Glad to know I am not the only one with this experience (even though I obviously know it sucks for you). It really is getting stupid.

I didn't get a chance to look at R/RN space, but Tuesday's PMCO 1623 DCA-IAH only had 1 UG (bringing the cabin to 8/12) until 30 minutes before departure (at which point the GA cleared 4 people). I found this to be curious.

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Y-ups. Govt fares often book in Y.

Correct. And this is one of the greatest issues with using fare class as a determining factor on who gets upgraded and who doesn't...and it's not just govt fares...how about all the corporate fares that get huge fare discounts (some accounts on this site and others have claimed 40-50% negotiated discounts to not be uncommon)?

Someone like me, working for a small to medium size business might be paying every bit as much for a discount economy class ticket as the corporate rates that at the same price use a much higher fare code.

And it gets even worse when one considers the YB ups to lower elites which allow some corporate travelers to clear at booking while they pay a fare that might be no more than mine, yet I will never even get close to scoring an upgrade, no matter how much more I fly and no matter how much I paid relative to those corporate travelers.

P.S. Never mind that the tax dollars from some of us are the very dollars that are then used to buy those govt fares...

When I flew on behalf of the gov't (only flew Continental), I never got booked into Y! (2007-2008)

I wonder if it's changed now. :(

I am on tomorrows IAH-SJD flight which is completely full in coach. In fact even the exit rows are taken. There is not a single person upgraded or even on the standby list yet and when I checked in I was offered an upgrade for $109 for that flight. I gladly took it because as a lowly silver I never get upgraded and with the flight being so full surely there are elites ahead of me. It is now showing 15/20 booked.

Yikes, smells like a TOD. What's your fare code? Unless you're an ~E or higher, it's a TOD.

Government contract fares are quite often cheap compared to other non-refundable travel, and many government agencies have now switched to using lowest available.

It has. Up until this year CO didn't participate in the government city pair contracts (for the most part) and would file a government fare (HDG, KDG, etc) for government travelers to match the contract fare. UA did have contract fares which usually book into Y, which is the way the new UA decided to go.

That's exactly my point...they are paying far less than I do for the same fare class, and that's why they are ahead of me in the upgrade list...

Class was U and now is ZN. Looks like 5 more people did what I did and filled the cabin. There are now 3 people on the standby list

Maybe you should go work for the government then.

EUA like clockwork for me, but midweek travels during the holiday lull...but still no EUA emails...although if something is broken, I'd rather it be email and not EUA.

Doesn't really matter since they're not flying UACO anymore.

CO cut you quite the nice deal - published difference between U and B is $315-$385 depending on dates.

EUA worked beautifully for CO1705 IAH-PHL on Dec. 22. Cleared this morning at the 5 day window.