Had a strange experience yesterday with the following itinerary:

PSP-LAX - UA (regional - no F class)
LAX-IAH - CO (mainline)
IAH-ATL - CO (regional - no F class)

Could not check in on line at UA with message that I need to see gate agent. Called UA and was told that there was no problem with my itinerary and the the Airport had put a hold on ALL web check-ins for that flight. Of course this was misinformation - several of the folks on my flight had used the web check in.

Checked in at airport and rec'd boarding passes for all three legs, but then checked PDA UG list and I wasn't on it (CO Plat). Called elite line and they said they've had problems with the visible list when the first flight was UA. She assured me that I was on the list. I asked her what position I was and she said the list appeared the same to her as it did to me so she didn't know what position I was.

"Well, how do you know I'm on the list?", I asked. "We've been having this problem for a while and I just know."

Hmm... Well needless to say I didn't get upgraded (not that I would have necessarily as there were only two available seats at the time I checked in), but just curious if anyone else has had this happen...

thanks

Oh, this was on UA ticket stock.

Doesn't matter. What matters is that you must check in with CO to be added to the waitlist for battlefield upgrades. Checking in with UA (or any other airline) on an interline ticket doesn't trigger the event needed on the CO side of things to get added.

And resolving that is something that the airport agents handle, not the phone folks.

All the phone folks see is if you are in the EUA "queue" and you almost certainly were.

Happened to me as well doing a CLT-IAD-SAN-EWR-CLT route. Could not get on to upgrade list for SAN-EWR until at SAN airport. EUA was still running but could not get onto "battle field" upgrade list. SMB12 summed it nicely above.

When she said that I was on the upgrade list when I was not...

Not really - you're selectively reading sbm12's excellent post.

There are two upgrade lists. One for EUA, and one once you've checked-in for the flight (aka battlefield).

You were on the EUA one, but as you hadn't checked-in on CO, you were not on the battlefield one.

Because you were for EUA purposes. If CO held back F seats for Battlefield upgrades at the gate you would not be on the airport upgrade waitlist as stated above. That would require you to speak with a GA to be placed on the list.

I have been in the same situation as you twice, once I received the EUA and once I had to be placed on the airport waitlist in which I just shot up to #1 anyway.

Isn't the Upgrade List that appears on the PDA COol the Battlefield upgrade list? Since I told the agent that was what I was looking at and she said I was on that list. She didn't say I had to check in with the gate agent. Being an elite agent and telling me they had problems recently with it but assuring me I was on that list is kind of misleading.

Yeah, wish I'd known I needed to talk to the gate agent - I thought what the Elite Line agent told me was true. Now I know better - thanks for the info.

Check your boarding pass, most likly UA only applied your FF# to the first leg, it is a known problem and is being worked, even if it was there it may drop once you begin travel. Happened to me about 6 times now, even lost a B up when I called they insisted I was on the list however they couldn't see it, went to the gate and the agent said my OP# wasn't there.

In that the list you are looking at is not something the reservations agents deal with or manage I wouldn't fault them too much for not understanding what you were asking. You asked about a list and they checked the only one they can see. They saw you on it.

Certainly not perfect, but I wouldn't suggest that they are trying to mislead anyone.

Question:
Is this same EUA/battlefield issue going to occur if I am flying entirely on UA metal? My OP# is the number on file for the itin.
Should I check in online at CO.com where I booked the flights, or should I ck in on UA.com?

At least IME, CO.COM will not allow you to check in there. You'll need to do it at UA.COM (i.e. CO.COM will redirect you to UA.COM).

Safe Travels

No. UA processes their lists differently than CO does.
You always check in with the carrier operating the first flight.

But isn't there a distinct disadvantage to being absent from the EUA list and relying solely on the "battlefield" (ugh, I hate that term) upgrade? This same thing happens to me when the first flight is on UA and I am connecting to CO - you can't check in on CO - you won't even get the option to do so. I always do check in with UA first, but that doesn't seem to trigger anything perceptible in terms of your place in the upgrade queue.