motintan

I booked two flights this week for my wife and I-- both 1K flyers. Booked at exactly the same time, same fare class, etc. Both involved domestic connecting to international. My domestic and international cleared for SWU upgrade the next day. My wife's did not. I call United and they told me that my Million Mile Status made the difference-- this is the first time I can verify that it makes a difference. My wife now has cleared on the ORD-HKG leg, but not on the domestic connection. We check in tomorrow and hopefully she will also get upgraded ( otherwise, I will give her my seat).

I know there has been a lot of discussion about MM status and the consensus seems to be that it does not make a difference. The agent and the results seem to indicated it does make a difference or something has changed. I thought you would appreciate the data point.

Delta3MM

I booked a flight for my mom and I on two different PNR's. I waitlisted upgrades for her first, then me. Both of us were on the PA waitlist (I checked with three different agents, so I'm sure).

My upgrades cleared quickly. My mom's are still waitlisted.

I thought upgrades were processed in order (and that being as sponsered 1K SWU, she would get my status), but something else happened this time and I am NOT a MM (soon to be...)

Billy

sfpaul900

Nice that MM counts for something. I was expecting maybe personalized luggage tags, but nooooo

Ocn Vw 1K

I'm not sure that the OP's experience is a data point re MM status or just a one-off fortuity of NF/NC space coming and going. Not to rain on what happened, but I'm not sure it yet means we can celebrate that UA has now recognized MM status in clearing even though an agent has indicated this.

BTW, I'd really like to be able to contact the CSR who worked with the OP. I've been W/L BOS->SFO for weeks and have been MM for several yrs. and no early clearance for me even though I was the only one on an empty F cabin W/L for some time.

mahasamatman

Sorry, but that's 100% impossible. Even if you were booking on two browsers and clicked "purchase" at what you think of as the same time, there's no possible way the reservations could have been made at the same time. Remember, computers differentiate time in nanoseconds or less.

And I'll bet a different agent would make up a different story. On an HKG-SFO segment, my wife cleared but I haven't yet - neither one of us is 1MM. I wonder what concoction an agent would come up with to explain that?

The only evidence would have been if you had booked your wife's trip first, and you cleared ahead of her. When that happens, I'll take it more seriously.

dhauld

I agree with the point, but computers generally operate in milliseconds, not nanoseconds. (nanoseconds would be a waste of space for 99.999% of computer applications).

motintan

Since the reservations were done on United.com as the same PNR, just two passengers, that would be about as close to the same time as is possible for a human to do.

Downunder girl

Hmm well I would like to know how you pulled that off then .

AFAIK if you have 2 people on 1 PNR (which I DO ALOT with my daughter) then the ONLY way an upgrade can clear for that PNR, is when there are 2 upgrade inventory seats available. There is NO possible way that .bomb can clear just you and not your wife on the SAME PNR. Please tell me if that is the scenario, how you made it work?

I am currently on a 2 person PNR and waitlisted since MAY for HNL upgrades with CR1. On my return flight NF=1. We havent cleared because there are TWO of us on the pnr and UA have told me many times they cant just clear one of us, unless the PNR is split.

mcgahat

So did you split the PNR later to get them to clear separately or am I missing something?

UA_Flyer

I have been a MM flyer for a few years now, and here are my experience:

1. I don't clear early than my wife (1K). On several occassions, I booked her first on separate PNR ahead of my booking, and she cleared before me.

2. As A GS, I clear ahead of my wife everytime even if I booked her tickets ahead of mine.

3. I watch the availablities of fare codes on the flight I have waitlisted. As a 1K/MM, I usually clear on the date of departure or the day before. As a GS, I got cleared within a day, although it did not appear there were NC of NF availably at the time of booking upto until the time upgrades were cleared. I wonder if UA has a GS sweep system in place to monitor GS upgrade status and manually upgrade GS based on the anticipated premium cabins loads.

WineCountryUA

The time of the reservation is not relevant, the time of the upgrade request is relevant. And since the PA list is a serial list, one passenger will be place on it first, even if done "at same time."

sapguy

I did not notice any change in my upgrade clearing pattern since I achieved MM status.

mahasamatman

If you're only on milliseconds, you've got a sloooow computer (by today's standards).

fadeforward

Thanks for the datapoint, but unfortunately this is completely consistent with the system. Even if you sponsored your wife BEFORE you, sponsors will always clear before sponsorees on the same flight. It's a little-known exception to the first-on, first-off rule.

This assumes you're on separate records, of course. As DUG notes, if you're on the same record, you're processed as a unit until the DM.

It's really hard to conclude anything about MM from your observertations, because your 1KMM status is confounded with your GS status.

You're in an interesting position to test a number of FT upgrade waitlist assumptions:

Assumption 1) The PA list is sorted first-on, first-off.

You could test this by applying her CR1s and SWUs to her flight and yours to yours, on the same flight, but HERS FIRST. Without intervention, she should clear before you. Be careful to use each person's own upgrades.

Assumption 2) Sponsors always clear before sponsorees on the same flight.

Use her CR1s or SWUs to sponsor you first and her second on the same flight. Without intervention, she should clear first.

You've got all sorts of chances to teach us!

gomike

I guarantee you that the United upgrade list does not keep track of time added by the nanosecond! I would bet it is to the minute as that is what the boarding pass says when I am added to a standby list.