Manoa Chris

Doesn't help those suffering poor U availability out of Seattle, but interesting data point on my RDU-SFO commute. Next week the flight switches to 737s for the rest of the year. I nearly fell out of my chair -- a T-120 upgrade cleared.

So maybe the theories about Alaska's upgrade processing being especially broken on smaller cabin Airbii have some merit.

radtechtraveler

Just spoke with a boise rep about a January bos-pdx midweek flight with 1st and PE completely wide open but no U space has been opened up yet. She said its the #1 complaint they have heard about since September

lalala

She's going to hear some more for me today. TH managed to find a seat in June from BWI. She's a unicorn chaser for sure.

Lindsiria0

How are you finding these? Everything I look for says there is no U space available. I only managed to use 2 because we are flying a red-eye from Seattle to Orlando.

Are you booking your tickets with the GGU price, and then just checking until a space opens up, and then you use your GGU? Or, when you see some available, do you call Alaska to upgrade your ticket class so you can use your GGU?

Also, how the heck are people getting so many GGU?

Flying for Fun

I never purchase an eligible fare unless I can apply a GGU for an immediate upgrade. Only once did I purchase and the availability disappeared before I was able to apply the GGU. Another opened the next day and I caught it before EF did.

My Partner and I are both 75K. We each got 4 at MVPG and somehow each got 8 more at MVPG75K. That gave us 24. I applied two to a PDX-SEA-MSY itinerary and the PDX-SEA was downgraded to a Q400 from a E175. AS replaced the two GGUs. We flew SEA-MSY in F as well. We had 26 in total. Only 2 left.

We are flexible so I search and see if I like what I find.

James

dmodemd

This happened to a lot of people (but not to all), so there are a glut of GGUs out there to burn and now it is getting to the end of the year. Fortunately I had no problem finding enough U space to start burning these in September but not on the flights I really wanted to use them. I have two left and have my alerts set so hope to be able to use them. At United it got so bad a lot of people could not use their upgrades all year, while $99 upgrades were sold left and right.

channa

Same here. I'm spending less money now as a result of low U availability. Might as well buy the cheapest fare if the upgrade won't confirm.

Eastbay1K

Or buy the F seat on another airline with a more reasonable fare. When AS is several hundred $ more for P/F and there's no GGU space, the other airline gets my money and AS gets $0.

channa

Of course right after I said this, I bought up on speculation that U would open. But it was only $3 more than lowest fare.

VegasGambler

As 75k, don't you usually get upgraded anyway? I've never been 75k (but I have a tentative plan for next year) but people talk about something like 19/20 upgrades (can't remember what thread I read that in -- possibly this one)

As 75k you should be happy that U isn't available... you won't have MVPG's using their GGUs to take an F seat that would otherwise end up going to you

jrl767

VegasGambler

At 19/20 it's more like you're the house than the roulette player though

To me, they seem a lot like the "TOD" upgrades that high level elites always complain about. It's a relatively cheap way for lower-leveled people (like me! once I hit gold anyway) to skip the queue.

dmodemd

You don't have to gamble with the buy-up in advance. If U opens, you can call in and buy up to the minimum fare class to use the GGU and then they can apply this. I have done this before.

Flying for Fun

Our first and last flight of most of our itineraries is through SEA on one PNR with a companion certificate. SEA is very Elite heavy. A solo traveler is likely to be upgraded more often requiring only 1U availability. I can't split a PNR with a companion certificate attached. It is possible an MVPG or an MVP for that matter could be upgraded as we are skipped by with 1U availability. I am fine with that. I would rather sit in a middle seat (one of us is usually in the middle) with him in Y than in F without him. Furthermore, any Elite that purchases an eligible fare will be on waitlist while a 75K is corralled in the "waitlist request queue" waiting to be released onto the waitlist. I prefer to confirm an instant upgrade.

So, no, I shouldn't be happy there is no U availability. For longer flights, Hawaii, East Cost, Costa Rica, I like to confirm our F seats and not be at the mercy of the upgrade processor. Additionally, an MVPG who earned a benefit should be able to enjoy that benefit and not be disadvantaged by a 75K who, in most situations, will have preferential waitlist positioning.

James

VegasGambler

If I was at the top of the list, I'd want there to be 0 U availability right up until takeoff, with the F cabin wide open. No P either, just to be safe. That more or less guarantees me an upgrade even with a cheap fare. But then, I'm a selfish ........