[QUOTE=Starman;23871864]So, shouldn't you stop making a brand new booking when R is available, even if the need for the trip just arose, because you know you may be unethically jumping people on the waitlist??...QUOTE]
How would I know if there was waitlist (plausible ignorance)? On the other hand, people calling in know there's a waitlist (ie they are on it). On that side of the equation, I guess it's plausible ignorance to assume they are #1 on the list.
My only points are 1) yes, the system is broken and 2) just my opinion - even though it's broken, UA could clear the waitlist in order when alerted to R availability.