Welcome to FT !!
Originally Posted by
gdenny
My basic question is this: Is it possible via United's website to view your upgrade position for each flight? In other words, can I find out if I'm #12 or #412?
No, not really. But I can tell you what I do, from a not-quite-the-gutter-but-far-from-the-throne UA Premier Exec.:
make sure that you are set to "expert mode" on UA website, then do a dummy booking for your upcoming flight by searching for Standard Award availability. Here, you can see the loads, etc. F0 already? upgrade unlikely.
also, you can check the E+ seatmap, which gives some idea of the number of elites on the flight. for instance, my upcoming IAD-MSY flight on a 320 (yeah, they're back!) shows only a few folks in E+, with the FC cabin wide open. this looks good for me.
Also, check the Exit rows. As only Prem Exec and above can book these in advance, you can get some sense of how many higher tier elites may be on the flight.
But of course, you never know until you get to the gate. Cancellations, stand-by, irrops, all come into play.
But don't give up !! (and don't fly 319s).