Just been comped Premier for my newly opened MP account (0 miles total) based on my SQ PPS membership.
[I DID ask for PremEx since SQ PPS is Star Gold, but they resolutely refused... I'll post a separate thread about the UA status "denial" process.]
My question is:
Is it worth it to purchase e-upgrades to use with discount economy (clearing 24 hours before), or are there generally going to be too many 1Ks and PremEx's ahead of the line?
I'm specifically thinking of the following sectors which I plan to travel in 1Q 2002:
SFO-JFK
SFO-MSY
SFO-YVR
SFO-DEN
SFO-PHX
SFO-JFK and SFO-IAD are two of the most difficult upgrades to get in my experience. I never got upgrades as a Premier and have still missed quite a few as a PremEx. Rumor (fact?) has it that the SFO Bay Area has the highest 1K population on earth. For your reference, when I turned Premier I bought eight 500 milers thinking that I would like to start using them etc. Well I was denied on my next 8 flights, with my only success leaving out of LGA. By the time I actually got to use an upgrade, I had accumulated twelve 500 mile certs. So it was a waste of money in my case. Best of luck to you.
My advice is the same as Rudi's -Wait. Make sure to get a nice seat in E+ (at the very least this is what your comped 2P status is worth the most for) and hope for the best. Also, if the flights are not booked, be flexible in your plans (i.e JFK-SFO maybe be a long shot on a 767-200, but you may be able to go LGA-ORD-SFO on 757's and get lucky).
Note that if you purchase a Y or B fare, then you clear 72 Hours before flight. Behind 1K's (they go at 100 Hours), 1P's (72 hours on any fare), then 2P's or non status on Y or B fares. So if you have a full fare ticket, you may get lucky. However, I've been on BOS-SFO flights that have loads of 1K's in the back!
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Agree with above -- there's little reason to buy the certs in advance.
If an upgrade clears and you don't have the certs, buy them at check-in.
The only possible reason to want certs in your account in advance is if an upgrade clears AT THE GATE and you don't have any...
Remember that you earn (4) 500 milers for each 10,000 miles you fly.
All that said, as a 2P based at IAD I actually did pretty well with upgrades, trying my darndest to get widebodies. I'd fly on the afternoon 747 to LAX and it was a gimme... and sometimes I'd fly the IAD-DEN-SFO on 777s instead of a non-stop IAD-SFO in order to be sure to get it. As a 1P I have alot less stress.
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remember, even with the 100/72/24 rules to make your request for ug as soon as you book your ticket. you clear in order of request at your ug window.
also, consider using miles to ug. these are confirmed at the time of the request if space is available and waitlisted if it is not. i used this strategy on routes that i really wanted the ug and didnt want to buy the coupons.
even if you dont clear, if you board and are next on the list and someone doesnt get on because they missed a connection, the g/a will frequently get on the plane and pull you up to your ug'd class. i see this on almost every flight i am on
one final note. i have seen several agents look at the time of ug. if you requested a confirmed ug and it cleared before your window, they may insist on the confirmed coupon or miles, otherwise, if it cleared within your window, they will take 500 milers even if you requested a confirmed. i guess they figure it didnt make any difference.
i was really hoping/expecting to get comped PremEx as my SQ status well exceeds the criteria for 1P (50,000 miles in paid F/C ONLY). i repeatedly pointed this out in my e-mails to MP, along with how (relatively)easy it would be for me to get AA status thru the Platinum challenge.
[i also made sure to clarify that i was switching to a US-based FF program due to impending relocation to the US, so they weren't swiping business from SQ.]
unfortunately, after a couple of back-and-forth e-mails, all they could harp on about was that they don't status match for Star Alliance FFs. then right at the end, they decided to comp Premier as a "gesture of goodwill" - just to shut me up i'm sure....
UA could have made me a really happy (and loyal) camper. now i WILL be taking the AA Plat challenge, so there goes a fair chunk of guaranteed business out the window.
FWIW, Other StarAlliance StarGold flyers have been comped PremExec on UA. It is a matter of persistence, and pointing out that your travel patterns have/are/will change. I wouldn't give up after a few emails, phone them directly. Having said that, the AA Platinum Challenge may be a better bet for you given your F/C travel?
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I really, really, really hate paying for upgrades. If you had your SQ trans-Pacific flights credited to your new MP account, those miles (lots of 'em, as the Pacific's a big ocean!) would count toward the accrual of the complimentary e-upgrades. One trip from SIN would be almost enough (~8k) to get you to the first set of free e-upgrades (each 10k mark). Your trips to/from SIN could fuel your UA e-upgrade account.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by 1K-SFO: I really, really, really hate paying for upgrades. If you had your SQ trans-Pacific flights credited to your new MP account, those miles (lots of 'em, as the Pacific's a big ocean!) would count toward the accrual of the complimentary e-upgrades. One trip from SIN would be almost enough (~8k) to get you to the first set of free e-upgrades (each 10k mark). Your trips to/from SIN could fuel your UA e-upgrade account.</font>
I thought that only UA flight miles counted towards receiving the 500 mile upgrades. While flights on SQ that are credited to Mileage Plus will accumulate miles that count towards status, they won't count towards the 500 mile certificates:
I have found the past month that upgrades are all but impossible for Premex members..I expect that the cutback in number of flights and size of aircraft has a lot to do with it..
Last week I had a UAX flight into Dulles and had requested an upgrade from IAD-SAN. I was put on the DM list 5 hours before the IAD flight and was told I was first on the DM list...I was told no way at Dulles; there were now at least 4 ahead of me on the waitlist and no way I was going to get upgraded even though it was a 757..
I thought that we had determined that the only criteria once the waitlist hit the airport DM list was time you got on the DM list? So how di I keep getting bumped further down the DM list?
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Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by GeorgeJ: I thought that we had determined that the only criteria once the waitlist hit the airport DM list was time you got on the DM list? So how di I keep getting bumped further down the DM list? </font>
Status determines your place on the waitlist. Within status, time on the DM list determines your place. Getting on the DM list early means that others of your status and below can't be placed above you.
And yes, in my experience 757s offer good upgrade chances because of the 24 F seats. Sorry you didn't get the upgrade.
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Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by GeorgeJ: ...I thought that we had determined that the only criteria once the waitlist hit the airport DM list was time you got on the DM list? So how di I keep getting bumped further down the DM list? </font>
No, that's not the only criteria for DM list. First critieria is status, so 1K trump 1Ps & 1Ps trump 2Ps (if that's any condonlence). Then within each status, I think it's fare and then time on DM, but I could be wrong about that. But I do know status is the top critiera.
[This message has been edited by UA_Eagle (edited 11-19-2001).]
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I'll post a separate thread about the UA status "denial" process.]
