Nov 8, 2015, 12:01 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
For complimentary premier upgrades, United explains how they are handled for itineraries with more than one passenger:
If a reservation includes three or more travelers, and only one is not a Premier member, the Complimentary Premier Upgrades will be processed according to the lowest Premier status level in the reservation. If two or more travelers on the reservation are not Premier members, it will not be processed automatically. In these cases, Premier members should call the Premier Priority Desk to request a separate reservation for themselves and the eligible companion.
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly.../upgrades.html
For elites, an itinerary for multiple passengers will remain together until ~T-24. If the upgrades clear before then, the PNR remains together. If they have not cleared by then, the PNR will be "split" when you check in for purposes of upgrades, with waitlist priority in accordance with above. The splitting has consequences regarding eligibility for "inherited status" - i.e., baggage allowances, upgrade priority, boarding priority for passengers with lower status than the highest status passenger. I.e., as a formal matter the benefits of inherited status are lost (although E+ seats are usually retained or can be gotten back, baggage is usually granted, one can board with highest priority passenger). This also matters for the return.
This thread explains various scenarios and considerations as to whether it is desirable to split the PNR before T-24 and the consequences of having it happen.
Questions to consider:
1) Do you mind if not all passengers are upgraded? If you are willing to have some people remain in coach, then splitting increases your chances of an upgrade before T-24 because sometimes only one upgrade seat becomes available at a time. In such scenarios a group of 2+ will be skipped. If you can't be separated, don't split until forced to do so. If you really can't be separated, consider a call to UA to ask to be marked not for upgrades.
2) Once you get inside T-24 your PNR will be split, unless you make a special request that it not be. Each passenger will be placed on the upgrade list in accordance with the above. This doesn't matter much on the outbound flight unless there are IRROPS, in which case it may be tougher to get accommodation for all passengers.
3) On the return flight(s) the companions may no longer have the highest level of status of all passengers, including baggage allowances (E+ seats are usually retained). However, some recent reports are that companions retain the status of the highest passenger on the original PNR, even after it is split.
related threads
The stupid PNR auto-splitting at T-24 needs to stop
Splitting up partner airline award reservation
Archive thread : To split or not to split PNR {Archive}
Companion policy
One companion traveling on a paid ticket on the same reservation as a Premier member is eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades on select flights, and may be confirmed with the same priority as the Premier member, even on the day of departure. If the companion is a Premier member, the upgrade will be processed according to the highest Premier status level in the reservation.If a reservation includes three or more travelers, and only one is not a Premier member, the Complimentary Premier Upgrades will be processed according to the lowest Premier status level in the reservation. If two or more travelers on the reservation are not Premier members, it will not be processed automatically. In these cases, Premier members should call the Premier Priority Desk to request a separate reservation for themselves and the eligible companion.
For elites, an itinerary for multiple passengers will remain together until ~T-24. If the upgrades clear before then, the PNR remains together. If they have not cleared by then, the PNR will be "split" when you check in for purposes of upgrades, with waitlist priority in accordance with above. The splitting has consequences regarding eligibility for "inherited status" - i.e., baggage allowances, upgrade priority, boarding priority for passengers with lower status than the highest status passenger. I.e., as a formal matter the benefits of inherited status are lost (although E+ seats are usually retained or can be gotten back, baggage is usually granted, one can board with highest priority passenger). This also matters for the return.
This thread explains various scenarios and considerations as to whether it is desirable to split the PNR before T-24 and the consequences of having it happen.
Questions to consider:
1) Do you mind if not all passengers are upgraded? If you are willing to have some people remain in coach, then splitting increases your chances of an upgrade before T-24 because sometimes only one upgrade seat becomes available at a time. In such scenarios a group of 2+ will be skipped. If you can't be separated, don't split until forced to do so. If you really can't be separated, consider a call to UA to ask to be marked not for upgrades.
2) Once you get inside T-24 your PNR will be split, unless you make a special request that it not be. Each passenger will be placed on the upgrade list in accordance with the above. This doesn't matter much on the outbound flight unless there are IRROPS, in which case it may be tougher to get accommodation for all passengers.
