Originally Posted by
blackllotus
Ah, ok. That actually makes sense. If someone purchases a fare that can be eligible for an instant upgrade but instant upgrade space isn't available then will that be reflected in their position on the waitlist? Or are instant upgrades processed separately?
It's published:
The following is the order of priority, within five days, on flights that are eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades:
- Premier members on eligible Y- and B-class fares, as well as Premier 1K members on M-class fares: Instant upgrades that weren't confirmed in advance are prioritized by fare class, then Premier status
- All travelers on waitlisted Global Premier Upgrades, Regional Premier Upgrades and MileagePlus Upgrade Awards: Prioritized by Premier status of the traveler, then fare class and then time of request
- All remaining Premier members using Complimentary Premier Upgrades: Prioritized by Premier status of the traveler, then fare class and then award travel
Theoretically, these are all processed off the EUA beginning at T-120 and until the flight goes to the gate, at which point the list transfers to the published gate standby list which you can see on "flight status."
Note that the description of award ticket handling is somewhat misleading, as those are actually prioritized by Premier status (i.e., 1K award CPUs are processed before any Plat CPUs) rather than at the bottom of the list.