2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)
Oct 20, 2014, 1:20 pm
#541
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: TPA
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 341
I tried to clear my MP number unsuccessfully but it continued to recognize my Silver status. I then went back and replaced my MP # with ANA non-status # and the buy-up dropped back down to $224. The website continued to show the same inventory as in both previous situations. I accepted the lower price offer.
Oct 20, 2014, 2:10 pm
#542
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,644
AS has the best upgrade system of all the airlines, IMO. It's transparent in that you can see the inventory on their website or on EF, the system works as advertised, and there's a fair offer made to no-status passenger for remaining F seats at OLCI that is distance based...not based on the whims of inventory management.
Oct 20, 2014, 2:14 pm
#543
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: near to SFO and LHR
Programs: BA Gold, B6 Mosiac, VS, AA, DL (and a legacy UA 2MM)
Posts: 2,274
I have a LHR->SFO leg on Oct 30. Currently in E+ on a U fare, waitlisted for C. Have received two cash offers so far when I check my reservations:
Five days ago, F offered for about $2700 (note double upgrade), two F seats available - declined
Today the F offer is still there, but now it's $10,700. Still two F seats available.
This is an almost full flight in C, but I'm reasonably happy with E+ seating if I don't clear, as it's 3-3-3. Still $2700 was a pretty good offer, relatively...
Five days ago, F offered for about $2700 (note double upgrade), two F seats available - declined
Today the F offer is still there, but now it's $10,700. Still two F seats available.
This is an almost full flight in C, but I'm reasonably happy with E+ seating if I don't clear, as it's 3-3-3. Still $2700 was a pretty good offer, relatively...
Oct 20, 2014, 2:47 pm
#544
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: SFO
Posts: 3,942
My no-status neighbor got your RPU waitlisted upgrade ... 
6th fail on p.s. this year on tomorrow's JFK-SFO. My girlfriend will be enjoying my J seat while I sit in E+ yet again. R never appeared at T-24, or at any point. I give up.
p.s. is just a raging TOD Fest, to the point where it's actually a farce. 4 of us are on JFK-SFO tomorrow. I'm already in J. Gold, offered $399 at check-in to upgrade. His fiancée, GM, offered $269 at check-in. My girlfriend, waitlisted on RPU, offered nothing. It went from 22/28 at check-in to booked full in J in a few hours. This is the new UA.
p.s. is just a raging TOD Fest, to the point where it's actually a farce. 4 of us are on JFK-SFO tomorrow. I'm already in J. Gold, offered $399 at check-in to upgrade. His fiancée, GM, offered $269 at check-in. My girlfriend, waitlisted on RPU, offered nothing. It went from 22/28 at check-in to booked full in J in a few hours. This is the new UA.
Oct 20, 2014, 7:08 pm
#545
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,644
I have a LHR->SFO leg on Oct 30. Currently in E+ on a U fare, waitlisted for C. Have received two cash offers so far when I check my reservations:
Five days ago, F offered for about $2700 (note double upgrade), two F seats available - declined
Today the F offer is still there, but now it's $10,700. Still two F seats available.
This is an almost full flight in C, but I'm reasonably happy with E+ seating if I don't clear, as it's 3-3-3. Still $2700 was a pretty good offer, relatively...
Five days ago, F offered for about $2700 (note double upgrade), two F seats available - declined
Today the F offer is still there, but now it's $10,700. Still two F seats available.
This is an almost full flight in C, but I'm reasonably happy with E+ seating if I don't clear, as it's 3-3-3. Still $2700 was a pretty good offer, relatively...
Oct 21, 2014, 7:17 am
#546
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: near to SFO and LHR
Programs: BA Gold, B6 Mosiac, VS, AA, DL (and a legacy UA 2MM)
Posts: 2,274
I wonder if this is a mistake: would I really be upgraded to GF, or just BF. I also wonder if I would get the $300 upgrade fee (+20k miles) back that I paid to waitlist for business!?)
Oct 21, 2014, 9:40 am
#547
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,461
You would be entitled to get your miles and cash back, but it might take a few phone calls/e-mails.
Oct 21, 2014, 11:38 am
#548
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: UA GS, UA 2MM, HH LT Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 1,803
11-4-14
DEN-MSP-DEN
Q fare offered buy-up to F during purchase for $69 each way. Declined and UG offer is now showing $168 each way on my reservation.
DEN-MSP-DEN
Q fare offered buy-up to F during purchase for $69 each way. Declined and UG offer is now showing $168 each way on my reservation.
Last edited by limey1K; Oct 21, 2014 at 11:43 am Reason: Fare code correction
Oct 21, 2014, 3:30 pm
#549
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: near to SFO and LHR
Programs: BA Gold, B6 Mosiac, VS, AA, DL (and a legacy UA 2MM)
Posts: 2,274
Forgot that I had also had paid the $100 UK departure tax in advance. The upgraded price included the $200 UK departure tax to first, so if I get my original upgrade fee, tax, and miles back, I would do the calculation as:
$2350 double upgrade to First from Coach
less: 300 already paid in advance to waitlist Coach->Business (U fare)
less: 100 departure tax paid in advance for the waitlist
less: 400 what I value 20,000 miles at
Net $1550 <- not bad!
