Originally Posted by
jerseykeebs
Thank you for the response!
Pretty grim news, but basically what I've been expecting. I saw that the buy up is not available online, and hasn't been since I was ticketed back in July, but I assumed it was unavailable due to the popularity of the route. Good to know it might just be a glitch, I've been checking online periodically and was debating to call in.
No problem. It's worth a call, anyway. They should be able to calculate a buy-up price, although you may not get the discounted price between purchase and check-in. It appears that you didn't purchase this ticket on United.com -- I'm guessing corporate travel -- so that may make it slightly more difficult for them to generate an offer for you, as they may not want to touch a travel agent ticket prior to the day of departure.
Originally Posted by
jerseykeebs
I can't wait list the entire flight, since SFO-HNL is code share with Hawaiian. Since upgrades didn't seem likely for that segment and I"ll probably be stuck in coach anyway, I chose the 2-4-2 instead of 3-3 on UA.
UA doesn't codeshare with HA on SFO-HNL. You must have a multi-carrier ticket with a fare break at SFO. I'm really surprised that it would come up with the 27.5K mile offer, then; it should have shown $250+20K.
(Also -- I'm a little confused, because I can't find a single Saturday in the next two months where the schedule works out -- the HA SFO-HNL flight departs before the UA EWR-SFO flight arrives...)
Originally Posted by
jerseykeebs
If I wait list with miles +copay, would I still have an opportunity to buy up at OLCI? And if I do, I'd still get the miles + copay refunded? r/awardtravel is more pessimistic about the price, saying to jump on it <$500, but that it could go $1k
Some people have reported getting an offer with a waitlisted instrument, yes. And, if you buy-up, you would get the miles + co-pay refunded.
It definitely
can go to $1K+. I probably should have been more pessimistic in my post. $299 is the standard difference between coach and business on that route, for travel outside of the lowest fare classes and when inventory is available. I have seen a number of reports of people getting that price at OLCI, regardless of the original fare class, if inventory up front is reasonably wide open. A 6 AM westbound departure on a Saturday is not a peak time, which is probably why you're seeing as many people clear as you're reporting.
However, none of that is a guarantee. It could pop up at $899 and stay there. There's no real way to know.