Just remember - positive R space is no guarantee that EUA will process an UG. EUA will UG you when it feels like it.

Sometimes it may not even "run" until T-24. ;)

There should be no problem with the record. Purchased on CO.com a few weeks ago. 2 same-day CO segments and that's it.

A ticket can get out of sync for a variety of reasons -- change in flight time, change in flight number, etc.

EUA can also choke if it's not recognizing your status properly (e.g., name or middle name mismatch).

There is no visibility into the EUA system and whether EUA will pick you up.

Both flights have the same flight number and flight times as when I bought them. Name is the same as always.

I know it's easy for EUA to get messed up, but it's clearly not running here.

Edit: I just saw the thread where a poster mentioned that he shows as Gold on his boarding pass, even though he's a Plat. Maybe CO is now recognizing me as a Gold because of their little IT screw-up where 1K=PresPlat=Plat.

channa, I was under the impression that even though EUA might 'choke' due to an 'out-of-sync' reservation, the system simply stops upgrading passengers at this point—or until the issue is resolved. I know for one that last year I had a messed up ticket, and the agent said that I was probably the reason why EUA hadn't run (because the system simply stopped rather than skip over me).

Is my understand of the system correct?

Thanks!

My understanding is that this used to be the case several years ago, but then they modified it so that it skips over the problem record and keeps going (otherwise no advance upgrades would run on so many flights).

Perhaps UA Insider can confirm.

That's a rather short, speculative list. But I guess it's helpful to know what possibilities exist for the other .0000001% that could encounter a problem.

Yesterdays flights: SEA-IAH at T-3, and IAH-AUS at T-1 (I hate having to sweat out that 28 minute flight :p).

Booked a ticket yesterday SEA-IAH-xxx after the plat upgrade window for SEA-IAH but before the window for IAH-xxx.

IAH-xxx upgraded to "R" as normal right at the 5-day mark. SEA-IAH didn't upgrade but was showing F7R5. That's also normal as the next EUA window isn't until today.

Sometime around 2am last night (I was still awake) the R buckets were zeroed out. They remain zeroed out this morning. No idea why because the flight is still F7 and the coach inventory hasn't changed.

I wasn't watching the flight yesterday to see if anyone got the upgrade at the Plat window for SEA-IAH because I didn't know I'd be taking the flight.

No idea why CO would zero out "R" like that. There were reports of "R" being zeroed out right as EUA ran and then the inventory going back in. Only thought I have right now is they're going to downgauge that aircraft from a 20F to a 16F 738.

-RM

Really? 1 in a billion? If the rate of anomaly were that low, nobody would ever post an anomaly. We'd probably have one or two anomalies a year, and the likelihood of that being a FTer who could identify it and post it would be zero.

Given the amount of EUA anomaly postings we've seen it's a shame to trivialize them. While it may work in many cases, there are other cases where it does not seem to be working as designed (or at least as explained). I know that posting EUA problems doesn't make CO look good, given the frequency with which we see their kludgy systems flake out on upgrades and upgrade processing. But unless people post stuff, how can they research and identify possible problems?

And if people post stuff that's legit or explainable, at least that helps the community better understand this quirky, obtuse system.

As for your comment about speculation, what else do we have? There is absolutely no visibility into the system by us as customers, nor the agents you can call. They might be able to see if your ticket is messed up

Fortunately CO realizes that this is a problem and has acknowledged they can do better in this area. Hopefully they will sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, when we move to CO's systems, I plan to do a sanity check on my reservations about a week out. That involves contacting an agent, making sure my OP, err, MP number is in there and shows me as 1K on their end, and my ticket is in sync. While an Upgrade: Pending designator would be a nice, authoritative indicator, we don't have that, so I'll do the best I can and call to verify the pieces of the puzzle that I know, so as to give me the best possible chance of running effectively through the black box.


I'm glad it worked for you. The problem is it's not working for a lot of people/records/flights/etc. A lot more than 1 in a billion. As you know the problem could be against a flight, a record, or the whole system.

Though your data point is good because it points out that it's not a universal problem, rather it may be related to something else.

That's possible, or it's also possible that bookings picked up (even in Y) and IM simply reassessed the flight and withdrew R space, saving it for Y-Ups.

Coach inventory has not changed (as noted in my original post). The flight was 9's across and then W6 S3 T1. Flight was still showing the same inventory when R zeroed out. Flight is now W5 S2 T0 so one more coach seat was removed from inventory.

I am not saying it's impossible that coach inventory hasn't sold but according to the numbers it hasn't and definitely not enough to remove "R" space.

EDIT: Update, literally a minute ago the new seatmap was loaded. I was right, unfortunately :( It's now a 16F 738 doing the SEA-IAH run. UGH!

-RM

Since CO always compensates you if you are downgraded (even if you were an upgrade), it looks like their systems did the right thing here by holding onto extra space in case of a downgrade.

Hope you enjoy SEA-IAH -- great views on the route during the daytime.

Stopped running?
 

Apparently not...got Friday's IAH-SEA UG at T-5...3/3 so far in 2012 :)

Maybe
 

Trip tomorrow, returning Friday. Three segments upgraded on schedule. One did not, for tomorrow. There are are 4/16 occupied (with two showing as upgraded). My coworker and I (both Plats) are not yet upgraded. Elite line looked at it and saw that it was wide open and said to not worry about it (its a short flight at least).

Something odd about that one segment.

fp

Interesting Development
 

I checked in for my flight tomorrow and FC went from 4 seats taken to 12 taken (with 4 open) at some point between this morning and now. There are 8 people showing as upgraded. I'm not on the upgrade stand-by list either. My coworker checked in and is showing on the stand-by list. On phone with elite line and they are re-checking me in and calling the airport.

I'll post an update shortly.

fp