While I wholeheartedly agree that the UG professor is routinely broken, I wouldn't assume this instance is due to a failure. Looking at the before and after lists, pax # 3 6.. they could have exercised a Same Day Change, change flights all together, or even cancelled their tickets. In short, I personally haven't seen the UG-p skip over multiple units of single-party pax. It's equally possible that pax from another flight in paid F SDC'd onto your flight, or 1-2 pax purchased a last minute F fare.

From my experience, the front-line staff have no ability to report details of the waitlist activity, so take what they report with a grain of salt unless it gets forwarded to a supervisor or higher.

Hope you get a battlefield upgrade!

Thanks, anteater. This is a once-a-day route (ORD-SFO, if helpful color) which to me thinks SDC is a less likely explanation but still always a possibility.

The front-line agent tried to tell me that lower-level elites on a higher fare class would have priority over a MVP Gold 100K on a lower fare class. Once I heard that response, I had a sense I wasn't going to get anywhere.

I spoke with a supervisor and she confirmed my suspicions -- at least one of the two upgrades were an MVP Gold (on an N fare at that). She was at a loss for how this happened as well. At first she thought it had something to do with them being checked in and I wasn't but AFAIK, check-in time is no longer a determinant for upgrade priority and she agreed with me on that point. She then cited their manual which was the same as the upgrades page online for the rankings: elite status, fare class, MM status, time of upgrade request/booking. I emphasized how frustrating this was and she said she had escalated it internally. I don't think I'll ever learn the true outcome but hopefully it gets some attention at AS.

Fingers crossed for the battlefield UG! At least I already cleared the return so I won't have to play this game again...

It's also possible that when U space opened and if the UG-p did not run in a timely manner that those on a qualifying fare used a GGU to snipe the space. I have done that previously, even at T-1.5 hours. Or, alternatively, AS could be re-acommodating displaced pax from other flights. Given the supervisor confirmed the N-fare class, that would be my first assumption. All it takes is a quick refresh at the right moment or an EF subscription.

Correct, the UG processor use check-in status as a metric for upgrade ranking. A 100K who is not checked-in will still be ahead of say a 75K or MVP who is checked-in. Unfortunately, AS doesn't dedicate resources to analyze waitlist failures or even perceived failures because it's a drain of resources.

That front-line agent needs to be retrained, oh boy..

Let us know how your UG plays out when the flight does occur. :)

Or just check-in again! #3 & #4 appear to be companions (same last name) but you can't tell if they are on one or two PNRs. If #3 checked in again and grabbed U space, it would have to be seperate PNRs. Only #3 was removed from the list #4 stayed put.

No GGUs or buy-ups would be required for Elites as everyone at less than T-24 would be eligible. U space for a non-Elite would work though but would require a call to upfare if their fare class was belown N.

James

Flying for Fun

If I check in while U is open and the UG-p hasn’t run, the system will automatically upgrade me?

If so, that’s a terrible bug!

God was way down at #12 though...

The system is sooo messed up. About 1/2 my flights this year (as 100K), I go to check-in and the system tries to sell me an upgrade (which I think is why people below us are 'jumping' the upgrade list). I now will buy it, then call in to the Gold line and complain, and they refund the money paid for the upgrade.

No no no. I can assure you what is posted on AS’ website is policy!

That is AS' stance: what is printed is policy (e.g. website). Okay, so the website says: A pax will be upgraded immediately as space is available. Wait, that's not how the UG system is working at all, not at all.. and Reservations isn’t empowered to assist pax when the UG processor is clearly not functioning according to policy. No need to worry though.. AS may recommend that you up-fare or use a GGU to secure that upgrade, rather than assisting you! Don't worry, AS is aware of the issue behavior! *crickets*
(end sarcastic rant)


AS truly needs to fix the UG professor. It’s embarrassing.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...00fc347236.gif

Curious thing happened from YVR-SEA-BOS. For SEA-BOS, companion on same PNR was upgraded to 6E, from 13C, while I was left at 13B, prior to check in. Original seat got taken. Went from aisle to middle - not too happy with that and would have preferred to stay in 13 (or moved to the back where people had space to spread out). Both MVP then.

I sucked it up and selected 6B (from 13B) upon landing at SEA - fortunately I hit MVP G with that flight and it showed up quickly.

Is this supposed to happen?

Sidenote: Curiously, online it showed that we were waitlisted for both Premium and First, and our names showed up on the waitlist. Not expecting F, just curious that we would be on the waitlist at all, given that 2x MVPs on the same PNR doesn't work with the upgrade processor?
Did see people presumably clear into first maybe only T-40 ? or so - flight must not have had too many high elites.

what is absurd is that AS call center/res agents can't upgrade us when we are within T:24 and U space is open, who cares who else is on the list, if I have the time to check and see that YOUR system isn't working correctly, I think I should be moved into those seats - it makes more sense for an elite that's on the ball to do this vs someone in steerage without status who will see the option to upgrade, and go and snag it.

UG professor may already be inebriated with holiday spirits..

I was #1/5 on the WL and U went from 0 to 3. U sat open for ~12 hours and when the UG processor finally ran it upgraded pax #3,4,5 — that’s right the bottom three pax.

AS didn’t know why this occurred, but they created a bug report. 🤙🏻🍹

I should have called in for this one. Was on a flight recently with 5 seats open in F. I was #4, flight 0'd out.

No upgrade, figured I was a shoe in. ANC-LAX, a redeye :(

Just curious how to check in a second time. I have gotten the message "already checked in", when the email comes in later than when I did check in.

what the heck? Are you traveling alone? I know AS upgrade processor was buggy buy not this buggy, or I didn't know AS upgrade process well enough.

Yes, a single pax. 🤙🏻