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2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)

2014 Upsell Offers to Business/First (UFC/PCU) Questions/Discussion (Paid Upgrades)

Old Oct 22, 2014, 2:46 pm
  #556  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Frozen in Carbonite
Programs: UA Aluminum 0.6MM, Bonvoy Life Sentence, Hyatt Eliteist, AA Super Plutonium
Posts: 2,878
Route: EWR-LHR
From: BusinessFirst to Global First
Purchased Fare Class: I (award ticket)
When Offered: At Check-in

Price: $5,999.00

Accepted?: LOL

As a point of refernce, you could outright purchase the seat in an A fare for $5,642.00 right now....
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Old Oct 22, 2014, 4:17 pm
  #557  
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Boulder, CO and Waimea, HI
Programs: UAL 1K MM
Posts: 748
Originally Posted by UA-NYC
Two months ago, I got the same $299 offer at OLCI *while waitlisted* with an RPU.

I think they're just getting desperate. I will be curious to see what ancillary revenues look like for the Q3 results YOY, especially relative to core flight revenues.
Similar situation BOS-DEN. Wife wanted me to feel comfortable after 10 days on the road so she paid for an upgrade for me (#2) on the list with an RPU. It was $350 I believe which was more than I would have spent. However the surprise came when I received 150% qualifying miles. I didn't think this was supposed to happen.
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 6:39 am
  #558  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Programs: UA 1K, AA Gold, DL Silver
Posts: 410
Route: JFK-LAX
From: Y to BF
Purchased Fare Class: K
When Offered: At Check-in

Price: $359

Declined
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 6:56 am
  #559  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New Jersey
Programs: UA MM 1K, AA MM Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 3,231
I've never looked at paying for an upgrade before at check-in, but I'm going to try on an upcoming EWR-SIN flight, where the HKG-SIN segment has already cleared the GPU (which means it's gone) and the EWR-HKG segment is sold out in BF. I'm on a W fare, so I think it's unlikely to clear. I will do OLCI at exactly T-24, in case check-in time becomes the tie breaker (although I would probably lose to someone connecting through EWR who checked in earlier).

My questions: Does the offer come up at T-24 OLCI or only if you check in with a kiosk? If the flight is sold out at OLCI, but a seat opens later, will there still be a buy-up offer? How do you find out, other than repeating OLCI several times during the T-24 window?
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 11:17 am
  #560  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: LBB
Programs: UA 1K 1MM ★G | Marriott LTT | Hilton ♦ | Hertz PC | Global Entry TSA Pre ✓
Posts: 2,820
Originally Posted by tarheelnj
I've never looked at paying for an upgrade before at check-in, but I'm going to try on an upcoming EWR-SIN flight, where the HKG-SIN segment has already cleared the GPU (which means it's gone) and the EWR-HKG segment is sold out in BF. I'm on a W fare, so I think it's unlikely to clear. I will do OLCI at exactly T-24, in case check-in time becomes the tie breaker (although I would probably lose to someone connecting through EWR who checked in earlier).

My questions: Does the offer come up at T-24 OLCI or only if you check in with a kiosk? If the flight is sold out at OLCI, but a seat opens later, will there still be a buy-up offer? How do you find out, other than repeating OLCI several times during the T-24 window?
The offer comes up on mobile devices as well. It won't pop up in front of you automatically, but if you go to travel options, you will see it. If a seat is not open, but becomes available closer to departure, it will sow in travel options. Just keep checking.
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 12:24 pm
  #561  
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Originally Posted by jjmoore
The offer comes up on mobile devices as well. It won't pop up in front of you automatically, but if you go to travel options, you will see it. If a seat is not open, but becomes available closer to departure, it will sow in travel options. Just keep checking.
The one point I would add is there is absolutely no guaranty UA will offer a buy-up on any particular flight, especially TATL or TPAC, regardless of the number of empty seats.
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 1:23 pm
  #562  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New Jersey
Programs: UA MM 1K, AA MM Gold, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 3,231
Originally Posted by Kacee
The one point I would add is there is absolutely no guaranty UA will offer a buy-up on any particular flight, especially TATL or TPAC, regardless of the number of empty seats.
Good point. Technically, there's always a buy-up. It could be the cost of a J ticket. Particularly on a popular route like EWR-HKG. If UA doesn't offer a buy-up at T-24, have you seen them offer a buy-up closer to departure? And is there any way to find out besides constantly checking Travel Options in your record up to flight time?
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 2:52 pm
  #563  
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Originally Posted by tarheelnj
Technically, there's always a buy-up. It could be the cost of a J ticket.
You can always upfare, but UA will not always offer you a buy-up.

