LAX

If 1Ks are tempted to buy up, there would be no crumbs left for Plats, Golds, & Silvers! Add to the facts that Silvers no longer get E+ at booking & more higher elites in E+, what's the point of achieving Silver??

LAX

zabes64

And still UA/CO/Shannon state that no buy-ups are offered unless there are more F seats than waitlisted elites... more proof it's just a lie.

colpuck

Employees flying standby will appear on the stby upgrade list, though they are not counted when it comes to offering buy-ups. If you feel that there is a legit bug here PM UAinsider with the flight the number. It is my understanding they reply with actual numbers.

The last time we (FT) claimed the sky was falling in regards to buy-ups it turned out we were wrong. That being said I don't think we get call anyone liars without proof at this point.

Fredd

It will be very helpful if and when UA spells everything out clearly and transparently, both in terms of making UG choices for specific flights and in terms of the worth of pursuing status at least in part for Regionals and SWUs. Until that happens, personal anecdotes, rumors, and speculation will abound. @:-)

colpuck

The policy seems to be fairly clear. For flights that are EUA eligible buy-ups will be offered at check-in only after all elites have been upgraded. Before T-24 the difference in price between the fare purchased and the lowest available first class fare will be displayed to everyone.

The problem is UA doesn't do a good job posting which one is which. The reason people have been complaining is that all of the sudden passengers are seeing the difference in fare and based on the original fare purchased the difference may only be the aforementioned TOD. This inspires people to pay what could be a small difference and purchase a F fare.

For example for a DFW-BOS reservation I have in July, I am being offered a buy-up for $3,998.00. Seeing as I bought and el-cheapy fare that's not surprising.

UA-NYC

Have you not been reading this and all the other buy-up threads (such as the EWR-LAX $59 one)? I think the past 10 examples I've seen posted, I've pulled published fares and none were anywhere near the published buy-up to M/B.

It's not like they're buying H and spending $59 to upgrade...they're buying STL and paying that same amount.

Fredd

Getting away from T-24, a couple of weeks ago a 1P relative bought an April domestic flight for himself. He immediately bought the same domestic flight for another relative with no status. That other relative was offered a buy-up while the 1P was not.

I'm still confused.

colpuck

He asked about the clarity of policy, and I answered. I try not to read all of the threads about people yelling, it makes my head hurt. Buy-ups are offered for a set rate on the day of departure.

From the example described in the OP, the OP purchased something he already was going to get. Now I am not excluding the possibility of mistake, but instead of ranting about it, send a PM to UAinsider with the relevant information.

I have seen posts where we have been wrong so I am suggesting we hesitate before firing up the "UA are liars" posts.

The policy is clear. The implementation of the policy maybe not so much, especially with the system merger going on. Why not have them PM UAinsider instead of engaging in idol speculation.

UA-NYC

There was a single example that UA Insider explained - and it was a case that was in their favor. The dozens of examples posted on these threads (and I'm sure PM'd as well), we haven't heard back on.

It's just all too convenient to blame it on "computer error", flawed and weak as CO's systems are known to be.

colpuck

So you don't know that they have been PM'd. We never get all the details from the individual threads. To add to that you're call the system flawed and weak. Hyperbole and exaggeration do not replace facts and figures. The OP didn't even post his flight number or how many people were on the standby lists.

You and I do this a lot. Lets see dozens of examples over thousands of flights per day over numerous days. Before I buy into your rhetoric, you need to show CONCRETE numbers. Even taking your numbers to an exaggerated conclusion it still makes up the very small percentage of flights effective.

Each one of these examples should have date, flight number, fare paid, lowest available FC fare and if relevant number of people on the upgrade standby list. If I was UA insider, I wouldn't look into this either, there is not enough data to look at for this specific example.

keisari

Is American Executive Platinum better than 1K as far as upgrades?
Is it more transparent?
I have been toying with the idea of switching to Am Ex Plat.
I am sure UA will not miss me; I don't even care so much about the upgrades but what I really dislike is how murky the entire process is.
I get 6 SWU which are virtually useless for international travel and I end up using them to upgrade domestic flights.
I am promised domestic upgrades ( I know, I know they don't really promise but that is what they imply ) and I am seeing less and less of those.
1K used to be "special" but now you have to battle your way with every 95$ a year card holder who is basically "elite" without the upgrades (which I am not getting anyway).
I doubt very much all these cases we see are "computer glitches" and if they are why aren't they fixed and I doubt everything will work honky dory on 3/3/12
So back to my original question:
Anybody with first hand experience with AA Ex Plat?

(Please don't tell me that if I want to fly up front I should pay for it)

kokonutz

At your (repeated ) suggestion I PM'd UA Insider all the details of another incident. Got an initial reply asking for some details (notably, the same details I had already provided...). And then no reply at all. For over a month.

UACO has lost my trust and with it, my loyalty.

That said, I did just book IAD-ACC on UACO. But with NC7 and 9 at booking. That's pretty much the only value left in being a 1k to me at this point, because I don't trust that UACO won't sell upgrades to GMs out from under me.

goingbananas

AA EXP is definitely better than 1K. Yeah, you will hear the "sky is falling" types that US air will buy them etc. Bottom line, is (IMO) regardless where and how AA lands out of BK, it will be better off than it is today.

1) You have more seats avail for upgrade on AA and no GS or buy-ups from GM's ahead of you.

2) More than 6 SWU's (8 in total and good on all fares).

3) OW counts towards your MM status, so flying CX to Asia will count AND get your status bonus miles as well.

There are other pluses than I said. I suggest you go to AA forum to see more.

kokonutz

You and colpuck certainly have taken a very 'benefit of the doubt' approach to all of this. And that's commendable.

But, being as reasonable and rational as I possibly can be, I still don't think what is going on is 'panic' or 'sky is falling' scenario. I think it's one of two things::

1) UACO's systems are really screwed up, or
2) UACO is quietly moving to a system of valuing TODs over instruments.

Either way, the effect for the 1k is the same: a devaluation of 1k.

But where UACO has lost my business is in the opaque way this has all gone down.

All it takes is one time checking in at a 1k and being put on the UDU list, then checking in a companion on the same flight and fare and seeing a buy-up for less than a fare-code change and one's faith and trust in UACO vanishes.

I am not hysterical. This is not hyperbole nor exaggeration. It's a simple business fact. And it is costing UACO my business, at the very least until they explain what the system actually IS, and that begins to square with my actual experiences.

kokonutz

While civil discourse is always a better approach, one has to take into account that people here are passionate about the perks. And so it's natural that folks be upset and even emotional to lose them. Add to that the perception (and it is a perception that many of us have seen born out first hand!) that the perks are being taken away in a very quiet way and you end up with people going ballistic.

If UACO wants to change the rules, it should change the rules and announce that.

If UACO wants the rules to be as stated but their software is not up to the task then they need to be honest about that and take their well-deserved lumps for that.

Frankly, I don't believe that it is the posters here who are being unreasonable. I think it is UACO that is being unreasonable.

Now, are some of the posts here under-substantiated? Yes, absolutely. But, see, that's what happens when you lose trust/faith in the system: you have lost faith that missing an upgrade was not the result of the quiet new policy/rampant software glitches/whatever rather than a natural result of the rules as proffered.

So, again, it's a natural reaction to what the posters are experiencing.

Finally, ok, you don't like 'TOD' what shorthand am I meant to use in describing the phenomenon where a 1k gets put on the UDU list at check-in or at the gate while a GM companion gets a less-than-fare-code-delta buy up offer?