Originally Posted by
BOISJC744
I finally got an agent to dig into things, and apparently an in-cabin pet on your PNR inhibits CPU eligibility/processing. You can have an agent at the airport add you to the list, but since cabins get mostly filled by advance CPU this likely means that you're going to be stuck in the back, or be given the last seat which will likely be a no-go for your pet (bulkhead). Especially when you're traveling with another passenger, and you want to have two seats together. I suppose that's just the way it is, but frustrating for two 1Ks to end up sitting in E+ on a route that often CPUs silvers...
The two obvious alternatives are to either wait until the CPU clears to add the pet to your PNR (but risks the flight being "at capacity" for pets already") or to take this as yet another absurd incentive to consider going the ESA route and stop playing by the rules and paying the in-cabin pet fee--which as an aside is just a mega pain logistically: no OLCI, no electronic boarding passes, and now no chance to be CPUed (on top of being charged a fee for literally no benefit).
As someone with allergies to animal dander I like this rule. If I see an animal on a flight I make sure to enquire of the GA if the animal is seated near me, and if so then I ask to be moved. Most of the time I am in the FC cabin and the pet is way in the back in E-. I was seated in E+ (earlier this year) where someone with a pet was put in the bulkhead seat and had to be moved and was moved next to me by the FA (although I was not paying attention) and I did not realize until during take-off hen I started wheezing and my eyes started running. The pax with the pet told me there was no way her animal caused that reaction - fantastic, yes my eyes just start running and I start wheezing all of a sudden but it is not caused by your animal - irrespective I asked the FA to be moved once we were in the air and the FA told me I needed to sit in my assigned seat - I questioned why the pax with the pet was not in their assigned seat (to be told they could not sit in their assigned bulkhead seat) and so they found a seat further back for me. Yes, animals come before people on United (well at least that was my experience on that flight) so not feeling sorry for you about this rule about no CPU.
Your fee for the pet does provide you with a benefit as I have been informed by others on this forum that if it is between me and the pet boarding the plane it will be the pet that gets preference.