Thank you SFO-FT .. some pretty terrible news to wake up to here!

Well let's hope that fare basis rule you posted is only a rare exception but deep in my heart I really do doubt that.

The rules on back on the 1K SYSTEMWIDE cert list all the fare types worldwide it is useable on (pretty well anything purchaseable, and except to HI for whatever reason!) but with this nasty little stinger at the end:

"C,D,Y B M H Q V W S K L T booking classes EXCEPT where the terms and conditons of sale state that the fare is not eligible for upgrades.

Lets just hope someone in there doesn't simply add those fateful exclusion words "/system upgrades/" to the few 100 deep discount fare types UA peddle worldwide daily, or the benefit of them (for me and many others I can sure) will be largely lost. And lost in weeks if not days.

Whether this has anything to do with the widespread hawking of these 1K Certs on a certain online auction house trumpeting to the universe: "these suckers can be used worldwide to confirm an upgrade from the lowest possible coach fares buyable - you can save $10,000 if clever" etc as some of the sellers there are keen to point out, we will of course never know, but my views remain very strong on that outlet.

Those sort of blatant abuses of the system are clearly NOT in UA's interest whatever and may have encouraged them to "close the door". We will never know.

On the other hand, those to whom the SYS are given are a 50,000 whatever strong band of people UA right now would be VERY keen not to annoy. Their most valued 1K high tier flyers no less.

Perhaps Premex idea might bring some fruit if these fares basis rules have NOT already been re-written? My observation is that there must be about 50 use these boards on and off that appear to be 1K level - maybe others have a higher or lower take?

Whatever the number, 50 emails on one subject to Denise Harvill/Goodwin/Dutta etc WILL make an impact methinks. Perhaps posting several key email/snail mail addresses here for each concerned 1K to contact will have 3 or 4 times the impact in addition to the calls Premex also suggests?

I'll pull up a few discount fare rules and study them today to see how wide the cancer has grown within UA.

In the meantime, I personally feel Eastbay1K and others (like me!) who already have a booking in the system that has been upgraded based on presentation of a SYS will have that booking honoured. All very nice, but what about our FUTURE flights up to March 31, 2002 that many like me were counting to use these on?

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~ Glen ~



[This message has been edited by ozstamps (edited 10-04-2000).]