How are upgrades prioritized?

Customers standing by for upgrades are prioritized based on several factors, such as paid premium cabin customers versus complimentary Premier upgrades. When not already confirmed in the premium cabin, customers on paid premium cabin tickets are given top upgrade priority.

On flights that are eligible for complimentary Premier upgrades, United MileagePlus® Premier members will be awarded in the following priority:

Premier members with full-fare (Y class) tickets, in Premier tier order
Premier members with full-fare (B class) tickets, in Premier tier order
Premier Platinum members in all other fare classes, in fare class order
Companions of Premier Platinum members
Premier Gold members in all other fare classes, in fare class order
Companions of Premier Gold members
Premier Silver in all other fare classes, in fare class order

Premier Platinum and Premier Gold companion upgrades may only be requested within two hours of flight departure. If there are multiple customers having the same Premier status, the type of fare originally purchased will be used to determine priority. Specifically, the ranking of United's discounted fare classes from highest to lowest priority is: M, H, K, Q, U, V, G, W, E, S, T, N, and L class. In the event there are multiple customers with the same Premier status and fare class, the time of check-in will be the ultimate tie-breaker. For companions of Premier Platinum and Premier Gold members, the time the member was added to the upgrade standby list will be the determining factor.

Once all Premier upgrades have been processed, all remaining customers eligible for upgrades will be prioritized. Upgrades for qualified pass riders will be cleared after all eligible customers have been accommodated.