Originally Posted by
embarcadero1
United can downgrade in case of IRROPS.
The issue is that almost all first fares have underlying fare codes that United believes allows them to rebook you into Y.
United can
offer a downgrade in case of IRROPS, but you are not obligated to accept it if you're in a purchased First fare (regardless of the fare basis).
In one case the airport agent told me that I "might have to be OK with Economy" among other completely idiotic assertions (When I realized how clueless she really was, I just called UA res... they had no problem rebooking me on AA in F since there wasn't any UA F cabin availability the rest of the day); in another case UA offered a single cabin aircraft and associated downgrade but when I politely pushed had no problems putting me on the (~30 minute later) A320.
SHARES actually makes it somewhat inconvenient to boot a paid F passenger out of the F cabin... I think it was MIA where Y was oversold and I volunteered because the compensation was amazing vis the inconvenience and no one else was biting (I think I got to my destination 6 minutes
earlier, picked up a $500 or $600 ETC, and they got be back up front all the way through)... it took the agents probably 10-15 minutes of head scratching to downgrade me to Y to apply the comp, rebook and upgrade me)