Glad I didn't succumb to plane envy!

I'm flying SFO-EWR early morning tomorrow. About a month ago, they swapped a new Polaris 777 configuration in, and I seriously thought about dropping the buy-up dollars to get a chance to try the new hard product. It was expensive, but I could afford it.

I finally decided it was just a little too extravagant, and resigned myself to coach, but as late as this morning just before checkin, I was seriously thinking about it.

Come to find out now (T-12 or so) they've swapped to a HNL-configured 772! My exit row turned into standard economy plus, but I would have been REALLY frosted had I spent the significant money only to end up in seats I've flown probably a million miles in!

Caveat emptor, for sure!

I'd much rather be up front in IPTE than back in 10 abreast <=17" misery.

I agree I'd rather ... but it's not worth $1600 for ~4.5 hours

FYI: UA's latest Contract of Carriage defines a "[s]ubstitution of aircraft type that provides different classes of service or different seat configurations" as IRROPS. If there is another acceptable 77W option on the schedule, you likely could have been re-accommodated onto it by calling and saying "I specifically wanted to try out the new Polaris seats."

Good to know!!!

Why not use an RPU?

Why? Why? Because UA doesn't like giving them away. That's why!!!

I don't think I even understand what this means?

Oh I have an RPU applied. As a 1K, I'm 19th on the wait list!

Wow, yikes. sorry - I miss the old PS days of 12 F, 26J or whatever the number was. So easy to upgrade even with e500s. I guess that wasn't the best way for them to maximize profits.

What this means is that UAL wants to sell those seats and make MONEY, not sell G-K-T seats and let pax ride up front without paying a higher price!
Of the 6 morning flights from SFO to EWR today, which is when the OP is flying, there is ONLY ONE upgrade and that is on flight #535 (Duf,A.-9G), with 48 folks also standing-by for an upgrade, on just that flight alone. Every flight mentioned above are booked full, in First, by people that didn't have their RPU's honored, because they weren't upgraded, but instead paid for those front seats.. So just to clarify, UAL is very stingy about handing out seats upfront with the use of an RPU in advance, and if one does snag one it's probably going to be at the gate.



My post above was to mention that it is not as easy as just applying an RPU, and picking your seat, as those days are loooooooooong gone.

So when you posted above--- flyerbaby19, "Why not use an RPU?" ----- THAT'S WHY!!!

You're incorrect. You're going off the 'upgrade tab' on the app and that doesn't show all upgrades. I (and many others on these forums) fly PS monthly or more and we use RPU's To sit in the front cabin.

We don't clear into the upgrade list that you're judging based based on your metrics and neither do tons of other people. I clear in advance. T-24,T-96, sometimes T-7 days out. I buy the cheapest economy fare so I'm not buying Y,B,M.

Go read the RPU thread. It'll clarify that everything I said as fact. Many of us are happy with our success with RPU's and have yet to miss an upgrade all year.

I apply RPUs to all my flights and wind up between 15-20 on the UG list as well. GS or bust

I totally get that CPUs are basically dead. However, airlines give out these upgrade coupons as benefits then they don't clear, then expire.

They aren't easy to clear on SFOEWR for sure; in my days before GS I haven't been able to clear into R ever (I usually book 2 weeks out max due to schedule uncertainty, usually too close in to stand a chance) ... these days those clear into PN for me which is usually less rare. But even so this involves careful flight selection.

When ten plus pax step forward at GS pre-boarding for a 752; yeah, the odds of anyone else clearing are thin.

Can I ask if your PS flights are SFO or LAX (guessing the latter based on your handle)? From what I've seen SFO tends to have a higher GS load just because of the volume UA funnels through there. I've seen 20+ GS on TATL more than once (I really doubt 5% of the MP base (or even 2%) - or 20 pax on a 744, give or take - are GS).

Obviously, a higher GS concentration (if such is the case in SFO, which I believe it is) will affect the ability of others to clear, particularly on business-heavy routes like EWR or IAD.

I guess what I'm saying is YMMV. Obviously some routes are less easy than others.

You're right. My PS flights are 75% out of LAX. I only connect in SFO when flying with a colleague. Totally agree that SFO tends to have a significantly higher GS load than LAX.

That also being said, I always always fly on the 28J seaters rather than the 16J seater flights.