Originally Posted by
236Dakota
I was attempting to apply 2 GPUs to a SFO-LHR-SFO ticket online and at check out it stated there was a $100 "Service Fee" so I called the 1K line and they wanted $111. I went back and upgraded online for $100.
I've upgraded this same itinerary several times in the past year and this is the first time I was asked to pay to apply a GPU. Is this something new?
Hi 236Dakota,
This is likely the Air Passenger Duty that is charged for flights departing the United Kingdom. Similar to an upgrade co-pay, it is charged to a credit card at the time of request, and refunded if the upgrade doesn't clear. It varies based on cabin and routing (and may be lower/nonexistent if you're just transiting UK instead of departing).
The fact that you were quoted a higher price via our reservations centers may have been due to a manual tax calculation, but if you see it again please feel free to PM me with details of your reservation.
Aaron Goldberg
Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning
United Airlines