Hi, John. Good to see you on the US boards. Your friends 800 mile certificates are pretty useless if he or she is not flying US Airways.

The "systemwide" upgrades are gold, however. They are basically the same as the United 1K Systemwides (although not transferable). They are good on any fare and the upgrade can be made at time of booking. Surely a roundtrip in US Airways Envoy Class to Europe for $500 or so is money well spent, yes???? Even if your friend does not fly US at all, it would make sense to fly them once, if for no other reason than getting a free upgrade booked well in advance...

cheers- geo