HobokenFlyer

I am flying tomorrow with my parents. They were upgraded (EUA) as Plats a couple of hours before check-in opened. I checked the flight, FC was Full, the pda site sait FC was "unavailable". I check in at 24Hr mark and I am #1 on Standby (Plat on S fare). About 2 minutes later, there is someone in #2. I check an hour later to see how FC checkin is going and everything is the same except the list has grown to 6.

I just checked 3 hours after the 24Hr mark and the person that was at #2 is now listed as "upgraded" and in 2A. I backed my browser to make sure I wasn't seeing things and it's true...the person at #2, somehow got upgraded into a Full FC cabin by "leap frogging" over me.

Is this possible? It was a FULL cabin. Could they have known someone who had a FC res on the flight, told them to cancel and then used $ or OPM to upgrade? Maybe on a mileage waitlist?

I just would want an explanation on how and empty FC opened and then the #2 on the list jumped ahead of me. Do I have any recourse and is this allowed?

Thanks for anyone's help and clarification of policies. Thanks!

- HF

usa18dca

I'd check with COInsider, it's possible #2 upfared to a higher fare basis or something is fishy here.

J.Edward

My guess is buyup.

...afterall, that person might have paid a whooping amount in the tens of dollars for that!

cjgibson

Or it's possible that everything was kosher.

Let's say you and Mr. 2A were traveling on the same fare basis code, and that you're both Plats. Now let's say that Mr. 2A bought his ticket before yours. He's higher up the EUA list than you are. But you checked in before Mr. 2A did. So you're higher up the upgrade standby list than he is. It might not make much sense, but that's how the tie-breakers work: If there's a tie when EUA runs, the tie-breaker is time of ticketing. If there's a tie when the upgrade standby list is cleared at the gate, the tie-breaker is time of check-in.

Just a thought!

transportbiz

I think if your theory was correct, wouldn't Mr 2A be #1 as soon as he checked in? Time of check in is the last tie breaker isn't it? It doesn't position before time of ticket purchase? Time of purchase advantage would have made Mr 2A #1 on the list as soon as he checked in. SMB12 would know better, but that's how I thought it worked.

HobokenFlyer

Mr. 2A was #2 on the upgrade list after me for 3 hours...
I would understand if I was bumped down and a seat opened...
it just seems weird.

I wasn't offered a buy-up at check-in cause it was full...
and every time I checked FC was full.

Here are the screenshots...

BEFORE



AFTER



- HF

sbm12

Time of check-in is the tiebreaker for the list shown on the PDA site. That's why HF would be ahead of #2 on that list. But the EUA runs from a different set of data and would use ticket purchase time rather than time added to the list as the final tie-breaker.

It is important to remember that the list we see is ONLY used at the gate. Anything that happens prior to that is still more readily understood by Schrödinger's cat than us simple mortals.

The fact that is lasted 3 hours is likely attributable to the fact that it was full. Someone bailed in the interim, opening up one seat and then then next time a customer went to check in the EUA processed that passenger.

Or it was a buy-up.

Or it was shenanigans.

transportbiz

The confusing thing for me on these lists are the number of "MON E.s" and MON S.s" on both the upgrade list and on the standby list.

chiph

This is completely common. Everything is normal.

The PDA site confuses people because they think they're being exposed to the EUA roster. In fact, they're exposed to the gate upgrade roster. Different policies in place.

So, you're watching the gate upgrades and meanwhile, the pre-airport EUA system is running as usual.

Why they're different is sort of insane...in an ideal world, the EUA system would run up until the door closes on the plane. And the EUA roster would be published.

TommyC80

Absoutley kosher in my opinion... Example

I was on an M fare LAS-EWR in January and SDC'd to a different flight. To my dismay, I was way back in row 25, F was full and I was #5 on the standby list.

I set an expertflyer alert to let me know when any bucket in F opened. About 30 minutes later, I got the availability email, called the OPSC and M-upped into F...Ahead of the other People on the standby list.

I checked again when I got on the plane. The other 4 people that were ahead of me did NOT clear. I rode up front and they rode in the back...that's just the way it is

snod08

Those were the OP's parents (he mentioned it in the post).

apex02

what is an expertflyer alert?

HobokenFlyer

You are correct and my mother has the same first initial as me.
Hence, the two "MON, E's"...The "S" is my father.
If my wife took my name there would be a fourth "MON" since she is a Silver.

Thanks for all your responses...the Gate/EUA thing makes sense.
I think I am going to have to spring for expertflyer if I start flying more,
especially on B and M fares. And I agree that they should just run it EUA at the gate also.

But oh well...

Thanks again.

- HF

UA-NYC

Did you have to pay to up-fare to M? If so, how much was it? How far out from departure did you do this?

Looks like there's a lot of game playing these days to get the UG (not a dig at you, that's the system)...not going to be fun.

TommyC80

No, I did not have to pay up.As a platinum I can upgrade into F on an M fare as long as there is Z availability (I think that's the bucket). In fact I had already bought an M fare on my first flight and was cleared into F on that original flight.

That's not gaming the system at all. If there was another plat on and M, or a silver/gold on a B/Y they could have done the same thing. I was just more resourceful and beat them to the punch.

I did all this about 3 hours prior to the flight.