Originally Posted by
businesstraveller2
Here is my situation. I just got my first set of 6 SWUs as a new 1K. I have some business travel planned for 2011 including international trips. Typically I will not be paying out of pocket for these trips but I am somewhat restricted - I have a limited business travel budget - most of my colleagues buy coach tickets and I have to go through some hoops to get C class cabin covered. At the same time I really don't have any personal trips I want to take in 2011 especially to region 2. I'm expecting to get at least a couple of CR1s once my flight to Australia clears in January.
Specifically, I have two business trips coming up where I could book in Y etc and try to upgrade with SWU : one is a trip to LHR in early June and another is a trip to NRT in late June. Dates are very fixed i have essentially no flexibility on dates to fly. If I could save $$ and do it and be guaranteed a seat in C I'd likely do it.
With moderate gymnastics I can probably buy Z fare and get that covered completely so no worries about upgrades. It costs me a trip to the Dr to get a note and also more $$ from my travel budget which is a reasonable size but not unlimited. If I save money I can use it to fly others to conferences etc.
However,
I really don't want to be stuck in E (even E+) at all on these long runs.
Best case scenario is I'm annoyed, and worst case is that I'm in bed taking pain medication instead of working when I get to the destination.
When I got engaged, my future mother-in-law said to my wife "set your expectations low"
And the same applies to you as a newly minted 1K.
Well done by the way. Welcome to the club of the abused.
If you can buy Z, buy Z. Forget your staff. There are plenty more to be found on Monster.com
I kid. Try careerbuilder.com instead.
Anyway, who knows what's going to happen next year. Re your trips to NRT and LHR, try buying B, M or H fares and see what the difference is between full Y.
Also, track availability via ExpertFlyer. It's worth the $10 bucks a month to subscribe.
But at the end of the day, if you can cover your expense tracks and hide Z, do it. Don't blink...
Otherwise, you will need to resort to more than medication at the other end. You will have to force yourself to drink what UA have the temerity to call wine in Y.
Bottled in DogWash Vineyards... don't start me.
Good luck. We at the UA forum enjoy laughing at other peoples misfortunes, so be sure you post your success (or your failures...)