Has EUA Stopped Running?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The KUL city
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, TK Elite+
Posts: 2,663
Has EUA Stopped Running?
I have a LAX-IAH-SJO flight this Sunday and my LAX-IAH cleared the EUA. However, even though my IAH-SJO flight shows R/RN > 0, I am not upgraded (I called CO yesterday and was told that the "sweep" will happen midnight last night and there's nothing they can do to upgrade me).
As far as I know, the "sweep" only happens once a day and it's usually in 24/48/72/96 etc. hours prior to your departure time. All my flights are marketed and operated by CO, so there shouldn't be any out of sync problems. How do I make sure that I am on the upgrade list or get upgraded since it has been showing R/RN > 0 for the past few days!
Sometimes, having faith in the system just doesn't work because computer says no!
As far as I know, the "sweep" only happens once a day and it's usually in 24/48/72/96 etc. hours prior to your departure time. All my flights are marketed and operated by CO, so there shouldn't be any out of sync problems. How do I make sure that I am on the upgrade list or get upgraded since it has been showing R/RN > 0 for the past few days!
Sometimes, having faith in the system just doesn't work because computer says no!
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,234
Maybe you're not next in line for the upgrade?
You got upgraded on your other segment, so I'm sure your reservation is fine, and you'll just have to wait until the system processes you.
You got upgraded on your other segment, so I'm sure your reservation is fine, and you'll just have to wait until the system processes you.
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,068
That's likely not your case here since you received the first of two upgrades.
Since CO's upgrade system is opaque, and you have no visibility into it (no Upgrade: Pending or Upgrade: Waitlisted notation), you just have to have blind faith that the system will work and take care of you if appropriate.
It's unfortunate that they don't have a DL-like or UA-like system where they run upgrade as soon as space is available inside your window, but CO is probably working around a lousy back end system, and apparently this is the best they can do.
#4
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAD
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Rewards - LTPP
Posts: 4,240
Since CO's upgrade system is opaque, and you have no visibility into it (no Upgrade: Pending or Upgrade: Waitlisted notation), you just have to have blind faith that the system will work and take care of you if appropriate.
It's unfortunate that they don't have a DL-like or UA-like system where they run upgrade as soon as space is available inside your window, but CO is probably working around a lousy back end system, and apparently this is the best they can do.
It's unfortunate that they don't have a DL-like or UA-like system where they run upgrade as soon as space is available inside your window, but CO is probably working around a lousy back end system, and apparently this is the best they can do.
I know you have a CO flight, just highlighting some differences with UA
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The KUL city
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, TK Elite+
Posts: 2,663
Since CO's upgrade system is opaque, and you have no visibility into it (no Upgrade: Pending or Upgrade: Waitlisted notation), you just have to have blind faith that the system will work and take care of you if appropriate.
It's unfortunate that they don't have a DL-like or UA-like system where they run upgrade as soon as space is available inside your window, but CO is probably working around a lousy back end system, and apparently this is the best they can do.
It's unfortunate that they don't have a DL-like or UA-like system where they run upgrade as soon as space is available inside your window, but CO is probably working around a lousy back end system, and apparently this is the best they can do.
#6
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: ORD / DUB / LHR
Programs: UA 1K MM; BA Silver; Marriott Plat
Posts: 8,243
Thank you! I am aware of the CO EUA problems (i.e. not showing Waitlisted/Pending) when they started to offer complimentary EUAs to UA Elites this year. However, it's kinda absurd that an agent can't physically book me into the R/RN class even though it is available (she told me it is available but there's can physically book me into that class)!
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The KUL city
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, TK Elite+
Posts: 2,663
I am confused by this. How would someone be ahead of me when there are already 3 EUA sweeps. If PP is ahead of me, he/she would be upgraded by now and then Plats/1Ks, and now it's past the Gold/1P sweep. Am I wrong to think that if R > 0 before your sweep, you should get the EUA since other higher elites would have been upgraded already?
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
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I am confused by this. How would someone be ahead of me when there are already 3 EUA sweeps. If PP is ahead of me, he/she would be upgraded by now and then Plats/1Ks, and now it's past the Gold/1P sweep. Am I wrong to think that if R > 0 before your sweep, you should get the EUA since other higher elites would have been upgraded already?
