I know there have been tons of these but this is a big deal to me and I would appreciate any insight you guys have real quick. I am very familiar with the US Airways program and how it works.
I am Gold Preferred with US Airways and purchased 2 tickets (me and my wife) to go to Costa Rica (Liberia, LIR) this Saturday. We are connecting through Charlotte and its straight from CLT - LIR. My question is this, my wife doesnt fly a lot and I would like for us to get first class (who wouldn't?) but I obviously do not know if we will be upgraded. I know they are offering upgrade with mileage for 15k per person per trip but our first segment there is no mileage upgrade available, so it would be 30k miles to be upgraded for only 1 segment. A bit steep if you ask me especially when I have a good potential to be upgraded anyways.
They still have several mileage upgrades available and I have gotten out of the representatives at the preferred desk that there have been 2 FC seats actually sold.
My questions are these:
-Can I really infer anything from the fact that they still have mileage upgrades available or no?
-It is a Saturday and I cant image there are many Platinum or Chairmen flying that leg on Saturday. Maybe I am wrong?
-Does anyone have any advise they can give?
Also any other comments? I obviously want FC but dont want to eat the 30k miles just to find out I would have been upgraded anyways. Just looking for insight here...
Thanks guys!
thomwithanh
Jul 2, 12, 12:51 pm
CLT-LIR should be a relatively easy upgrade as a GP ... Its a leisure route.
danman421
Jul 2, 12, 12:53 pm
CLT-LIR should be a relatively easy upgrade as a GP ... Its a leisure route.
My thoughts exactly, I just wanted confirmation from the gods!
Looks like lots of coach seats left and 4 in FC.... good luck!
PHL
Jul 2, 12, 1:04 pm
There are 4 seats left to sell(out of 12) on this flight. Are you at least confirmed in an exit row? I wouldn't blow the points to upgrade on an A319.
danman421
Jul 2, 12, 1:08 pm
Geo, where is that information from? That is awesome! This means Chairman has gotten their upgrades and Platinum got theirs today correct?
PHL, I am in the preferred seats. Row 5. The exit rows are funky and I dont like those really, they dont have cushioning, reclining is bad usually, the seats are off center of the windows and arm rests are messed up.
Biggie Fries
Jul 2, 12, 1:51 pm
Geo, where is that information from? That is awesome! This means Chairman has gotten their upgrades and Platinum got theirs today correct?
PHL, I am in the preferred seats. Row 5. The exit rows are funky and I dont like those really, they dont have cushioning, reclining is bad usually, the seats are off center of the windows and arm rests are messed up.
You said Saturday, right? So Silver would be Thursday, Gold on Wednesday, and Platinum on Tuesday. But it is still Monday. Also, as you can see on the automatic upgrade thread, lots of CPs reporting that upgrades no longer come through at T-7 (Saturday, in this case). You may know more about this if you have been watching the seat chart in Coach and have seen preferred seats that just emptied out (i.e., got upgraded).
All this said, you are doing the right thing in waiting, and I concur with others that your chances are still good.
KVS
Jul 2, 12, 1:52 pm
Geo, where is that information from? That is awesome!
You said Saturday, right? So Silver would be Thursday, Gold on Wednesday, and Platinum on Tuesday. But it is still Monday. Also, as you can see on the automatic upgrade thread, lots of CPs reporting that upgrades no longer come through at T-7 (Saturday, in this case). You may know more about this if you have been watching the seat chart in Coach and have seen preferred seats that just emptied out (i.e., got upgraded).
All this said, you are doing the right thing in waiting, and I concur with others that your chances are still good.
Thanks, yes I have seen some seats open up but only the front row in coach and they block those off anyways. My chances are still good even though there are 2 people to get upgraded?
PHL
Jul 2, 12, 8:55 pm
Honestly, if you don't see an upgrade by Wednesday (your T-3 day mark), you might be concerned since there are only 4 seats left to sell. You can find specific inventory by subscribing to KVS (Windows only app) or expertflyer.com. These services (which cost $$) show specific fare buckets. That's how Geo was able to see that there are a lot of coach seats and only 4 F seats available as of now.
What's likely is that US held back some seats from free upgrades hoping for a few last minute full fare coach bookings (which would get first dibs at elite upgrades). They may even get some people who buy a last minute F fare (not likely).
So, if you have desirable seats in coach and are ok with flying in them, then there's nothing else to be done other than wait and see. If your wife will divorce you for not securing F seats in advance, then....maybe 30K points isn't such a bad deal. :D:D:D
Insiderdude
Jul 2, 12, 11:18 pm
Shouldn't be a problem on the upgrade seeing it is all leisure, as others have mentioned.
No guarantees, but I wouldn't worry too much about 4 left in F.
07JUL-SA-1017P CLTLIR ET ** AC1 END
1*A#US1859 F4 A4 P4 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 CLTLIR-1129A 134P 319 0E
danman421
Jul 3, 12, 6:02 am
Thanks for all the help guys. I know this doesnt represent the seats available exactly because they do some weird stuff in the background but when I pick my flights and look at the first class seats available, here is what I see:
Obviously I will know tomorrow, this more to help us understand when the chart actually represents.