I have the screen shots and will fight for the refund of fees and miles later, if necessary
Oct 21, 2014, 7:22 pm
#550
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 4,219
I took it (big splurge for me), and got the double-upgrade to First (A)!
Forgot that I had also had paid the $100 UK departure tax in advance. The upgraded price included the $200 UK departure tax to first, so if I get my original upgrade fee, tax, and miles back, I would do the calculation as:
$2350 double upgrade to First from Coach
less: 300 already paid in advance to waitlist Coach->Business (U fare)
less: 100 departure tax paid in advance for the waitlist
less: 400 what I value 20,000 miles at
Net $1550 <- not bad!
I have the screen shots and will fight for the refund of fees and miles later, if necessary
Forgot that I had also had paid the $100 UK departure tax in advance. The upgraded price included the $200 UK departure tax to first, so if I get my original upgrade fee, tax, and miles back, I would do the calculation as:
$2350 double upgrade to First from Coach
less: 300 already paid in advance to waitlist Coach->Business (U fare)
less: 100 departure tax paid in advance for the waitlist
less: 400 what I value 20,000 miles at
Net $1550 <- not bad!
I have the screen shots and will fight for the refund of fees and miles later, if necessary
Oct 21, 2014, 9:15 pm
#551
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
I took it (big splurge for me), and got the double-upgrade to First (A)!
Forgot that I had also had paid the $100 UK departure tax in advance. The upgraded price included the $200 UK departure tax to first, so if I get my original upgrade fee, tax, and miles back, I would do the calculation as:
$2350 double upgrade to First from Coach
less: 300 already paid in advance to waitlist Coach->Business (U fare)
less: 100 departure tax paid in advance for the waitlist
less: 400 what I value 20,000 miles at
Net $1550 <- not bad!
I have the screen shots and will fight for the refund of fees and miles later, if necessary
Forgot that I had also had paid the $100 UK departure tax in advance. The upgraded price included the $200 UK departure tax to first, so if I get my original upgrade fee, tax, and miles back, I would do the calculation as:
$2350 double upgrade to First from Coach
less: 300 already paid in advance to waitlist Coach->Business (U fare)
less: 100 departure tax paid in advance for the waitlist
less: 400 what I value 20,000 miles at
Net $1550 <- not bad!
I have the screen shots and will fight for the refund of fees and miles later, if necessary
Oct 21, 2014, 9:16 pm
#552
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K MM, Accor Plat, Htz PC, Natl ExEm, other random status
Posts: 2,876
You paid $2350 for the upgrade. The $300 U fare and the $100 departure tax are essentially just prepayments against the $2350.
You could argue, that the miles you saved were worth something, since you were definitely going to spend the miles, but you're still out of pocket $2350 to upgrade from Y to F.
Again, I may be missing your point, and that's a nice deal to get to F, but it's not $1550 "net".
Greg
Oct 22, 2014, 1:31 am
#553
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,461
Oct 22, 2014, 7:59 am
#554
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: near to SFO and LHR
Programs: BA Gold, B6 Mosiac, VS, AA, DL (and a legacy UA 2MM)
Posts: 2,274
You paid $2350 for the upgrade. The $300 U fare and the $100 departure tax are essentially just prepayments against the $2350.
You could argue, that the miles you saved were worth something, since you were definitely going to spend the miles, but you're still out of pocket $2350 to upgrade from Y to F.
Again, I may be missing your point, and that's a nice deal to get to F, but it's not $1550 "net".
Greg
You could argue, that the miles you saved were worth something, since you were definitely going to spend the miles, but you're still out of pocket $2350 to upgrade from Y to F.
Again, I may be missing your point, and that's a nice deal to get to F, but it's not $1550 "net".
Greg
Yes, I see what you mean.
Well, I called last night and yes the $300 and $100 are being refunded. I already got the 20,000 miles back. So the $2350 really did replace the already-paid upgrade fees and miles. The (nice) agent also mentioned that this would happen automatically after the segment was flown, but I had noticed a little message "R class requested" still there, right next to my First designation, and didn't want to take the chance that my "upgrade" (downgrade) to business would happen on the day
It's now showing a clean First (A) - hopefully I'll get the miles bonus for this fare class too.
Regarding the miles refund, I think 2c a mile is a good valuation, as I use them on international premium class flights, and am way ahead of the fare I would otherwise pay, even for an upgraded coach ticket.
Oct 22, 2014, 10:57 am
#555
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: California
Programs: UA GS MM SPG Platinum (Lifetime Platinum)
Posts: 428
SNA-ORD in 3 weeks. RPUs are in (I sti have all of them since not a single one or GPU has cleared all year). 6 seats available for purchase on the way out, 7 on the return and $499 eah way to upgrade. I guarantee at the kiosk it wi be around $199 each way and my instruments will again fail.