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The KUL city
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, TK Elite+
Posts: 2,663
1) Upgrades may are not necessarily run at the stated times, so there may be PP, Plats/1K ahead of you that have not been upgraded yet. 2) Did you ever stop to think there might be more than one of you at your elite level? As a matter of fact, the number of elites at each level increases significantly as you work down the list. If R>0, that tells me that there's probably a line of people ahead of you waiting to be upgraded.
2) Yes I know there are Plats/PP/1Ks at the same elite level as me!
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: ORD / DUB / LHR
Programs: UA 1K MM; BA Silver; Marriott Plat
Posts: 8,243
I don't want to sound rude, but I want to understand the situation. If my flight shows R = 4 now (i.e. < 3 days prior to departure), then the PP, Plats/1K and Gold/1Ps should have cleared by now (since PP/Plat/1K clear 5 days prior and 1P/Gold clear 3 days prior). Even if R>0 and there's a PP in front of me, the PP won't clear because there's a line? Don't CO start clearing the upgrades until R=0?
2) Yes I know there are Plats/PP/1Ks at the same elite level as me!
2) Yes I know there are Plats/PP/1Ks at the same elite level as me!
What's likely to happen is that the next time the sweep happens, those 4 seats will be filled, starting with the PP, Plat, 1K, etc. and working down from there. Or they will remove some / all of the R inventory because the revenue management system believes they can sell more seats.
The key difference though is that nothing happens until each "sweep" occurs and then the available R inventory is filled according to status. No R inventory at that instant = no upgrades happen then until the next sweep.
#11
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Homosassa, FL & Ringwood, NJ -UA-G(Lifetime); SPG-Plat (Lifetime)
Posts: 6,120
As a CO Plat, I can tell your for sure that EUA does not run predictably every day, as you are assuming. Also, you are not taking into account higher levels of elite that may have (and probably did, to a certain extent) purchase tickets after the 5 day EUA run (if in fact it ran). Nowhere does CO 'guarantee' that EUA will run at the listed times.
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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As a CO Plat, I can tell your for sure that EUA does not run predictably every day, as you are assuming. Also, you are not taking into account higher levels of elite that may have (and probably did, to a certain extent) purchase tickets after the 5 day EUA run (if in fact it ran). Nowhere does CO 'guarantee' that EUA will run at the listed times.
#13
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And unless the UA flight has a GID at the gate, you'll have no idea where you stand on the upgrade waitlist. You'll also have to wait until you get to the gate to see where you are, unlike co's system which will show you the battlefield upgrade order as soon as you check in. @:-)
One of the advantages of UA's approach is that the list becomes authoritative inside of four (4) hours.
CO's list, OTOH, does not become authoritative until checkin close, which in some cases is after boarding has commenced. Since EUA and the visible upgrade list use different orderings, this could be a problem.
In fact if CO did have GIDs at more gates like other airlines have, it could be more problematic when the lists complete and customers watch #3 get upgraded while #1 and #2 remain the same.
Thank you! I am aware of the CO EUA problems (i.e. not showing Waitlisted/Pending) when they started to offer complimentary EUAs to UA Elites this year. However, it's kinda absurd that an agent can't physically book me into the R/RN class even though it is available (she told me it is available but there's can physically book me into that class)!
Since we have no visibility into the upgrade system on CO, the agents aren't allowed to override it in an attempt to maintain some semblance of integrity.
You seem to have this expectation that if you're inside the window and there's upgrade space, you're entitled to it. While that would be the case on UA or DL, it's not the case with CO.
#14
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If there is R=1 and I buy an F seat right now, R goes to 0 and you don't get your UG.
#15
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAD
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Rewards - LTPP
Posts: 4,240
Not necessarily. If F=3 and R=1, the F you purchased doesn't come out of R. Revenue management is behind both UA and CO's upgrade schemes and none of us have the crystal ball inside either one. UA's upgrade scheme and CO's both have advantages and disadvantages. Let's not pretend either one is the be all end all of complementary upgrade programs.