3) On the return flight(s) the companions may no longer have the highest level of status of all passengers, including baggage allowances (E+ seats are usually retained). However, some recent reports are that companions retain the status of the highest passenger on the original PNR, even after it is split.
related threads
The stupid PNR auto-splitting at T-24 needs to stop
Splitting up partner airline award reservation
Archive thread : To split or not to split PNR {Archive}
To split or not to split PNR
Mar 11, 2023, 3:59 pm
#91
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
Thanks, jsloan ! It is a redeye that looks totally empty in F right now and really light in economy, but I know how that goes.so don't have my hopes up. Worth a shot to burn some miles. I've forgotten how much fun it is to play the upgrade lottery :-)
May 6, 2023, 11:58 pm
#92
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
Wow, shocked. I ended up putting us both in for miles upgrades on the redeye, then did one paid upgrade which split the reservation. Figured I would give my wife the first class seat if the upgrade didn't clear. Surprised to find her upgrade cleared -- we were 4/5 on list and she was then 4. Watched as the three front of her cleared. The person after her cleared. So, theoretically, we both would have made it even if I hadn't paid for one upgrade. At boarding it read 18/20 checked in, with her as number one on list. She and number two made it. Friendly gentleman swapped w me so we got to sit together.
So a positive data point. And I got to bore her with explanations of seat swap etiquette, battlefield upgrades, upgrade rules and process, how to approach a gate agent and when to inquire... so there's that. :-).
(as an aside, just after doors closed and ramp pulled away, two people ran to the front engaged in conversation w the crew... ramp came back, doors opened, more discussions, they went back to their seats and our 10 minute early flight turned into on time flight. No clue what their issue was. Never seen that before)
So a positive data point. And I got to bore her with explanations of seat swap etiquette, battlefield upgrades, upgrade rules and process, how to approach a gate agent and when to inquire... so there's that. :-).
(as an aside, just after doors closed and ramp pulled away, two people ran to the front engaged in conversation w the crew... ramp came back, doors opened, more discussions, they went back to their seats and our 10 minute early flight turned into on time flight. No clue what their issue was. Never seen that before)
May 11, 2023, 10:59 am
#93
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,880
Hypothetical question. Let's suppose I book a flight for me and a companion in the same PNR and select seats based on my status. Now let's suppose that I have our PNRs split and void my ticket within 24 hours. My companion would keep the seat selection and I would be refunded my ticket, right?
May 11, 2023, 11:56 am
#94
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP, lowly UA 1K; Hyatt Diamond, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold; National EC, Hertz PC
Posts: 2,214
So me (1k) and SO (no status) have a ticket that is UA (stopover) WN (stopover) UA (was booked through a corp TA, don't ask 
). UA legs both have PP requests in. I just checked in for the first leg still while still waitlisted. Subsequently I got a text letting me know the upgrade cleared. When I looked, it only cleared me. SO is now no.1. That all makes sense. What I didn't realize that also happened is that it split the PNR.
1) Does anyone know if that will affect the WN leg? It already had a different locator number (though same ticket).
2) For the UA flight back will SO's UG request still be tied to me or will she now be deprioritized?
3) If we need to change seats will she be able to get a new E+ seat? I did sort of a screwbally seat selection on the HD 772.
). UA legs both have PP requests in. I just checked in for the first leg still while still waitlisted. Subsequently I got a text letting me know the upgrade cleared. When I looked, it only cleared me. SO is now no.1. That all makes sense. What I didn't realize that also happened is that it split the PNR.1) Does anyone know if that will affect the WN leg? It already had a different locator number (though same ticket).
2) For the UA flight back will SO's UG request still be tied to me or will she now be deprioritized?
3) If we need to change seats will she be able to get a new E+ seat? I did sort of a screwbally seat selection on the HD 772.
May 11, 2023, 12:31 pm
#95
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: MSP/ORD
Programs: UA 1MM/GS, Marriott Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 318
Want to see if I'm understanding this correctly...
If we have 3 passengers on the same PNR that are GS, GS, and no status, then it sounds like all three of us would be on the upgrade list with GS priority, I did not know that.
So, what happens when the no status passenger makes Silver? I know that if we book it as 2 PNRs, one that is GS/Silver and another that is GS only, then all three of us would be on the upgrade list with GS priority, at least until we get to T-24. But if we were to book 1 PNR that is GS/GS/Silver, do we all get Silver priority or do we all get GS priority?
