Originally Posted by
JSlo
Except UA is now hawking F UG like the old CO does/did. I have no definite proof except my own experiences but in the last month or so they have hawked to me for sure, even when I have CR applied, even when I am already in the UG queue for weeks, on a booked ticket in a reasonable high bucket booked weeks in advance with most of F wide open according to expert flyer. That is a newer "CO like" development.
Sorry, not buying it. The main difference is that once you're in the EUA window in CO, they have different upgrade buckets - the YBM/Miles one (ZE as I understand it) and R (traditional auto-upgrades). So they can turn off R to keep churning through ZE.
With UA, it's all NC/NF - if there's space, it's going to the highest status person, then by fare code. Common knowledge since UDU was introduced is that using an instrument doesn't matter once you're inside UDU. Even outside UDU, UA just doesn't make it as easy and transparent as CO to see what a cash UG will cost - a good thing I think (for us).
Compared to CO, where there are many cases documenting the "tens of dollars" upgrades either at OLCI or at the gate (regardless of whether it's a fare code buy-up or just a kettle cheapo offer), on UA it's after WL'd upgrades have been run. 90 segments on UA this year, not a single time have I received a buy-up offer when already WL'd for an UG.
While UA may be holding more upgrades until the last minute (frustrating, yes, but at least they're still there), there's just simply not the evidence that they're eroding UDU like CO is with EUA. You see countless threads about CO Plats on B/M fares riding in coach - I highly doubt that happens that often on UA.