It's a dynamic situation. If you don't get offered a buy-up at check-in, or don't like the price offered, keep checking. Maybe it will change, maybe it won't. There is no work around.
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Old Oct 23, 2014, 3:28 pm
  #564  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 380
This 1K was offered >$1000 to upgrade from Y to F on ORD-SFO checking in online about 20 hours from departure on a K fare. 2 F seats remain. Now booked full. #21 on the upgrade list.
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 6:45 am
  #565  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: California
Programs: UA GS MM SPG Platinum (Lifetime Platinum)
Posts: 428
Thumbs down

Originally Posted by Slurve30
This 1K was offered >$1000 to upgrade from Y to F on ORD-SFO checking in online about 20 hours from departure on a K fare. 2 F seats remain. Now booked full. #21 on the upgrade list.
#21?

How many people got upgraded? I remember the days pre Mar. 2012 when being number 4 felt like you dropped a lot...
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 8:00 am
  #566  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1k, SPG Plat 100
Posts: 619
Originally Posted by CashN
#21?

How many people got upgraded? I remember the days pre Mar. 2012 when being number 4 felt like you dropped a lot...
Depending on the equipment, that's about where I land on ORD-SFO r/t lately. I generally consider myself lucky if I *would have* gotten upgraded had the entire F cabin no-showed. In other words, 12th or better on a 320.

I too received a comical buy up offer when there was 1 F seat left. Something in the $1100 to $1300 range. If there are multiple seats left, the going rate on that route is $199.

Last edited by Boo_Radley; Oct 24, 2014 at 8:09 am
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 8:57 am
  #567  
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SFO-HNL
K Fare
$808 RT buy-up to F
Offered post-ticketing

This is the delta between the K fare and the P fare (an UP of some kind I'm sure; didn't check the actual fare basis).

At purchase the offered buy-up was something like $1100 each way. Then after ticketing price dropped by more than half.

$1262 for a RT F ticket SFO-HNL is pretty cheap. About half of what UA would have charged a year ago. We're going to see more of these seats sold, and fewer available for upgrades.
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 9:32 am
  #568  
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Originally Posted by mduell
I suspect it's a bug rather than demand-exploitation; something like:

If you're an elite, it looks for the cheapest B fare (M for 1K), since someone assumed coach would always be cheaper than first and elites are instant upgrade eligible.
If you're non-elite, it looks for the cheapest first fare, and it's finding UP/UPDI fares that are way cheaper than B.
Just checked in my 1K SO for her SAN--SFO flight and upgraded her for $149 from G (only 2 seats left, so Mr. Wonderful took care of any uncertainty).

She's now in P, so it definitely didn't restrict the search to Y/B/M.
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 9:35 am
  #569  
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Originally Posted by Bonehead
Just checked in my 1K SO for her SAN--SFO flight and upgraded her for $149 (only 2 seats left, so Mr. Wonderful took care of any uncertainty).

She's now in P, so it definitely didn't restrict the search to Y/B/M.
That's almost certainly an UP/UPDI that books into P. The difference between Y and F on that route on a medium priced fare (i.e., a Q or H) is often just tens of dollars.
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 9:38 am
  #570  
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Originally Posted by Kacee
That's almost certainly an UP/UPDI that books into P. The difference between Y and F on that route on a medium priced fare (i.e., a Q or H) is often just tens of dollars.
That's my point...I'm assuming that an "M" would be a larger differential.
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