If we have 3 passengers on the same PNR that are GS, GS, and no status, then it sounds like all three of us would be on the upgrade list with GS priority, I did not know that.
So, what happens when the no status passenger makes Silver? I know that if we book it as 2 PNRs, one that is GS/Silver and another that is GS only, then all three of us would be on the upgrade list with GS priority, at least until we get to T-24. But if we were to book 1 PNR that is GS/GS/Silver, do we all get Silver priority or do we all get GS priority?
May 11, 2023, 4:13 pm
#96
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,842
So me (1k) and SO (no status) have a ticket that is UA (stopover) WN (stopover) UA (was booked through a corp TA, don't ask ). UA legs both have PP requests in. I just checked in for the first leg still while still waitlisted. Subsequently I got a text letting me know the upgrade cleared. When I looked, it only cleared me. SO is now no.1. That all makes sense. What I didn't realize that also happened is that it split the PNR. ...
). UA legs both have PP requests in. I just checked in for the first leg still while still waitlisted. Subsequently I got a text letting me know the upgrade cleared. When I looked, it only cleared me. SO is now no.1. That all makes sense. What I didn't realize that also happened is that it split the PNR. ...You still can guest 1 companion into E+, but you will need to call.
May 20, 2023, 1:09 pm
#97
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
Wow, shocked. I ended up putting us both in for miles upgrades on the redeye, then did one paid upgrade which split the reservation. Figured I would give my wife the first class seat if the upgrade didn't clear. Surprised to find her upgrade cleared -- we were 4/5 on list and she was then 4. Watched as the three front of her cleared. The person after her cleared. So, theoretically, we both would have made it even if I hadn't paid for one upgrade. At boarding it read 18/20 checked in, with her as number one on list. She and number two made it. Friendly gentleman swapped w me so we got to sit together.
So a positive data point. And I got to bore her with explanations of seat swap etiquette, battlefield upgrades, upgrade rules and process, how to approach a gate agent and when to inquire... so there's that. :-).
(as an aside, just after doors closed and ramp pulled away, two people ran to the front engaged in conversation w the crew... ramp came back, doors opened, more discussions, they went back to their seats and our 10 minute early flight turned into on time flight. No clue what their issue was. Never seen that before)
So a positive data point. And I got to bore her with explanations of seat swap etiquette, battlefield upgrades, upgrade rules and process, how to approach a gate agent and when to inquire... so there's that. :-).
(as an aside, just after doors closed and ramp pulled away, two people ran to the front engaged in conversation w the crew... ramp came back, doors opened, more discussions, they went back to their seats and our 10 minute early flight turned into on time flight. No clue what their issue was. Never seen that before)
Moral... while you may have to wait a few days to see if the redeposit happens, don't wait "too long" (2 weeks) or they won't be able to find your info.
Learning... paid upgrades can be behind mileage upgrades? That is just counter to everything I assumed.
May 20, 2023, 2:36 pm
#98
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,842
The applying of miles and then doing a cash upgrade does confuse the record.
May 20, 2023, 2:57 pm
#99
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,880
Hypothetical question. Let's suppose I book a flight for me and a companion in the same PNR and select seats based on my status. Now let's suppose that I have our PNRs split and void my ticket within 24 hours. My companion would keep the seat selection and I would be refunded my ticket, right?
May 20, 2023, 4:15 pm
#100
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
No that is a mis-interpretation of what happened. Cash is an immediate confirmed upgrade, miles are not unless PZ exists.. Since that were having an issue refunding the miles, the agent refunded the cash and kept the miles. It was easier for the agent, that is the only lesson of what happened.
The applying of miles and then doing a cash upgrade does confuse the record.
The applying of miles and then doing a cash upgrade does confuse the record.
All good by me. I'll take the significant cash refund over 15k UA miles. And if it was easier for the agent then win win? :-)
May 20, 2023, 4:36 pm
#101
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,842
Hypothetical question. Let's suppose I book a flight for me and a companion in the same PNR and select seats based on my status. Now let's suppose that I have our PNRs split and void my ticket within 24 hours. My companion would keep the seat selection and I would be refunded my ticket, right?
