Is UA domestic F worth £40?
May 2, 2012, 6:12 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London / Los Angeles
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, BA Silver
Posts: 1,631
Is UA domestic F worth £40?
I have a redemption booking to the U.S. this summer. The booking is in C but one of the internal flights, SFO to LAS, was booked in Y due to lack of C availability. Seats in C (I guess really domestic F but books as C for redemptions) have now opened up for the flight.
My Question is, is it worth paying £40 change fee(and having to endure a call to the ICC) for 2 passengers to change from Y to domestic F on this 1 hour flight. We both already have Amex Platinum and Priority Pass so I think we will get the same lounge access regardless. I have no experience of domestic F in the US, but my understanding is that it is pretty disappointing, with no meals on short flights etc.
Anyone got advice on this?
My Question is, is it worth paying £40 change fee(and having to endure a call to the ICC) for 2 passengers to change from Y to domestic F on this 1 hour flight. We both already have Amex Platinum and Priority Pass so I think we will get the same lounge access regardless. I have no experience of domestic F in the US, but my understanding is that it is pretty disappointing, with no meals on short flights etc.
Anyone got advice on this?
May 2, 2012, 6:18 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ABZ
Programs: BA Bronze, A3*G, TK*S
Posts: 764
In theory you'll get a nicer seat, some free drinks, and that's about it. If this was a revenue booking and you'd been offered an upgrade for £40 (PMUA typically offered some short Y->F upgrades for $60 or so), then I'd have argued it'd be worth it for the extra status miles if you were chasing status. For a redemption, probably not.
Remember that domestic F in the US typically does NOT grant you lounge access - this is true of UA.
Remember that domestic F in the US typically does NOT grant you lounge access - this is true of UA.
May 2, 2012, 6:22 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
Programs: Mucci, BMI*G, M&M SEN, FB Gold, PC Plat, Father of GhettoIFE
Posts: 3,972
If it was Buy-up before check in on a Y class ticket, yes (I did this mainly to skip questions about the amount of baggage I was taking back home, connecting onto an AC flight in Y)
I'd stick with what you have.
I'd stick with what you have.
May 2, 2012, 7:23 am
#5
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Here there everywhere
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, BA Silver, Aegean Gold, Aeroplan 25k, AA EXP
Posts: 2,827
Isn't upgrading a class of service on an existing booking free? When I did it last year I didn't have any charges to pay.
May 2, 2012, 8:20 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Finland
Posts: 1,212
May 2, 2012, 8:26 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
Programs: Mucci, BMI*G, M&M SEN, FB Gold, PC Plat, Father of GhettoIFE
Posts: 3,972
However, on the SFO - LAS 1 hour and a bit flight... all you'll get is a larger seat and some snacks if you've been good.
Now. £40 is a fun 30 minutes or so on Wheel of Fortune.....
May 2, 2012, 8:36 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
Don't bother. Domestic first is nothing special, and not worth that cost for such a short flight.
One hour, all you will get is priority boarding and free alcohol, possibly a snack box, and no middle seats.... but i would just spend $7 on the drinks and save the 40 for Vegas.
One hour, all you will get is priority boarding and free alcohol, possibly a snack box, and no middle seats.... but i would just spend $7 on the drinks and save the 40 for Vegas.
May 2, 2012, 2:28 pm
#9
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: SW London
Programs: BAEC Silver; Hilton Diamond;a miscellany of other hotel non-statuses
Posts: 3,607
If not how do we tell? Does the 'correct' column on ANA get used?
May 2, 2012, 2:38 pm
#10
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,182
SFO-LAS is far too short to pay a TOD upgrade, much less 40£! To see the TOD upgrade rates for you route during OLCI, check out this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...iscussion.html
BTW, UA will sell you miles for 2 cpm at checkin, a deal that is close to the US DM quarterly 100% bonus
BTW, UA will sell you miles for 2 cpm at checkin, a deal that is close to the US DM quarterly 100% bonus
May 2, 2012, 3:46 pm
#11
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: bmi ba virgin
Posts: 176
If your SFO to LAS is the end of an international flight, then changing to F domestically, will change the entire booking into F miles and cash for the international segment as well, even tho you will be sitting in C for the long flight, making the change totally not worth it! If however you can book it in C class then it may be worth it if you have too much baggage for Y, to avoid any problems when you check your bags in for the domestic segment.
May 2, 2012, 3:52 pm
#12
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,747
If your SFO to LAS is the end of an international flight, then changing to F domestically, will change the entire booking into F miles and cash for the international segment as well, even tho you will be sitting in C for the long flight, making the change totally not worth it! If however you can book it in C class then it may be worth it if you have too much baggage for Y, to avoid any problems when you check your bags in for the domestic segment.
I, too, agree it isn't worth paying the money to move from Y to F on a one hour domestic flight.
May 2, 2012, 4:31 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: OOL
Programs: VA Plat, QF LTS, UA MM, Hilton Diamond, Rydges Black, ,Le-Club Gold
Posts: 3,659
By gum lad if you get the Barnsley call centre it's even slower than the ICC, you have to add the cost of the hour wasted and the risk of screwing up your booking... don't do it
May 2, 2012, 5:29 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London / Los Angeles
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, BA Silver
Posts: 1,631
OK thanks guys, seems like a consensus on this. Ill leave it.
UA domestic F now seems to book into C on all domestic. Economy baggage rules don't apply on bookings with international routing. I flew last year on a redemption where the TATL leg was in C and two short haul Ys on each end, and the C baggage limit applied to all flights on the booking(2 bags).
If your SFO to LAS is the end of an international flight, then changing to F domestically, will change the entire booking into F miles and cash for the international segment as well, even tho you will be sitting in C for the long flight, making the change totally not worth it! If however you can book it in C class then it may be worth it if you have too much baggage for Y, to avoid any problems when you check your bags in for the domestic segment.
May 2, 2012, 5:41 pm
#15
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,813
I am a bit surprised at the responses here.
I would definately pay £40 to move to domestic F. The biggest plus about domestic F is the bigger seat and priority boarding.
The flight is 90 minutes, and you would be seated for a bit more than that. For two people to have a much wider seat, priority boarding, (maybe) a PDB is certainly worth £40 to me. But again, I certainly see how people value money differently.
Another factor to me is always the risk of being delayed for an extended period of time on the ground. I recently flew LAS-LAX and was delayed on the ground about 40 minutes. I didn't mind at all as I was sitting in the relative comfort of AA domesic F.
I would definately pay £40 to move to domestic F. The biggest plus about domestic F is the bigger seat and priority boarding.
The flight is 90 minutes, and you would be seated for a bit more than that. For two people to have a much wider seat, priority boarding, (maybe) a PDB is certainly worth £40 to me. But again, I certainly see how people value money differently.
Another factor to me is always the risk of being delayed for an extended period of time on the ground. I recently flew LAS-LAX and was delayed on the ground about 40 minutes. I didn't mind at all as I was sitting in the relative comfort of AA domesic F.