Unless you're hellbent on a window seat, you might want tot think about moving into 4B and 4C. Those are bulkhead seats and actually 4C gets some pretty good leg room on the 319.
Go Gators
Edit: although now looking at your other seat selections it appears that you are hellbent indeed on those seats...
kudzu
Jul 3, 12, 7:13 am
...Central America/Mexico is considered domestic for upgrade purposes? Meaning, elites are eligible for free upgrades?
Yes. Also Canada/Caribbean
danman421, F4 availability still showing this morning (Tue). US does not oversell F as a rule, so from the screenshot you provided it looks like 3D and 3 other row 1 seats are available (row 1 seat selection is routinely blocked online).
jfunk138
Jul 3, 12, 7:37 am
On the A319, all of Row4 and Row5 except for 5E is preferred seating. Given that 6 of these seats are occupied with passengers other than your party, you definitely have some competition for those 4 remaining seats up front.
danman421
Jul 3, 12, 8:31 am
Unless you're hellbent on a window seat, you might want tot think about moving into 4B and 4C. Those are bulkhead seats and actually 4C gets some pretty good leg room on the 319.
Go Gators
Edit: although now looking at your other seat selections it appears that you are hellbent indeed on those seats...
I did give my wife the window seat and I am stuck in the middle... I do not like the bulkhead seats due to no storage in front of you but thanks for the suggestion.
Yes. Also Canada/Caribbean
danman421, F4 availability still showing this morning (Tue). US does not oversell F as a rule, so from the screenshot you provided it looks like 3D and 3 other row 1 seats are available (row 1 seat selection is routinely blocked online).
So this probably means all of the Chairman and Platinum have gone so there are just Gold and Silver left. Hopefully I am higher than most of them. Report back tomorrow when I get my upgrade email.
Can someone else check my other flights just as a curiosity? I am considering getting a membership to the KVS thing...
Depart:
ILM - CLT July 7th at 7:25 AM
CLT - LIR July 7th at 11:29 AM (already know there are 4F)
Return:
LIR - CLT July 14th at 2:40 PM
CLT - ILM July 14th at 10:30 PM
Thanks!
kudzu
Jul 3, 12, 8:46 am
...Can someone else check my other flights just as a curiosity? ...
Presently all your other flights listed are showing F9 (at least 9 FC seats offered for sale)
If all you need is checking flight availability, I believe flightstats.com and similar offer a free service.
danman421
Jul 3, 12, 9:01 am
Presently all your other flights listed are showing F9 (at least 9 FC seats offered for sale)
If all you need is checking flight availability, I believe flightstats.com and similar offer a free service.
Thanks, so I should get first class no problem on all the other flights. flightstats.com only shows a couple days in advance. I can only check so far in advance, ill have my upgrade by then.
Edit: I found it on flightstats. Thanks!
GNRMatt
Jul 3, 12, 10:02 am
Thanks, so I should get first class no problem on all the other flights. flightstats.com only shows a couple days in advance. I can only check so far in advance, ill have my upgrade by then.
Edit: I found it on flightstats. Thanks!
Where do you go on flightstats.com to see this information?
danman421
Jul 3, 12, 10:06 am
Where do you go on flightstats.com to see this information?
You hover over "Flights" and click on "Flight Availability"
GNRMatt
Jul 3, 12, 10:07 am
You hover over "Flights" and click on "Flight Availability"
Of course I miss looking in the most obvious place ;-)
You're all good for ILM-CLT:
*A#US 934 F9 A9 P9 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 ILMCLT- 724A 829A 9 733 0E
On the return, all looks OK for now, at least F9 on both:
14JUL-SA-115P LIRILM ** ET AC1 END
1*A#US1858 F9 A9 P9 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 LIRCLT- 240P 858P 319 0E
2*A#US1487 F9 A9 P9 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 ILM-1030P1128P 8 733 0E
PHL
Jul 4, 12, 8:32 am
There are only 2 seats in F now. And, the seat map shows that seats 5E/5F, which is what OP said they were assigned, are now empty. Looks like OP might have gotten the upgrade.
aztimm
Jul 4, 12, 10:25 am
Unless you're hellbent on a window seat, you might want tot think about moving into 4B and 4C. Those are bulkhead seats and actually 4C gets some pretty good leg room on the 319.
Go Gators
Edit: although now looking at your other seat selections it appears that you are hellbent indeed on those seats...
The exit rows look wide open. I'd pick 10A or 10F (when I travel with someone we'll usually do window/aisle). There's more legroom in 10A or F than in F :)
Since the exit rows are wide open, I'd guess that other elites have been upgraded.
The fact there are F seats for sale doesn't mean that they'll be released for upgrades; you need to do an award booking to see if there are any available for upgrade.
The fact it is a leisure route doesn't mean anything either--as a CP I've sat in the back of an A321 on PHX-MCO, which is also a leisure route.
danman421
Jul 5, 12, 6:17 am
Hi guys, sorry for not replying sooner. Yes I did get the upgrade, we have to sit in the front row (which I dont like, no storage in front of you) but oh well, beggars cant be choosers.
One funny thing though is I still have not gotten an email about it, I just logged in Wed AM and saw we had F seats...