Any updates?
 

Not to beat a dead horse, but since this thread was started a while ago, I was wondering if anyone has had any recent luck with waitlisted mileage U/G's?

I am scheduled to fly LAX-EWR in a week, and I am currently waitlisted for an U/G using miles. I know EUA's hardly ever happen on this route anyway, but I was wondering if I should chance staying on the waitlist (and possibly forgoing the chance of an EUA/ OLCI upgrade) in hopes of bumping me to the top of the battlefield list, or am I just better off re-depositing my miles, and praying against hope for a free U/G? Would appreciate input from anyone who may have done this recently!

wow this is a dead thread, but to answer the question. I was miserable in coach for 6.5 hours.

JDS@LAX IMO the waitlists are crap and on top of that it hoses your 72 hour upgrade chances. Oh yeah, then you get to beg for your miles back. These days I just say "no" to upgrade waitlists. :p

The 753 aircraft are now back at 24 in F which definitely changes the equation considerably!

I've also had good luck waitlisting for BF upgrades and getting them.

Mrs. D/2 and I had our waitlisted upgrades clear for our upcoming IAH-EWR flight on a 7-6. This was the week before the flight.

Unlike Derrico's experience, I've never had to beg to get my miles back. As soon as the flight posts to OnePass, you can call and they'll see that you sat in coach.

I had two waitlisted BF upgrades last week that failed to go through. The miles were redeposited automatically and I never had to do a thing. I also was not charged the BF service fee on my credit card . . . .

Thanks for the replies everyone-- that really is annoying. I'm on a flight with 6 open seats up front right now, and I have to play this crazy game to try and get an upgrade after shelling out 15k miles! Guess I'll call CO tomorrow and have them take me off the list...

Well, for EWR-LAX I think you'll find that flights often sell out in F for real money in advance of the day of travel. I'd stay on the waitlist. I think you should be ahead of any EUA activity (if any) if you're on the list.

There seems to be a misunderstanding in some of the recent posts regarding domestic mileage upgrade waitlist priority. Mileage upgrades clear before any EUA's, so being on the waitlist does not sabotage your chances of an upgrade. You should be upgraded before any platinum EUA. In my experience, my domestic mileage upgrades have cleared right before platinum EUA window or as that window opened (I'm gold).

I have watched seats disappear at the 72 hour while I was on the waitlist. I can not be sure that they were upgrades but the timing was suspicious.

Regarding having to request the miles back when you dont get the upgrade, perhaps CO listened and made a change. In the past I have had to ask for them back, but as I said since early this year I just don't bother with the waitlist.

Yes, this is true even at battlefield, worked for me on ANC-IAH flight.
As I looked at KVS 2 days before departure, there were 2 F seats still empty. I called gold elite line, who suggested to use miles to get battlefield upgrade over plats. I did, and 2 F seats were still available on KVS in the morning of departure. When I checked in, We were still on original coach seat. (we volunteered to later flight for guranteed upgrade and $$$, but it didn't go through, so that's another story.)

At the end, GA called me and handed me 2 new BP with F seats.
We were able to snag last 2 remaining F seats at the gate.
Staying on waitlist won't hurt - rather, IIRC, if you request mile back to your account within certain days they may charge you, unless you are plats. If you stay on the list, upgrade didn't happen, then you will get your mile back to your account with no charge.

Also, my last 2 transoceanic round trips this year, I was put on waitlist on both and upgraded successfully within 3 days of flight. (4 out of 4)

Did you see ALL F seats gone ? or are there some still available ?

Were you using the mileage upgrades on transcons by any chance? I'm just worried now that since EUA doesn't usually run on transcons, if I try to stay waitlisted until the flight I won't be able to check-in online (a previous poster had claimed to have trouble doing so while waitlisted) and I may lose a chance for an upgrade that way as well...

I had an experience a few years ago when I was flying on an international BF award and my domestic segment had not been upgraded-- tons of open seats in F until the night before, and then when I checked in that morning, all elites had been upgraded. When I went to the airport they put me at the top of the upgrade list since I had used miles, but at that point it was too late, F was full and I missed the upgrade... just don't want that to happen again.

Yes, the waitlisted mileage upgrades in question all were on transcons (SEA/SFO-EWR), as this is the only halfway worthwhile use of a domestic mileage upgrade, IMO. With respect to your domestic leg of BusinessFirst question - in such situations, you also are waitlisted at a PR1 priority level. That means that you have priority over any elite upgrade and have the same level of first class standby priority as someone who paid for F (the only passenger who can trump you for a battlefield is someone else with a PR1 priority who was placed on the waitlist before you). The fact that CO upgraded elites ahead of you was an error on their part, and until recently, was a common error. Until CO irons out this wrinkle (they have been making progress on this), one must be proactive and call the elite to keep checking whether space is available and make sure you are waitlisted appropriately. At the airport, remind the agent that you have PR1-level priority.

Thanks so much for the info and advice, I really appreciate it!

^