exerda

Complimentary upgrades from Y/B/M do show up on the list (or at least used to).

Other things could be to blame:

• Sunday afternoon is a big travel day: pax returning from vacations, business pax who want a full day at work on Monday, etc. I typically find Sundays a very difficult upgrade.
• Sales of deeply discounted F. I have an early November trip IAD-SFO-SNA and v-v which was $888 all-in, books into A, via IIRC an L fare with UPDI to book into A.
• Buy-ups at the time of booking and/or from the reservation. These do not show up as upgrades, either, and UA can be very opaque in how they're priced and who receives what offer, meaning, TOD/HOD to some pax...

I'm 1/2 on my remaining RPUs for the year (having used the rest, though IMHO the one which went from IAD-SFO-MFR to just IAD-DEN with typical UA operational excellence should have been refunded!). The remaining segment is IAD-LAX for an early December Saturday morning on a 739, currently waitlisted.

astroflyer

I've recently been watching the EWR-HNL flights like a hawk as I have an upcoming mid-week RPU.

What I'm wondering if I'm seeing lots of people buy up to business last minute. A week out the cabin will be lightly booked (more than 10 open seats), then the day of the flight or day before, F is full and 0-1 people are showing as upgraded. It would be really frustrating if they give away these seats for a song when I'm trying to use my hard-earned RPU (one of the few extra benefits of plat).

PV_Premier

i refuse to waitlist an RPU anymore. if i cannot confirm it at booking, i don't book it, or i just don't bother waitlisting it. my waitlist clearing % for RPU/GPU over the past 18 months has been very low, probably about 20%, albeit with a low sample size.

the last RPU i waitlisted, was JFK-LAX, and 4 days out it was abundantly clear that it would not be confirmed. fortunately, this was during the p.s. error fare to 2ndary cities, so i called in and had them pull the RPU and fared it up to C/A.

Kacee

But it's such a YMMV situation. I'm still at 100% on RPU and GPU waitlisting. I pick the flights carefully based on loads and have occasionally used SDC to change into open R, particularly on ps.

The recent policy change on ps R releases has changed that game though.

PV_Premier

agreed, it's certainly YMMV based on travel day of week, time of travel, and ASM on the route. in addition, it really is up to the individual's tolerance to risk. on GPUs i have a very minimal tolerance to risk. RPUs, less so, but i typically use RPUs for TCON, or Caribbean travel, which are long and unpleasant flights in coach, so my risk tolerance there is also pretty low.

LarkSFO

I also think it is a YMMV situation, but have been frustrated with RPU's and GPU's used domestically not clearing too!

Upcoming SFO-FLL trip (yes, leisure) cleared both ways. Not sure why both of these even waitlisted, seems that there should have been some R inventory at booking... Would CPU have cleared anyway? Probably at least one direction.

SFO-EWR prime time during the holidays (yes, also fewer business travelers) cleared both ways after a waitlist.

So, overall agree that it can be an exercise in frustration.

But, also believe that you can make it work unless your schedule is inflexible and your destinations very popular.

** And, as you say in your follow up post, you have to have some tolerance for risk...

EnvoyBoy

Agreed. This has been my worst year trying to find any space upon booking and nothing clearing. I'm looking at two days in Dec out of SFO to the east coast and there isn't one R space on a single flight on either day. I'm completely flexible but there's nothing to be had. A quick check and buying is $1200+ but buying FC on Delta is only $800+. Guess what I'm doing?

fjfv19

Finally went back to list the history here for reference. This has to be an anomaly, right?

Fails:
JFK - SFO (Monday Morning) Finished 3rd, U Fare
JFK - SFO (Monday Morning) Finished 1st, M Fare
SFO - JFK (Thursday Morning) Finished 2nd, E Fare
SFO - JFK (Wednesday Morning) Finished 1st, H Fare
LAX - JFK (Thursday Morning) Finished 1st, H Fare
PHX - EWR (Sunday Morning) Finished 2nd, W Fare
EWR - YVR (Saturday Morning) Finished 3rd, W Fare
LAS - EWR (Sunday Morning) Finished 6th (Sunday after March Madness started) (E Fare)

Success:
IAD - SEA (Tuesday Morning, V Fare)
JFK - LAX (Tuesday Morning, W Fare)

The Monday morning flight from JFK-SFO p.s. never has R space when I book and as far as I can tell is an impossible upgrade due to premium cabin monetization. The midweek SFO-JFK was a raging TOD fest like I've never seen. I'll be upgrading FLL-EWR with RPUs for my girlfriend and I because I literally cannot burn these things if I try and I'm flying American/Air Canada to end the year.

I did, however, clear both p.s. flights using GPUs for my flights to/from SYD that have been waitlisted for 138 days currently, so I guess that is good?

Kacee

Ouch.

UA has in essence recently changed its upgrade policies such that only GS will reliably be upgraded on ps. PN releases remain generous, while R is now almost nonexistent all the way up to departure. This may be a byproduct of the current fare wars on the JFK routes, where UA has been forced to reduce its cheapest front cabin fare by nearly 50% - from $3600-4000 to $2000. It seems they have decided to make up that revenue gap by basically eliminating 1K upgrades (this, after essentially eliminating saver J awards on ps earlier in the year).

EnvoyBoy

I don't think is limited to p.s. I have a very hard time find R into or out of any major hub (EWR, SFO, IAD).

Neil35

In the last few weeks I've failed 2 RPU-supported requests for mid-week daytime flights after being on the waitlist for months. One was IAD-SEA, the other SEA-IAD.

It's painful to watch the deterioration of RPU clearing rate.

Kacee

No ps is special. You should not confuse limited R availability on other routes with the very specific changes that have been implemented on ps.

Also, note that UA has absolutely flooded the market with free RPU's over the past six months through various promotions.

sfosyd

I've been finding all kinds of R space between BOS and SFO recently and vice versa, especially on the evening flights and burning RPU's like crazy. This used to be one of the toughest upgrades in the system.

pnq91

So far I have only used two. Gifted one to a friend flying PIT-DEN-LAX on a Mon and it cleared at booking, and I found a Saturday PS flight from LAX that had R space at booking.
Not sure how to use the rest since I am 7/7 on transcon upgrades with AA at the moment, but I wouldn't chance it unless I could find the R space at booking, or was booking close in enough that it opened up.

seanp7

Always. If I don't see R space, I don't apply them.