AHG135

The OP's profile says "UA Plat" and I am wondering if this event happened because of the new process of upgrade clearance:

"The waitlist will be processed automatically based on the Premier status of the redeeming account, then fare class*, then time of request."

Is it possible that the people who cleared were all 1K's flying on a Y,B, or M fare and the Upgrade List on the board at the gate had everyone listed in order of time-of-request?" (In which case, the 5 people below the OP on the board, if all 1K's on M, would clear ahead of the OP.)

Many thanks,
AHG

GBadger

That process is not really new... And the on screen waitlist is ordered by the same priority structure, so it would seem as though the 4 people ahead of him were just that, and the people behind him should have gotten upgraded after him.

FlyWorld

Have you forgotten that this never used to be necessary? That it should not be necessary? How does it make the world a better place if I have to take time out of my life, whether that means loss of income because I can't use the time to work, or loss of quality of life, because I can't enjoy my time outside of work, to sit on the phone and chase down upgrades that should be processed automatically? In whose world is this better than having them clear when they should? And, how are we supposed to do this while we're in the middle of a packed and stressed international business trip rushing from place to place in countries that don't support US phones or where it costs $4.99/minute plus $15/minute in taxes and surcharges and fees, to sit on the phone for those unnecessary calls?

This was a brilliant post and very articulate summary. I hope Scott picks this up and quotes it for his WSJ blog. It belongs on the front page.

Have you ever flown long haul on in Y on UA?

bocastephen

The GA *should* have blocked a seat in C, told you to take it and then called the help desk to sort out the upgrade processing. Did you ask the GA to call support for help?

In a case like this, with (I would assume) 45+ minutes before departure, I would have run like crazy to the nearest service counter or UA Club and asked a supervisor to get involved - no way I would have paid a M fare, used a GPU, then given up and spent that length of time crammed in coach even if it meant rebooking to the next day.

escapefromphl

I hope you didn't spend extra to get your M fare. I would be emailing in for compensation or a partial refund.

GimmeLegRoom

I can see how it can turn your ride into a miserable experience. I got passed over right in front of my eyes for a battleground/onboard upgrade where I was #1 (someone in F didn't want their bulkhead upgrade, the GA picked a random person in my same exit row to switch with him), just before doors closed and nothing could be done. The steam was coming from my ears for 20 minutes. I vented to the sympathetic FAs who comped my drinks and snackbox for the 5 hour flight. Yes, I can easily survive Y in an exit row and have many times but it was the principle.

Complain to the highest level, for everyone's sake.

chinatraderjmr

because AAny other AAirline would be better? AAny other AAirline has the same or just different AAsanine problems. I love when people come on the UA threads talking about AA or DL as if they dont both have just as many problems as UA. The problems may be different but there is no place else to go & UA knows this. There will always be just enough people moving from one airline to another to keep everything stats quo. For every customer UA loses due to this crap, AA & DL lose the same amnt of customers due to different crap. Nothing we do is going to make much of a difference as long as the seats are full & there is no data to say they are not. Sure, UA might have a bad quarter this month but next quarter it will be AA's turn and on and on

FlyWorld

I nominate this quote for the hall of fame. ;-)

Indelaware

Yes, quite a few. Multiple times on EWR-ATH, EWR-BHX, EWR-DUB, EWR-LHR, EWR-MXP, EWR-MUC, EWR-TLV, IAD-MUC, ORD-LHR, IAD-HNL, BOS-LAX... I've also done long haul Y on AA, AF, DL, EY, LH, OS, RJ, & QF. Always found UA Y quite fine.

I am not a CO aplogist. They have nothing to apologize for. It was a fine airline. UA is currently having problems, particularly with ontime performance and MX. SMI/J should appologize for those problems; I can't and won't.

A customer paying more for loyalty is, IMO, foolish and backwards. Loyalty plans are airlines' ways to keep one loyal all other things (e.g. fare) being equal. Airlines pay customers for their loyalty, not the other way around.

IMO, upgrades are the least important, the least valuable benefit one gets from FF status. The important things, in order, are:

1. Bonus miles making award travel all the more frequent. With bonus, one needs fly only 30,000 actual miles for a roundtrip award ticket to Europe.
2. Fee waivers on SDC, award changes/redeposits, close in booking, and phone service.
3. International lounge access.
4. Priority lanes for checkin, security, and phone agents.
5. Priority baggage
6. Upgrades

Sure, something went wrong. But, IMO, a pretty trivial thing. One shouldn't count on an upgrade. Its a binary thing - an upgrade happens or it doesn't.

Sure, OP had reason to think that she/he might get upgraded as #1 on the list. But, what was lost - an upgrade - is really not something worth getting upset about. An upgrade only gets one a different seat with a different meal. The important things are the same: safety and transport from point A to point B with all seats arriving at approximately the same time. It is not as if the upgrade would have given OP first class bonus miles.

Likewise, it is unfortunate that OP couldn't find a less expensive fare basis than M when she/he booked the flight. Hopefully she/he will have better luck with inventory next time.

davewang202

I second the motion.

bocastephen

This might be your priority, but I don't think it's shared by everyone.

For me, the priorities are:

1. Upgrades
2. Upgrades
3. Upgrades
4. Fee waivers
5. Priority Lanes
6. Bonus miles
7. Priority baggage

No upgrades in a FFP? I'm out, and would slash my overall flying to the bare minimum.

EmailKid

Close

1. Upgrades
2. Upgrades
3. *A Club access on Int'l itin
4. Fee waivers
5. Priority Lanes
6. Bonus miles

Nobody flies with luggage (not since I had to carry tools as part of my job).

EmailKid

alexperi

The issue here, as with all the threads on GPU/RPU roulette, is that UA is guilty of (1) classic "over-promise, under-deliver" and (2) utter lack of transparency about how the waitlist system works. The combination of (1) and (2) is what leads to all these frustrated posts.

sbm12

The "bug" in this case would appear to be a misinformed agent. If you're on the list on the screen or on your phone then you're on the day-of list. That she couldn't clear you is a curious situation, but not what she described.

Thunderroad

My sympathies to the OP. I'm afraid that, nearly six months down the line since 3/3 and with problems like this not being fixed, the lesson from this and countless other experiences posted in FT is that an upgrade that can't be booked at time of ticketing is a pure crapshoot. Fare class, route, whatever - you're taking a big chance.