GMUJD06

I'm using a voucher to fly next month, and while I've gotten my itinerary, I don't have a seat assignment. I'm not all that experienced with flying US, so I was wondering if (a) there is a way to get a pre-assigned seat (it won't let me do so when I view my itinerary online), and (b) would it be worth it/possible to pay to upgrade my seat to F (WAS-CLT-PHX) using their "GoFirst" option.

me4yankees

Call and get a seat assignment. The automated system should prompt you to request seats. Or talk to a person.

Yes, you can GoFirst on an award or free voucher flight, but when I did it, I did it at a kiosk or with a person at the airport.

GMUJD06

Is GoFirst worth the cost?

awaflyboy

I agree, call reservations and request a held seat assignment.

As for the go first, you can do so the day of departure at either a kisok or with an agent. -- the company would prefer that you did so with a kisok as they then don't have to pay the go first commission to an agent, agents recieve $5 for every GoFirst upgrade they sell. As an agent, I can tell you that we don't care much for the kisoks.

vysean

You might take a look at this thread - though it specifically addresses the GoEnvoy program (GoFirst for trans-Atlantic travel), many of the issues are the same.

With regards to your specific question, I usually find that the following helps me make my decision:

1. How much will the upgrade cost?
2. How much have I already paid for my seat?
3. How long is the flight?
4. How many stops/connections en-route?
5. Are there First-class security lines in the airport(s)?
6. Are the flights full or nearly-so?
7. How busy is the airport likely to be?

Since you didn't pay anything for the ticket, an upgrade may be worth it. I would try and determine how full the flight is, how busy the airport is, and whether they have an F-only security line. If the flight is full, the airport is busy, and they have a priority security line, I would definitely consider the upgrade - $50-$200 may be worth it for the relative relaxation it provides. Of course, now your ticket isn't as "free" as it was.

As you may or may not have read, F on US is essentially a bigger seat, 2-abreast, and may or may not have food (but almost always drinks and snacks), and that's about it (having not recently flown any other carriers, I'm not sure what you aren't getting). On CLT-PHX you should get a meal (you won't in coach).

In any event, I did six segs this weekend in F and four of six were completely full, one had only 4 (myself included) out of 12 seats, and one was 6 for 12. Service was generally very attentive, and on the meal flight, the only option was shrimp lasagna. You would be advised to sit in the back of F on westbound flights and in the front on eastbound for priority meal choice.

Overhead space was always plentiful...


Good luck!

Sean

me4yankees

The only reason I have used a kiosk in at least one case was because I was told by an agent that my ticket was not eligible for GoFirst. However, the kiosk automatically asked me if I wanted to GoFirst with a credit card swipe, so it was a no brainer. But I have bought some from agents, too, so I made sure some got their commission!

GMUJD06

Thanks for the advice! My understanding is that I can't upgrade until 30 hrs. out, so I won't know the price until then. However, seeing as my flight leaves DCA-CLT a little after 4, it may be worth it, since the ticket was free to begin with.

vysean

I believe pricing is fixed as follows:

$50 for 0-500 miles
$100 for 501-1000 miles
$150 for 1001-1500 miles
$200 for 1501-2000 miles and
$250 for 2001+ miles (domestic US/Alaska only)

Good luck!

Sean