tomanova

Three of us traveling in November, I'm GS, my wife has my GS match from my 1MM, daughter has no status. I'm trying to get into flat beds as cheaply as possible. No other plans for international travel before six SWUs expire, ~175k miles available.

Can I use SWUs or only miles on Turkish? The non-stop flight would be great.

If I do UA metal TATL, will SWUs apply to Turkish from Europe to IST or only the UA leg?

What's the best way to get upgradeable Economy fares to ensure that I can use SWUs?

We're looking forward to exploring Turkey, thanks for any advice.

aacharya

You cannot use GPUs on Turkish.

I'd look for anything W and above, IAH-FRA on UA metal. You could, if you really had GPUs, to burn, also then book FRA-IST (LH) and use two GPUs per person.

If memory serves, a GS can use a GPU on an award ticket. Might be an interesting option to book IAH-FRA on award tickets and try that approach.

TakeTheATrain

Global Premier Upgrades (previously SWU) only work for flights operated by United. You can use them on Lufthansa on some fares, but requires a paper GPU and can only be confirmed the day of departure.

So in other words, you would not be able to use them on Turkish. If you want to upgrade a Turkish flight with UA miles, you can only upgrade when booking in full-fare Y or B classes which are quite expensive.

GPU rules: http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...wupgrades.aspx
Star Alliance upgrade rules: http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...rade/saua.aspx

channa

It doesn't have to be FRA. Any European gateway will do. IAH-MUC-IST, IAH-LHR-IST, IAH-AMS-IST, etc.

It's not worth the upgrade on the intra-EU leg on LH. Same seat, blocked middle, better light meal.

Using a GPU on a domestic or on Copa is a better use than LH Eurobusiness.

aacharya

A fair point. I avoided a hub like LHR due to high taxes and shorter flight/sleep.

l etoile

I just deleted several off-topic posts. The member is looking for ways to use his global upgrades to get to Istanbul. Any comments on that are appreciated. Bickering on other topics will be deleted and members may face discipline.

Regards,
l'etoile
UA moderator

mherdeg

UA doesn't fly to IST any more, so you will almost certainly have to do a segment in coach here.

You can upgrade a UA flight with GPUs in advance, like IAH-FRA / IAH-AMS / IAH-LHR, then book a connecting flight on LH/TK.

You can also upgrade a LH flight on day of departure with a paper SWU (but I would not recommend you count on this for 3 pax).

You can upgrade the TK nonstop using MileagePlus miles only, if it's a Y or B fare only, if there's *A upgrade inventory available (probably unlikely and not worth trying).

So you sort of face a choice here, given your preference to (1) fly with a flat bed and (2) fly nonstop. Per moderator request not to discuss topics other than GPU use, I will not comment on the pros/cons of the service and product on the TK IAH-IST nonstop coach experience vs. a connecting flight with UA J + European carrier Y; I recommend you search other forums to find out what those experiences are like.

Lori_Q

For what it's worth, if you decide to use UA metal to a European hub and you try to upgrade, your daughter's status won't matter. Anyone using a GPU from your account will have Global Services upgrade priority because that is the status of the account holder.

If you want to save some money, you could book one or two Coach awards using miles, then upgrade with GPUs. You may as well take advantage of the privilege of upgrading award tickets while you have GS status. :-)

The flight from Frankfurt to Istanbul is a little over two hours, and it's quite bearable, especially if it's a clear day when you fly over the Alps. Munich, Geneva, and Vienna are close to IST as well.

I hope you have a fun trip! Istanbul is awesome!