Though now you'll actually have to pay for a E+ upgrade (and they don't come all that cheap on transatlantic segments) as *A Golds can no longer get them as a perk

This is exactly my concern. It is much easier for staff to arrange their upgrades in advance, and to persuade colleagues into giving the upgrade ahead of revenue pax. It also discriminates against connecting pax unless you can persuade staff at LHR, EDI etc to phone ahead to MAN.

I'm quite relaxed about staff upgrades to PE - provided I'm also in PE with them. I would be a lot less relaxed if I was still sitting in 42G at departure

True, but UA has correctly guessed that I'd rather pay more to guarantee an extra 2" than take the risk elsewhere.

There's no answer to that!

Even 2" can make all the difference - which is perhaps why I overestimated the new PE pitch (above)

Sadly I agree, it was nice while it lasted though. Does anyone know the going rate for E+ upgrades over the pond?

Well staff travelling on ID90 standby tickets cannot be given any seat Y or PE until after checkin has closed for revenue pax, so provided you are there in time, you will always be ahead of staff getting into PE.

First, ID90s are only one of the ways in which staff can travel at a discount. Most also have confirmable friends and family tickets, which would book first into C then PE then Y depending on availability. It is the volume of these I fear most.

Second, there are the 'operational' upgrades for friends of staff, partners etc who are on conventional revenue bookings. I've seen plenty of this in PE recently - all of them confirmed ahead of my GUV (I know this because the seats in which they were sitting were not available by the time I checked in)

Third, your faith in dispatchers adhering to the correct rules is touching. Who decides when check-in has been closed to revenue pax? Colleagues of the ID90 traveller in question!

Well, you know what they say: it's not the size, etc...
Can't quite put my finger on it, but I really dislike UA's service. It is not that it is especially crap. It is neither better nor worse than most US airlines. I don't know. It is something about the attitude, as if they thought they offered a quality product. Surely nobody can be lacking so much in self-awareness, can they?
To add to that, e+ has actually made it worse for those of us who refused to pay the extra, as you tend to be invariably shunted to the far end of teh cabin or have to pray and hope that a decent seat will be available on the day at ckin.
I must say that I recently discovered AC in economy and I was well impressed. No idea as to what the vital statistics are, but it felt fairly roomy on the A330. Booze is still free and they also have decent lounges. As in so many other ways, Canada is here too the decent face of North America.

It was $99 o/w on IAD-LHR in Feb. Don't think it has changed. If you do more than one return trip (or if there are more than one of you), EPA at $299 makes more sense if you really want to be sure of getting e+.

Yep, EPA seems a good deal to me - extra legroom for me and Him Indoors for a whole year for less than I sometimes cough up for an MCO between EDI and LHR.
Could not agree more. Recently tried AC in economy and was pleasantly surprised. Admittedly, it was not on the unrefurbished long-haul 767, but I thought the overall customer service, the lounges and the staff were great. Had me wondering why I have been using UA as a default all these years. YYZ was fab.

For me, the gap between UA and its reality is embodied by that preposterous marble reception in the LHR RCC. The huge design speaks of a global five-star hotel but the staff are more Easyjet ticket desk on an August bank holiday. Who do they think they are?

Absolutely agree. I don't mind all the preferential perks (bmi teddy bears, business amenity kits and bottles of wine, to name but three) that go to longsuffering bmi staff, who have little choice but go on holiday to Chicago. Again. But that of course assumes I am in the PE minicabin with them

One possible resolution would be pre-confirmable GUVs - ideally at booking, or with 24 or 48 hours notice as on UA, or at the very least at the original point of connecting departure... I am guessing this is a "hope-in-hell" kind of wish