F on SJC-IAH about 6 hours before departure and saw that 7 seats had not been filled. When we got to the gate, he asked how much for a paid upgrade to F. The gate agent let him know that it was a $ amount so high he'd rather not say. My co-worker was OK with that answer as he wasn't looking to spend too much. Anyways, after I board, he comes in mid-boarding and lets me know the GA upgraded him to F for free. About 6 other general members followed him in and were seated in F.

Anyone else hear of this happening? Been flying UA/CO for about 2 years and this is the first time I've seen this...

Had to share a story from a few weeks ago. Was traveling SJC-IAH-RIC two weeks ago with a co-worker. We were both booked on the same outbound itinerary. I'm a United 1P and he's a Lufthansa general member and we booked our trips separately.

I was upgraded to F on SJC-IAH about 6 hours before departure and saw that 7 seats had not been filled. When we got to the gate, he asked how much for a paid upgrade to F. The gate agent let him know that it was a $ amount so high he'd rather not say. My co-worker was OK with that answer as he wasn't looking to spend too much. Anyways, after I board, he comes in mid-boarding and lets me know the GA upgraded him to F for free. About 6 other general members followed him in and were seated in F.

Anyone else hear of this happening? Been flying UA/CO for about 2 years and this is the first time I've seen this...

Was economy overbooked?

Usually on CO flights, if there are flights with open seats in F after all elites have been taken care of, a very low upgrade amount is offered to members upon checking in. It was offered to my friends for $59 on a LIR-IAH flight.

Why didn't you just companion upgrade him?

Why didn't you just companion upgrade him?

OP said they were on different PNRs and different itineraries.

OP said they were on different PNRs and different itineraries.

Which is the only way to do it with CO metal.

Although a GM was seated next to me yesterday in First, I don't think this happens very often. AFAIK, the GA has final say as to who gets seated where. So even if they're supposed to follow a set of rules, they can probably assign seats to anyone if it means the flight will depart on time. I've scored double-upgrades because of friendly gate agents, and it appears to be as simple as printing a new boarding pass.

I've seen several GM upgraded ex-DTW. Usually happened for passengers needing special assistance on a 757 with plenty of empty seats up front.

Which is the only way to do it with CO metal.

You're telling me I can go to a GA and tell them he's my companion and he'll get upgraded?

You're telling me I can go to a GA and tell them he's my companion and he'll get upgraded?

On CO, yes.

You do not have to be on separate PNRs but you can be and it works just fine. It even helps in many scenarios.

You do not have to be on separate PNRs but you can be and it works just fine. It even helps in many scenarios.

I thought you had to be on separate PNRs with CO. Otherwise they can't add you to the airport upgrade list.

I suppose on a wide open flight, you could walk up and they'll upgrade the both of you on the spot without having to split the PNR, but in most practical scenarios, you would need to split, no?

I thought you had to be on separate PNRs with CO. Otherwise they can't add you to the airport upgrade list.

I suppose on a wide open flight, you could walk up and they'll upgrade the both of you on the spot without having to split the PNR, but in most practical scenarios, you would need to split, no?

I don't believe you need to be on separate PNRs on CO, but the lowest status person's status apply, which means a GM will drag down a Plat to.. GM, and the flight won't be upgraded automatically (but can be added manually at the airport). Hence why the spilt is needed to ensure that the highest ranking elite still gets the upgrade.

I don't believe you need to be on separate PNRs on CO, but the lowest status person's status apply, which means a GM will drag down a Plat to.. GM, and the flight won't be upgraded automatically (but can be added manually at the airport). Hence why the spilt is needed to ensure that the highest ranking elite still gets the upgrade.


There's more to it.

You're right that EUA doesn't require a split -- it uses the lowest person's status. But in order to even get on the airport upgrade list, you have to be on your own PNR.

So if two (2) Plats on the same PNR don't get the EUA, they would have to split the PNR at checkin if they want to get on the upgrade list. CO's systems are not capable of adding someone to the airport upgrade list if there is more than one person on the PNR, period.

That's why the above suggestion that they don't split is not terribly practical. The only way they could have avoided the split and still gotten the upgrade is if they stuck together (Elite does not get the EUA), then they checkin with an agent and request an upgrade verbally, and the agent just does it for them since there's plenty of space. Either that, or they checkin without getting on the upgrade list, then manually requesting it from the GA, and the GA does it. That's a longshot, IMO.

Any other mechanism of checkin (online, PDA, kiosk) would split the record if they say they want the upgrade simply because CO's systems require a singleton PNR before adding someone to the airport upgrade list.

I thought you had to be on separate PNRs with CO. Otherwise they can't add you to the airport upgrade list.

