Question (maybe rant) on Elite Upgrade Process
 

I will admit that I don't read the fine print in the OnePass rules all the time and don't know all the details about this upgrade purchase program.

I am a Gold. My wife and I have reservations out of IAH on Sunday morning on a 737-900 with a V class fare.

Most years I'm a Silver, not a Gold. I always thought that Golds were upgraded three days out. Right now, out of 20 first class seats, 14 are unoccupied. But I have not heard anything from CO about an upgrade.

Did they change the rules, are they holding the seats for possible sale, or is it just my misunderstanding of things.

Thanks

The 3 day upgrae is not a guarantee. Continental *may* or *may not* choose to release upgrades at 5,3,1 days......sometimes one or the other. It is a revenue management decision process that can not be predicted.

You will still be eligible to go on the UG list when you check in online at T-24hrs. You can add your wife as a companion at the airport.


As a gold I have very rarely been upgraded three days out (twice). But don't lost hope...you still have a decent shot!

Plats can be upgraded at 5 days, Golds can be upgraded at 3 days and Silvers 1 day out. That is when the windows open, but they don't have to release seats that early.

The rules are unchanged, and unless you expected the upgrade (which I'm sure you didn't expect it, but merely thought that you'd get it due to the number of seats still open), you aren't misunderstanding anything.

CO routinely holds that many seats back until the day of the flight. It seems ridiculous to me too. Even as a Plat, and I was Gold last year, I'll find myself on gate standby before clearing the upgrade (if it clears). Strangely, even with a cabin that open 3 days out, you will see every seat in the F cabin filled when you board. (Hopefully you'll be in one of them!)

If you haven't checked out pda.continental.com, you might want to do so - you'll see realtime flight info, including upgrade lists (where you can find your place in the upgrade queue), flight standby lists, realtime seat maps, and more.

Good luck!

How many days out do ugrades using miles go out when you get waitlisted?

No limit. They can clear at any point in time.

For the OP, it is also worth noting that if you and your wife are on the same PNR then you will not be upgraded since she is not elite.

As others have posted above, the rules are you 'MAY" be eligible for an upgrade at the 5-3-1 day mark. CO does not have to release the F seats at those days. It depends on the market and destination. Where are you going to? If CO deems it a very popular market, it may be hoping that people will buy F tickets. Also the seat map is not a true representation of available F seats. Many times travellers book an F seat/fare but do not choose their seat. Thus the CO seat map shows it available, when it actually is taken. As for Gold vs Silver, you do have a better shot at that F seat, but remember any Platinums will go before you (and well before your 'companion'). Good Luck!

Thanks all - I sort of interpreted "may release seats" as "will release seats". Well, maybe lady luck will shine on Sunday...........

Hopefully, although the following quote from sbm12 is key:

"For the OP, it is also worth noting that if you and your wife are on the same PNR then you will not be upgraded since she is not elite."

In other words, if you are on the same reservation record as your wife who is a non-elite, you will not be upgraded, because the system considers the reservation record as "non-elite" and therefore not eligible for an Elite Upgrade Automation (EUA) upgrade.

Are you, in fact, booked with your wife on the same PNR?

We are on the same PNR but I found that I've been upgraded in the past without her and Continental splits the record at that time.

CO will not split the record without you requesting to do so; nor will they upgrade you if y'all are on 1 record (they consider the group as the lowest person on the list... which is your non-elite spouse). You should call 'em and ask to have it split. Then you *might* be upgraded beforehand & then have your spouse added to the upgrade list at the airport.

On a related issue: does the check-in time of a pax affect the upgrade probability or chances in oversold situations in any way at CO?

(I appologise for jumping in)

When looking for victims to IDB (Involuntarily Deny Boarding), they often go for whomever checked in last. On a flight last year I heard an elite (who was going to be IDBd but who was saved by a benevolent fellow passenger) express surprise that his status hadn't protected him.

I want to be at that flight but years of flying DL made a trained monkey out of me, because the time of check-in and boarding make a difference over there (EDIT: when it comes to upgrades, oversold situations, etc.) :rolleyes: Thank you!

Don't time of checkin and date of reservation make a difference on CO as well?

Check-in time used to be a tiebreaker for upgrades, as I recall, but I think they did away with that criterion. Someone who is even more anal than I am can confirm.

Heck, I can confirm...it still is:

http://www.continental.com/web/en-US.../upgrades.aspx

Just to make sure, so cheking in early is key?! :confused:

I think that if you examine the information on the page that I linked to, you'll see that it's highly unlikely that check-in time would come into play...elite level and fare class are the keys. There would have to be an elite at your level who booked the same fare class in order for check-in time to matter as regards gate/battlefield upgrades.

When denied an upgrade the first thing the GA says to me is there are other *G that have a better class of service or who have checked in before me. I cannot dispute this since I am not privy to the manifest. So I am at the mercy of the gate agent who may, or may not, be telling the truth.

Just a quick update:
On that flight I opened up about (out of IAH), I was upgraded somewhere about 24 hours before it and my wife got the airport upgrade (with reseating next to me).

On the way home this week, I was actually upgraded three days out although it looked like first class was almost full. She was upgraded at the gate when one of the booked first class passengers was a no show.

No idea why the return flight, with less FC seats available and less 'blanks' upgraded me three days out while the outbound was 24 hours.

Glad everything worked out for you & your wife!^