aacharya

I have had some success doing this with the check-in agent (though at that point, it's really semantics).

love_to_travel

I'm buying 6 tickets for HNL-NRT so that everyone can get E+ (no one else has status). The tickets are booking into a non-upgradeable fare. Can I later increase just my ticket to a W or higher and then use a GPU or will I have to increase the otherr 5 tickets as well?

Garten

You should be able to split off your own reservation and rebook in a higher fare. But then the other traveling companions won't be linked to your PNR and so they won't automatically get all of the various privileges, e.g., you won't be able to reassign their E+ seats on the website, you may or may not be able to do it on the phone.

mahasamatman

Sorry, you can't have both. If you want everyone to get E+, you all have to be on the same PNR, which means they all have to have the exact same fare basis. And if you're all on the same PNR, you can't apply a GPU to only one person.

WineCountryUA

It is possible to extend an elites E+ access to those on another PNR. It is regularly done for 1-2 off-PNR companions. The limit for 1Ks is up to 8 companions but not sure how far this can be extended for an 1K to off-PNR companions. This request can only be done by an agent, not online.

PT612

Simple question hopefully someone can help me with quickly...

I just booked a roundtrip ticket (still within 24 hour window) from EWR - SNA for travel in May.

They are offering me the option to upgrade the SNA to EWR leg for 20k miles plus $75. However, I do not have the 20k miles, not even close.

Is there a way for someone else to upgrade that leg for me with their miles, without them gifting/transferring me the mile and paying the fees?

Can they call in and do it?
If not, does it make sense to cancel the ticket and have them book an economy ticket, then upgrade it after on their end? Thanks!!

WineCountryUA

yes, another person can use miles directly from their account to upgrade you (and they can use your credit card to pay the copay). I have done exactly this.

Be careful that a confirmed upgrade is being offered versus being waitlisted for an upgrade. The wording can be tricky -- look for words like "potential." A phone agent can provide more info.

PT612

Thanks for the quick reply!! Yes it is definitely available on that leg, it tells me exactly how many seats are open. On the flight from EWR - SNA the option is also offered but it specifically says Waitlist.

Garten

I'm used to visiting the UA site and having the flight reservation search default to the last origin and destination I searched. Today I went to UA and the prefilled destination was a foreign destination I never searched for. Should I be worried about someone hacking my account, or is this a typical glitch on the website? There are no other signs of fraudulent activity.

phospho

I think I'd be thinking just like you are - because I know exactly what you mean. It's always prefilled according to whatever last search I did. However, if you're like me and used to inserting the 3 digit airport codes and skipping straight to search (i.e. not waiting for the website to pull up the list of possible airports), you could have accidentally mistyped a letter.

Another thing that's happened to me is entering the 3 digit code and waiting for the website to give me the airport name so I can select it. Turns out that even if you put in the correct airport code, it'll still list different possibilities and you may accidentally click on the wrong one. This has happened to me on multiple occasions, particularly if the airport is in Canada.

With that being said, being my paranoid self, I'd still change my password and/or PIN, and make sure my antivirus software is up to date

right on ^

Also, if you have a friend who has a couple of regional upgrades they won't be using, just give them your confirmation number. It gets a little complicated though if your fare class isn't high enough for that specific market.

I'd for sure make it easier on myself and just call them as mentioned above by WineCountryUA. Those phone agents (depending on who you get) can be pretty amazing.

mahasamatman

Not an issue for regionals.

phospho

you mean the fare class?

Kacee

If you can upgrade a flight with an RPU, then it is by definition not a route with a minimum fare class requirement.

WineCountryUA

with-in a few days (assuming you meet all the 1K requirements)

phospho

thank you for the info - did not know that.

also, while we're on the subject, I had a Q:

I'm 1K because of last year's flying, so my 1K expires at the end of this year.

However, I will re-hit 1K next week (i.e. I'll stay 1K until the end of next year) and was wondering if they will give me global/regional upgrades as soon as I re-hit the status, or if I have to wait till the end of the year.

The reason I ask is because I have zero left on both regional and global.

thanks in advance.

thank you! ^