I suppose on a wide open flight, you could walk up and they'll upgrade the both of you on the spot without having to split the PNR, but in most practical scenarios, you would need to split, no?

My understanding is that you have to be on separate PNRs to be waitlisted. You do not to be upgraded. If the seats are available they can just do it.

Question on the CO process for companion upgrade.
If you split the PNR for the companion upgrade does the split just effect that segment or is it truly splitting the entire itin in two separate PNRs?

If so, then on the UA segments the companion upgrade is killed!
What about irrops? Does the CO system remember folks are traveling together?

To an UA person splitting the PNR is a thing to avoid -- do we have yet another clash of cultures?

Question on the CO process for companion upgrade.
If you split the PNR for the companion upgrade does the split just effect that segment or is it truly splitting the entire itin in two separate PNRs?

If so, then on the UA segments the companion upgrade is killed!
What is irrops? Does the CO system remember folks are traveling together?

To an UA person splitting the PNR is a thing to avoid -- do we have yet another clash of cultures?

Yes -- it splits it into two separate PNR's. If you are on mixed PNR's (UA and CO), then it kills the companion on the UA segment.

I had issues with this last week. You have to choose which segments (UA or CO) you want to take your chances with. I wish they would come out with a single policy soon!

What about irrops? Does the CO system remember folks are traveling together?

Of course not.


To an UA person splitting the PNR is a thing to avoid -- do we have yet another clash of cultures?

Pretty much. On CO it's typically best practice to split the PNR.

It's going to be entertaining to see the UA folks as the "superior" CO systems take over. Issues like this mandatory PNR split issue to get on an airport upgrade list, tickets that don't issue for hours, significant partner reward segments getting dropped out of the blue, competing upgrade lists where #2 on the list gets upgraded ahead of #1 just a few minutes before boarding while viewing the list on the board, the inability to request a mileage upgrade at the airport, etc.

CO really had an opportunity with this merger to get rid of their technology that's been limiting them for years and leverage the platform that UA built. Instead, they're tossing the better technology to go with their cheaper stuff.

We already had a taste of it with the boarding process fiasco where they didn't think it was a big deal that they weren't setup for zones, that they just wanted to trash the efficiency UA had built.

Sadly, they're probably going to realize the Apollo functionality they lost after it's too late and Apollo is gone.

It's going to be entertaining to see the UA folks as the "superior" CO systems take over. Issues like this mandatory PNR split issue to get on an airport upgrade list, tickets that don't issue for hours, significant partner reward segments getting dropped out of the blue, competing upgrade lists where #2 on the list gets upgraded ahead of #1 just a few minutes before boarding while viewing the list on the board, the inability to request a mileage upgrade at the airport, etc.

CO really had an opportunity with this merger to get rid of their technology that's been limiting them for years and leverage the platform that UA built. Instead, they're tossing the better technology to go with their cheaper stuff.

We already had a taste of it with the boarding process fiasco where they didn't think it was a big deal that they weren't setup for zones, that they just wanted to trash the efficiency UA had built.

Sadly, they're probably going to realize the Apollo functionality they lost after it's too late and Apollo is gone.

So is it decided that CO's systems will remain and UA's go away? And are these issues you describe more of a system configuration issue, or are they real limitations in the functionality of the system? I guess a third possibility is that the system is capable of doing it, but that the rules would be too complex to reasonably implement (or something - I'm not a tech guy).

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9630/5.0.0.591 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

Yes, it was decided that Shares is staying.

And it is entirely possible that it can handle such advanced tasks as processing the upgrade policy based on a combined record rather than splitting it or adding zone boarding. For the upgrade thing it is actually not processed by Shares anyways, I believe, so the rant is somewhat misguided.

And it is entirely possible that it can handle such advanced tasks as processing the upgrade policy based on a combined record rather than splitting it or adding zone boarding. For the upgrade thing it is actually not processed by Shares anyways, I believe, so the rant is somewhat misguided.

What exactly is misguided?

UA's systems in their present format can handle upgrading one person and not the other in the same PNR. I've done it a number of times. You can both get on the airport list, and if just one clears, one clears. No problem. No split required.

CO's systems as they are now require that the PNR be split.

That's throwing out functionality, IMO.

Even if they can build this into SHARES, who knows what kind of priority that will receive, given so many other items they have to work on with this merger. Also keep in mind the CO tendencies to trivialize these sorts of items. Heck, they even trivialized the UA boarding process and were willing to toss it because it was no big deal...until they had to change course.

I wonder how many other of these "no big deal" type items they failed to consider when they picked SHARES in the first place.