Advice requested: splitting PNRs
 

My non-elite wife and I are traveling IAH-FLL and back in late January, and I find myself wanting to split a PNR for the first time (this is my first year as an elite and I'm still learning the tricks of the EUA system). I have a few questions for those that have done it:

1. Is it easier/better to split them at co.com or with an agent over the phone?

2. I used miles to upgrade the outbound leg of our trip to domestic F; that segment has already cleared, confirmed, miles deducted, and been re-ticketed in the R bucket for both passengers. Am I correct in assuming that there should be no issues with splitting the PNR at this point (i.e. losing the upgrade)? I'm trying to split in an effort to catch an EUA and a companion upgrade for us on the return leg.

3. Should I split her or myself off of the original reservation?

Thanks in advance for the assistance.

1. It's easier to split on co.com and splitting over the phone provides you no additional benefit.

2. Just in case you are able to score an EUA, as a CO Gold, you will have CO Plats and their companions ahead of your companion request so you need to realize that you may be flying in different sections of the plane.

3. It doesn't matter.

Just a heads up!!

Be careful if there is a UA code share flight on the itin. I found out this week that if you split the PNR with UA codeshare flights on them, the chances are likely that the UA reservations will be "lost". It took me almost an hour on the elite line to get the UA PNR's and seat assignmnets, and then I found out that my Plat wife and Gold daughter had been upgraded on the UA flight, but me, the Fat Plat, is still sitting in back!

I would be sure to use the elite line if splitting a PNR with UA code share flights in the future.

Thanks to you both for the advice.

These are CO flights on CO metal, so I should be okay there, but good tip about UA codeshares.

It's generally not advisable to split a PNR with any other carrier on it.

Would someone mind explaining why you would want to split the PNR? My understanding is that then your companion would no longer be on the same itinerary, so maybe it's easier for you (the elite) to get upgraded since there need only be space for one person. But doesn't that kind of suck for the non-elite?

Well yeah, but if you're going to try to COmpanion upgrade them at the airport, you're in a more favorable position if one upgrade is already COnfirmed. You only have to hope for one seat vs. two.

Because the elite member is not eligible for a free elite upgrade (EUA) if there is a non-elite companion on the same reservation.

Doesn't what "suck"? The non-elite can still accompany the elite through the elite access lines and the non-elite is still eligible for the elite checked baggage allowance (if the reservations were previously booked together). The non-elite is not able to select an Extra Legroom seat for free (unless it has already been assigned) and is not eligible for elite pricing on Confirmed Flight Changes, although both can sometimes be overridden by an agent/supervisor on the phone.

Sorry, apparently it was just my unfamiliarity with CO. When I fly with my SO on UA she gets upgraded for free with me because she's on the same reservation, so putting her on a separate reservation would be against my instinct.

So UA's policy on companion upgrades is different?

Yes. CO will let you upgrade anyone on the same segment but only at the airport. UA will only upgrade on the same PNR but they do it at your clearance window.

Thanks. Like so many other minutae, it will be interesting to see which policy survives the merger.

Note: The question below is specifically for upgrade on UA.

Does having more than 1 person on a PNR lower the chance of upgrade? For example, two plt traveling together. Do they have higher chance of upgrade with 2 PNR? or does is it make any difference?

In many cases, mine included, there could be more than one elite on the PNR. Sometimes if we are 2 Plats traveling together we could be upgraded on one PNR, but there would have to be availability of both seats at the time of the Plat EUA sweep, if we are 2 Plats and a Gold on the same PNR, there would need to be 3 seats available at the time of the gold sweep. One's chances are greatly (I suppose) increased by being on seperate PNR's.

Taking Channa' advice above, the next time I have a itin with a code share flight on it, I will buy each ticket seperately with it's own locator. If I wasn't lazy, that would be the ideal way to do it anyhow for the 500 mile co.com booking bonus. It is just that you would first have to be sure that there are enough tickets available in the fare class you choose before starting to buy them one by one.

Interesting, I wasn't aware of UA's policy.
FWIW, AA allows both -- you can request a companion upgrade in advance, and it doesn't have to be on the same reservation. But OTOH, you have to use instruments for the companion.