Hi
jpr1953,
The really short answer to most of your questions is "The [United elite benefits] system is pretty complicated, and there's no real substitute for spending a few dozen hours studying the available materials -- which, because it's poorly documented at best, usually means perusing Flyertalk."
In other words, RT*M.
But posting your questions on FT is a good start, so let me try to provide some quick answers. They probably won't fully satisfy you, and if they don't, I really do suggest searching and reading the forum.
Originally Posted by
jpr1953
I hardly ever get upgraded. I presume that United has changed the algorithm significantly so that the price $$ of the ticket now trumps FF level.
Complimentary domestic upgrades (CPUs) got hard for almost everybody after the merger. This is mostly attributable to (1) lots of high elites, including Global Services which outranks 1K; (2) very full planes; and (3) aggressive marketing of F for cash, including cheap P and A fares and inexpensive buy ups from economy. There just aren't very many seats left for elite upgrades (complimentary
or instrument/miles-supported) once UA has sold as many as they can.
Some markets are especially bad. SFO-IAD on a Monday morning is hopeless. But EWR-FLL on a Wednesday afternoon is a relatively easy upgrade.
However, your guess about the system is [mostly] not correct: elite status is still the most important factor for upgrades. The order is GS > 1K > Plat > Gold > Silver. Within your elite status bracket, upgrade priority is by fare class. And (compared with a few years ago) there are a lot more high (Q,H,E) fares out there, so a 1K on a low (S,T,L,K,G,N) fare is behind all the GS and a lot of other 1K.
The exception to this is that any elite on a Y or B fare (the very highest ones) goes to the front of the list.
Originally Posted by
jpr1953
Also, I have only twice managed to get upgraded into int bus class using the 6 global upgrades each 1K gets. Mostly the ticket says it is "restricted upgrade" when I try to use them.
GPUs can be used on (1) any domestic flight, and (2) international flights in W or above. So, as you've observed, no hope of using them on a low (S,T,L,K,G,N) fare internationally.
Furthermore, there is a special fare bucket (R) for instrument-supported upgrades. You can view fare bucket availability by enabling Expert Mode in your United profile, and doing a dummy booking on United.com. If R is available when you apply a GPU, you can upgrade immediately. Otherwise you just go on the wait list, which may or may not clear eventually. R is pretty rarely available. Many of us plan our travel by first finding a destination and a date that has R available, then coming up with a reason to fly there.
Originally Posted by
jpr1953
The only thing I have found, is that I can call the airline and ask them what the cost is to upgrade my ticket to the lowest upgradeable level (is it w?) and I have twice paid that amount ($150-$300) which got me seats in int bus class, but not always.
The general wisdom on this forum is that, if you've bought a cheap (less than W) ticket, only pay the up-fare to W if R space is available. Otherwise you're playing the "upgrade lottery", and if you don't clear, you paid your money for nothing.
Originally Posted by
jpr1953
Seems there are many people higher on the list than I.
For GPU-supported international upgrades, that might be the case (position on the wait list is determined by time of request, but also by status and fare class -- GS get to upgrade into PN space rather than R, which is much more available). But it might just be that UA never releases any R space at all on that flight, and nobody (or almost nobody) gets upgraded without paying for it.
Originally Posted by
jpr1953
Clearly the 96 hours upgrade for IK does not seem to be active as I see seats available if I check the web but I am not upgraded. Anyone know how the system now works as I cannot understand it.
As a 1K, you
may be upgraded as early as 96 hours. But complimentary upgrades before the plane door closes are 100% at United's discretion. They can leave the entire F cabin empty, trying to sell seats at a huge discount, until right before departure. That is the way the system works.
My experience is that if there are >5 seats empty at T-96, usually some elites get upgraded. By T-48, there are usually only about 2 empty seats, meaning that either elites have been upgraded or a non-elite took the offer to upgrade for $150. But keep in mind that there are probably GSs and 1Ks on higher fares who didn't get upgraded at T-120 or T-96, and all those people remain on the list ahead of you.
Originally Posted by
jpr1953
Parenthetically, I spent 10 years as platinum on Continental pre DisUnited and was upgraded (with companions) about 80% of the time, including international trips to bus/first just using miles +$200 per leg ......what a difference life is now travelling on United - I consider Continental almost glory days compared to the really unpleasant flying on United.
This forum is full of arguments that (a) United ruined Continental, or (b) Continental ruined United. The broader truth is that flying
either airline back before 2012 was a better experience... in part because the airlines weren't making a profit. Now they've learned to stop competing, make a profit, and drastically cut benefits to elites. This is true of the merged United, but it's also true of Delta and (to a slightly lesser extent) American. It's more about the climate of flying in 2015 vs pre-2010 than it is about any one airline (past or present).