Originally Posted by
iker
Well, it happened to me and my family on a not so long ago flight from ORD-HKG. My aunt and uncle are non-frequent flyers of AA. No status with UA. I paid about $800 more for the upgradable airfare. Upon check-in at Chicago, they were offered upgrades for $450 pp. I wasn't -- granted I was on a DCA-ORD leg that connected me to the HKG flight. I also paid $700 more for my ticket than they did for each of theirs -- almost double. I was really upset given that I had paid $800 more for a higher fare class ostensibly to get an upgrade. They took the upgrade. I got an economy plus center seat.
Were the two flights the same flight number? If not, the directly contradicts (again) what our UA friend has assured us is the case. I wouldnt be surprised if they were pulling a number on him/her, assuring that upgrades are offered only when there are no wait listed upgrades but actually revenue maximizing, short term. It's a tricky game, though, as there are many of us who will stop paying upgradable fares (and flying UA less) once the pattern becomes irrefutable).
Originally Posted by
mike1968
My wife's (GM) is linked to my e-mail account. About a week before a flight she was going solo, I got an e-mail to do a buy-up to F, which I bought to be nice. It said the seat would be assigned at checkin. There were definitely elites waiting / missing out for the UDU
This could be a bit different, though. I have seen purchase offers when I've bought tickets and there is upgrades space available. Then I apply my instrument and I'm in. In this case there could have been upgrades space at he time of purchase or sometime before the upgrade windows start. Somebody took it and then once the auto upgrades start there is a queue and as we know on the day of the flight there is always a wait list.