Originally Posted by
sbm12
Or increased visibility inside the OLCI window, particularly if you're not at the airport or at the gate with the GIDS. And I'm not particularly clear what the "no visibility" bit means.
There's no visibility outside of the OLCI window on CO. On UA, you would see "Upgrade: Pending" if outside the appropriate status window and using UDU; inside the window or if using miles/SWU/CR1, you'd see "Upgrade: Waitlisted."
These at least let you know you were on the list and that the system was "working." (And if you didn't see "Pending," you knew to call and get on the list as something was screwed up, or if you stayed "Pending" inside the appropriate window.)
On CO, there does not appear to be that functionality, and phone agents seem to have poor results in trying to indicate that someone is on the list.
Now, CO had UA beat until recently on the list inside the OLCI window, as they showed the contents of the list and one's place on it, which wasn't readily available on PMUA until at the gate on the GDI. UA now has that functionality via the mobile app, anyway (given it's UI is a clone of the CO mobile app).
Originally Posted by
sbm12
This is certainly different but not necessarily an upgrade or a downgrade, just different.
I'd argue it's a slight downgrade, but YMMV on that one. I can envision scenarios both where it would benefit and where it would work to the detriment of particular pax.