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[Consolidated] Chance of upgrade clearing on my flight {Archive}

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Old Feb 9, 2019, 8:39 pm
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[Consolidated] Chance of upgrade clearing on my flight {Archive}

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Old Jan 22, 2015, 11:49 am
  #61  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ICT
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Originally Posted by happytobeme
As a 1K with a J fare for both ORD-FRA (on 2/2 UA944) and FRA-EWR (on 2/6 UA969), do I have a fairly good upgrade chance if space is available? I just booked the tickets but it seems as if that doesn't matter given the J fare. Business class on these these flights doesn't appear very impressive.

Although there are open first seats on the seat map for these flights, I don't think this necessarily equates to the upgrade space available? This is one point I have never been able to understand even after reading all of these threads.

Thanks in advance for your help!
I assume you're using miles or GPU right? From my experience (until 2015, I used to fly in and out of Germany 2x a month), I'd say chances are high that you'd get the upgrade.
mbarreto is offline  
Old Jan 22, 2015, 12:53 pm
  #62  
 
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Originally Posted by mbarreto
I assume you're using miles or GPU right?
Yes, GPU and thank you for the feedback! Now stuck in the middle seats of the middle section in business on a 777-2, would love to get out of there!
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 1:35 pm
  #63  
 
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You can use expert mode on UA.com and look for R class upgradable space, but chances should be pretty good going to FRA in February.
Artpen100 is offline  
Old Jan 22, 2015, 3:31 pm
  #64  
 
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Originally Posted by Artpen100
You can use expert mode on UA.com and look for R class upgradable space, but chances should be pretty good going to FRA in February.
I believe ON is the J->F instrument-supported upgrade bucket. Regardless, you should be pretty much a lock if you have a full J ticket.
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Old Jan 22, 2015, 3:52 pm
  #65  
 
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Originally Posted by Artpen100
You can use expert mode on UA.com and look for R class upgradable space...
It took me awhile to figure out the "expert mode" and the upgrade bucket thing (yes, Boo, I do believe it is ON that I am looking for).

ON and every other relevant upgrade bucket is zero (except for FN=3 which I have decoded to be standard award miles upgrade).

I suppose this may change as the computer decides if it may not sell those seats and would rather take my GPU? I appreciate the tutorial, now a lot of the things I have read here on FlyerTalk make SOOO much more sense!

Last edited by happytobeme; Jan 22, 2015 at 8:41 pm Reason: Typo
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Old Jan 23, 2015, 3:02 am
  #66  
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Post merger it got worse and has continued that way, usually as a mere 1K I would almost guarantee it would clear, (and that was LHR-SFO-LHR which I know is elite heavy) now I am so far down the list that I just have to suck it up. And watching the seat allocations disappear, well, it just looks odd to me the way that seat allocations suddenly disappear.
Silver Fox is offline  
Old Feb 12, 2015, 12:56 pm
  #67  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 4
How often will a GPU clear on EWR-PVG?

(n00b here, please go easy on me )

tl;dr Should I pay $962 to attempt to use 4 GPUs?

I'm about to buy 2 $1,351 K/T EWR-PVG tix. Am considering upfaring to W/W for an extra $484 p/p. This is in mid-April, flying out on a Saturday and back on a Sunday.

On the outbound, there are 37/50 seats open in the BF chart (777-200), on the return, there are 44/50.

I cleared 2 GPUs on EWR-PVG last October, but failed to clear an ICN-SFO in November, so I'm a bit skittish about spending an extra $484 x 2 passengers. Does anyone know how likely clearing might be with this amount of BF inventory two months out? Or is this basically unknowable?

Alternative: because the return is in T, the W premium is only $162 p/p, so I may just take that. But then if the GPUs don't clear, I'll have like a week to give them away or let them expire. (2 are expiring on 4/30, the rest the following Jan.)

Needless to say, all of the flights I've looked at are showing R0/RN0.
OB is J9, JN9, C9, D0, Z0, ZN0, P0, PN0, R0, RN0, IN0, I0, Y9, YN9, B9, M9, E9, U9, H9, HN9, Q9, V9, W9, S9, T9, L9, K9, G0, N0, XN0, X0.
Return is J9, JN9, C9, D9, Z9, ZN9, P9, PN0, R0, RN0, IN0, I0, Y9, YN9, B9, M9, E9, U9, H9, HN9, Q9, V9, W9, S9, T9, L9, K0, G0, N0, XN0, X0.

Regrettably, I don't have flexibility on dates.
joseph.barillari is offline  
Old Feb 12, 2015, 1:08 pm
  #68  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: BOS
Programs: 1MM, UA 1k
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on the outbound I was 0 for 4 last year, almost always on Saturday. Returning I was 2 for 2, on Thursday/Friday. Highly recommend doing what you can to get BF, it's murder, even in E+. Hell, one of the outbound trips we we're delayed takeoff for almost 2 hours, making it almost 17 hours in the seat....

edit: my tix are always booked within 1 week of travel...
Imstevek is offline  
Old Feb 12, 2015, 1:20 pm
  #69  
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Originally Posted by joseph.barillari
Does anyone know how likely clearing might be with this amount of BF inventory two months out? Or is this basically unknowable?
Yes, at two months out it's basically impossible to predict.

I would not be particularly optimistic about the outbound, as D0 Z0 P0 is not a good sign. The return, with P9 is a better bet.

:-: Welcome to FT! :-:
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Old Feb 12, 2015, 2:11 pm
  #70  
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I'm in the same situation.

Outbound: Monday next month is showing P5 with 28/50 unoccupied.

IM is not even opening PN.

Saturday is most difficult. Sunday is next worst day.
kb1992 is offline  
Old Feb 12, 2015, 4:12 pm
  #71  
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I have been looking for flights LHR-SFO in March, and for the three days that I looked at flights, including with stops, RN0 and R0 for everything. It's not like it used to be that's for sure.
Silver Fox is offline  
Old Feb 12, 2015, 5:35 pm
  #72  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Yes, at two months out it's basically impossible to predict.

I would not be particularly optimistic about the outbound, as D0 Z0 P0 is not a good sign. The return, with P9 is a better bet.

:-: Welcome to FT! :-:
Thanks!! Dumb question: what is the P bucket? (These are hard to Google.)

Mods, thanks for moving my post!
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Old Feb 12, 2015, 5:38 pm
  #73  
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Originally Posted by joseph.barillari
Thanks!! Dumb question: what is the P bucket? (These are hard to Google.)
Cheapest business class fare. If UA opens P, it means they're willing to discount seats heavily. That's an indication they may open upgrade space as well.
Kacee is offline  
Old Feb 12, 2015, 5:46 pm
  #74  
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
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Thanks much! I guess UA expects a lot of price-insensitive travelers to take the Saturday EWR-PVG.
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Old Feb 12, 2015, 6:04 pm
  #75  
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Originally Posted by joseph.barillari
Thanks much! I guess UA expects a lot of price-insensitive travelers to take the Saturday EWR-PVG.
Exactly. Their inventory management software continually adjusts fare class availability based on predicted demand. It's not uncommon though to see some pretty big shifts - one day it can be J9 C9 D0 Z0 P0 and the next day they'll open it all the way to P9.
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