Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: New York, NY
Programs: UA, AA, DL, Hertz, Avis, National, Hyatt, Hilton, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 10,042
The only saving grace is the 20F cabins which make upgrades marginally more likely. Anecdotally, upgrades on EWR-LAX have become easier in my experience since the merger and post-VX capacity dump.
Of course, the F service has been downgraded in United's neverending quest to cut costs at all costs, so it's not what it used to be.