Originally Posted by
UALurkerORD
I'm definitely going to test this theory next time I have a need to. I recently discovered that you can change seats in OLCI after you print a boarding pass (a bit late to the party on that one). Also, you can click "Cancel check-in" after you go through the process. That might be what some people are referring to with offloading from OLCI.
So I was able to test this theory (not personally) last night. A collegue, who is a 1P was in the same situation as the OP. Also, she waited a long while before checking in. She used OLCI, then 15 minutes later got an e-mail saying the UG cleared. I asked her to use OLCI to "Cancel check-in", however when she tried to re-check in it simply gave her the same non-upgraded seat assignment.
As this occured within 4 hours of her departure time it was under DM. That could be a reason why OLCI didn't allow her to offload (if it's even possible on OLCI). However, I suppose this raises another question: If she had waited longer, would another 1P have been able to check-in and get the UG before her? It was always my assumption that when the UG list goes to DM a GA would have to process and work the list, which begins 45-60 minutes prior to departure.
I might be retracting my previous statment that checking in early doesn't matter. But I will stand by the fact that it's a pain to get offloaded for your new seat!