May 25, 2023, 9:38 am
#102
Join Date: Aug 2022
Programs: UA Silver, AA Plat Pro
Posts: 92
I checked in at T-24 with my family (I am premier silver, they are no status) and declined to split PNR during check-in, so I am not on the upgrade list. Can I "change my mind" now and call or text to split and be added to list? There is a decent shot with a short list and a few open seats up front.
I'm Premier Silver. Once I had a flight with 3 family members on same PNR - none of them have status. We chose 2 free E+ seats at check-in and left the other two in their regular economy seats. There was an equipment swap and they put all 4 of us together in E+ without asking or telling us. That was nice of them.
Maybe, between the time you do this and departure, certain aircraft changes may cause a seating sweep and the companion would be sent back to E-. You will be far from the first to have done this and not the first to learn it does not work at times. Not a good thing to do frequently, it could be noticed, UA is quite aware of this abuse of elite benefits.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; May 25, 2023 at 6:36 pm Reason: merged consecutive posts by same member
Jun 6, 2023, 1:37 pm
#103
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 209
I'm a platinum elite, first time flying with family after becoming elite.
Booked me plus 4 other family members on same PNR. Grabbed 5 E+ seat assignments. At checkin for the outbound flight I was able to get myself and one companion into the CPU list. Luckily for us they both cleared! But this split the reservation into THREE different PNRs. This is very confusing.
Is there a way I can get these THREE PNRs combined back into one PNR before the return flight? It's extremely difficult to manage this reservation now, and I was hoping to select different seats as things move around closer to departure. But not sure I can even manage to do that with all these different PNRs on the united app.
Also, with these split PNRs, is it possible to still get one on my companions added to the CPU list with me on the return flight?
Booked me plus 4 other family members on same PNR. Grabbed 5 E+ seat assignments. At checkin for the outbound flight I was able to get myself and one companion into the CPU list. Luckily for us they both cleared! But this split the reservation into THREE different PNRs. This is very confusing.
Is there a way I can get these THREE PNRs combined back into one PNR before the return flight? It's extremely difficult to manage this reservation now, and I was hoping to select different seats as things move around closer to departure. But not sure I can even manage to do that with all these different PNRs on the united app.
Also, with these split PNRs, is it possible to still get one on my companions added to the CPU list with me on the return flight?
Jun 6, 2023, 2:20 pm
#104
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: DEN
Programs: UA 1P-1MM, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 3,930
Booked me plus 4 other family members on same PNR. Grabbed 5 E+ seat assignments. At checkin for the outbound flight I was able to get myself and one companion into the CPU list. Luckily for us they both cleared! But this split the reservation into THREE different PNRs. This is very confusing.
Should be you on one PNR, the upgraded companion on a second PNR, and the rest of the family on the third PNR. That would be normal.
Is there a way I can get these THREE PNRs combined back into one PNR before the return flight? It's extremely difficult to manage this reservation now, and I was hoping to select different seats as things move around closer to departure. But not sure I can even manage to do that with all these different PNRs on the united app.
Jun 6, 2023, 2:25 pm
#105
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 85
I'm a platinum elite, first time flying with family after becoming elite.
Booked me plus 4 other family members on same PNR. Grabbed 5 E+ seat assignments. At checkin for the outbound flight I was able to get myself and one companion into the CPU list. Luckily for us they both cleared! But this split the reservation into THREE different PNRs. This is very confusing.
Is there a way I can get these THREE PNRs combined back into one PNR before the return flight? It's extremely difficult to manage this reservation now, and I was hoping to select different seats as things move around closer to departure. But not sure I can even manage to do that with all these different PNRs on the united app.
Also, with these split PNRs, is it possible to still get one on my companions added to the CPU list with me on the return flight?
Booked me plus 4 other family members on same PNR. Grabbed 5 E+ seat assignments. At checkin for the outbound flight I was able to get myself and one companion into the CPU list. Luckily for us they both cleared! But this split the reservation into THREE different PNRs. This is very confusing.
Is there a way I can get these THREE PNRs combined back into one PNR before the return flight? It's extremely difficult to manage this reservation now, and I was hoping to select different seats as things move around closer to departure. But not sure I can even manage to do that with all these different PNRs on the united app.
Also, with these split PNRs, is it possible to still get one on my companions added to the CPU list with me on the return flight?