bucketlist

This post reviews a recent change in complimentary access to E+. Mods, feel free to move if there's a better place to put this.

Have a MSY-iah-LIM scheduled for this summer, tickets purchased last year.

Mine: Award
My SO's sister: Paid economy, upgraded w/ CR1 (or whatever it's called now)

There were schedule changes on both outbound and return domestic legs. The leg to iah is now a Q400, w/ single class cabin. The new return is mainline, but we're all in Economy.

We all lost our original MSY-iah confirmed F. For iah-MSY, all are in economy, all waitlisted for F (had to call to restore the waitlist to F for SO's sister, her CR1 didn't make it onto that last leg of the changed itinerary).

Requested 1 seat for SO's sister in E+ (am 1K, SO is Prem Exec).

1K line said this morning there's a "new policy", 1K's can have 8 companions on same pnr in E+, but if on a different PNR, then only 1 and only w/in 24 hours of departure.

If traveling w/ friends or family, from a different city or w/ tickets purchased at a different time, we can't pick their seat until T-24.

This is a troubling, especially so for tickets purchased last year.

The concern is not over this short trip, but the impact on future long haul trips w/ family leaving from different cities. SWU's might not clear, but at least we could get good seat assignments at booking. Good seats likely are not going to be available the day before departure. If upgrades clear and we're in C, we can't get family into E+.

This is a departure from FU (former United) policy, where golds and 1K's each could have one companion on a different record in E+ at time of booking. 1K's could always have 8 if on same pnr.

Went to co.bomb and found this on the site under elite "benefits" (sorry for lousy formatting, am not good at such things):

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...r/default.aspx

Premier benefits chart .

Effective March 3, 2012 through January 31, 2013

Economy seating benefits
Complimentary access to Economy Plus®

(Silver) (Gold) (Platinum) (1K)
At check-in At booking At booking At booking

Economy Plus companions (on same reservation as Premier member)
+1 +1 +8 +8

mherdeg

I feel like there was a recent FlyerTalk thread about this perk where I mentioned the fact that the Web site says "on the same reservation" and many others replied "although it says that, in fact the internal rule allows up to 8 companions as long as they're on the same flight in the same cabin and this has worked for us many times."

Perhaps the internal rule has been aligned to match the externally published one.

jhayes_1780

Not new, same PNR/reservation has been the policy for 1K's for years.

However, many have reported success in getting the rule bent for quite some time.

Seems the only change is they are actually enforcing the rule.

PTahCha

Call back and see if someone can work some magic for you.

weirdlyndon

Agent didn't hesitate to do it for me yesterday, and got the email 'Premium Seat' confirmation that notes the fees were waived. Brought two friends on two separate PNRs into E+ with me for a 4 segment trip next month.

bucketlist

Yes, for 8 on same PNR.

Have multiple times, as recently as last Jan. iad-FCO, been able to bring one companion, different pnr, into E+. The concern was not about 8 (we only needed 1, and there were two of us) the concern was no companion on same flight until day of departure. This is the change of concern.

dawg1k

I had it enforced on me back in May of 2011.

Tried to get Mrs. + 2 rug rats on awards with myself on a paid ticket LAX to LHR and back.

Two PNRs. Mrs. and rug rats would be in E-.

I called multiple times and grumbled to no avail.

Ended up burning tons of miles to put them in business and didn't regret it in the end. I got an upgrade 18 hours before the flight too. :-)

At least now with the new MM benefit, it wouldn't be a problem.

compwhiz

Back then the old policy was still in effect. The new policy I posted about went into effect October 2011. Sounds like people reporting this policy not being true anymore. Unfortunately, I do not have a trip where I would need this coming up, but I will try to see what I can find out next time I call the 1K line.

amartin1979

What happens if your PNR is auto-split at check-in? The rest of the companions are relegated to E-?

Air Houston

When the PNR is split the other passengers' records are still linked in the system to your account, although I have had to explain to ticket counter personnel this information in order to avoid baggage fees for the other passengers. Unless there is an aircraft change there shouldn't be any problem with the seat assignments.

hobo13

Actually, I thought that FU was how United treats 1K's post 3/3!

cmculp

Which is exactly what has happened twice now - split PNR caused exactly this disaster on the return after operational snags. VERY BAD SYSTEM.

dsauch

I just got 3 tickets ewr-sea on 3 PNRs (burning e-certs), then called 1k line and when asked if I can move my friends to E+ was told : you most certainly can.
We are all seated in e+ now, it may change yet but it can be done.

nova08

I just got off the phone with a very nice 1K agent. I tried to move my dad into E+, granted it's on a PMCO 777 where I don't think E+ exists yet, but you still have Exit Rows. She said that she couldn't assign him an exit row because I was not in the same cabin (I used a GPU to upgrade). She moved him up into the Elite zone but no Exit Row.

All these little E+ companion rules are bogus if you ask me.

aacharya

Different issue, but perfectly accurate. You should have put him into E+ before using the GPU.

As for the OP's issue - I agree only when the pax are on the same itinerary.