Originally Posted by
NightTripper
Welcome to FT !!
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).
Just FYI, seatmaps are not an accurate idea of the amount of pax booked in the cabin. It's very possible that people are already booked in F, but have not selected seats...
Originally Posted by
shttrdrvr
You willn't get upgraded untilt he night prior, and most of the time, you'll have to what at the gate. Don't put a lot of merit in the upgrade list, as people bump or stand-by for and earlier flight, you're bumped down. Good luck and try to get a higher level.
IIRC, the standard upgrade window for 2Ps is 48hours, not the night before.