Why doesnt CO do away with EUA? They dont do it any way
 

Ok , My rant,

I have 6 segs upcoming 3 tommorrow and 3 on Weds. 2 are on RJs, so down to 4. Last Thurs 3 flights showed A/D/Z at 9/9/9 . Still no Ups at the 5 day window or any window for that matter, yet. Today 2 are still at 9/9/9 the other one for tommorrow is at 6/6/5. the 4th has been showing 1 seat since last Sun.

2 of the flights are on a 767 that I was told was only 1/2 sold in 1st. I understand that once CO UPs me or anyone else that they cant sell that seat any longer, BUT then why advertise about Free Upgrades 5 days out if you're a Plat? I would rather know that UPs arent going to be given out before the Flight Date. Rather than deal with COs lies.

because on rare occasion they do happen!

CO did mention that their upgrade rates for platinum are below what they would like them to be.

While I cannot speak for everyone, I'd say that I get the EAU about 80% of the time. People need to remember that just because your flight shows availability, there are many factors that affect what is going on.

1) Perhaps the route has lots of last minute purchasers.
2) Perhaps the flights the day before, or earlier that day are oversold and they expect bumps

On my routes and flights, EUA works for me 99% of the time. I am very happy with it. I remember years ago when we needed to sit by the phone, wait for the magic T minus 72 hours (or whatever it was back then) before flight time, then call in and try to snag an upgrade while 50 other people were trying to do the same. I will take EUA over that system anytime.

It works great for me on the rare occassion I'm not on an ERJ or Saab (I have to fly to a lot of really small markets). Every upgrade I've had in 2005 and 2006 has been processed through EUA, not a battlefield upgrade at the gate or after I've already boarded. Granted I'm dealing with a relatively small sample of flights, because more than 90% of my business flights these days are ERJ/prop flights. But it does work pretty well for me when I'm on an aircraft with a first class cabin.

And it does beat the old days of picking up the phone and calling at midnight.

I'm starting to think this might be the best way to get bumps vs. using Elite status, which doesn't seem to garner much these days the way they seem to be filling up/overselling flights.

I have a flight this weekend to Las Vegas and it looks like my return flight is oversold so I am going to try for some free airfare and a bump on the return flight.

It works about 50% of time for this gold.

I am runing like 60%+ on EUAs and I don't overly plan for my flights, I buy them based on my need. The rest of the time I buy upfront. I must say that 60% has saved me quite a bit of money. EUAs can happen - stop your whining.

-Vincent

Hold on a sec -- the title of this thread is misleading vis-a-vis the content of the original post. The OP seems to really be complaning about not getting the upgrade at the "advertised" time -- NOT that the EUA system flat out doesn't work. In fact anytime one does get an upgrade other than a standby/battlefield, that's the gool 'ol EUA system at work. Even battlefield UGs are given according to the same priority rules, they're just done manually, not by the automated computer.

That being said, there are certainly routes/flights where Platinums will get 5-day EUAs, even on a regular basis. But there are also lots of (business) routes/flights where CO historically sells a lot of FC seats at the last minute, in which case it would arguably be a stupid business decision to give away upgrades 5 days in advance. Most of the transcons from EWR, particularly to LAX-SFO probably fall into this category, given many corporate policies allow premium class travel on these flights. There's a good chance that most of us here are more frequently flying these routes with the last-minute purchases than routes that go unsold, that's why it appears CO never sticks to the advertised EUA windows.

And just to be clear, CO never promises that EUAs for Platinums will occur 5 days in advance of the flight -- just that upgrades will be processed "beginning 5 calendar days before departure"

I aint Whinning!!

I also wrote I understood that CO would rather sell a seat then give it away as an UP. its just beyond my comprehension when a flight is 9/9/9 which means at least 9 seats maybe more are available and that CO still wont do any UPs until the day of, cause they are hoping somehow to sell them, that I shouldnt be getting any info telling me that as a Plat I will/can be UPed 5 days out.

Id be the 1st to say, If I or anyone else Needs or Wants to be in 1st Class, then they should SIMPLY buy that Class. Yet at the same time , CO shouldnt be tooting its Horn about Upgrading Plats 5 days out, when in my Jan flights only 2 were EUAed 5 days out the rest were all day ofs, even with 1/2 empty cabins, and I got 1 battlefield.

I prefer what someone wrote in another thread let CO notify us of which flights or Cities wont be EUAed, they already know this info so share it with us , or at least stop mentioning about EUAing Elites.

My flights tommoroow and Weds are still 9/9/9 and Im sure sometime tommorrow morn Ill get the UP ( I hope), then again Weds morn the samething, although maybe not as its a very early morn flight/s.

BTW, I forgot to mention even if it happens at the 5 day out mark, that doesnt mean that I will be EUAed. As it depends on the # of Plats already who might have purchased their tkts before I did mine. That wouldnt bother me, if in fact CO did EUA at the 5 Day mark and my luck either my fare basis was much lower then the others or there was already a long list of Other Plats for the EUA.

I just got one a second ago for my sunday flight. Seems to work.

At the DO Larry did say they were keeping a close eye on the U/G ratio. I am not sure what a "close eye" entails, but IIRC, those were the words.

EUAs seemed more bountiful before the days of DLs smiplifares (as now more people are buying them) but regardless - craz has a point that has been addressed here before: CO poorly managing expiations. Ginormous billboards heralding a land of milk, honey and unlimited upgrades may sound nice but if CO can't deliver on the promise enough to meet customers expiations (and I don't think all plats expect a 100% EUA rate) than they're going to have some bummed out people.

Hopefully the addition of the FC on the 738/739 (I hope) will start to rosy up people EUA rate.

In my experience, EUA is pretty hit-and-miss. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't. I have no prob with holding back seats you think you are likely to sell - I mean what businessman would do differently? But it really does seem absurd sometimes, holding back seats that have no hope of being sold.

Case in point: Recent EWR-BOS. Now how many F seats do you think they really sell on this short flight? Admittedly, last-minute F is hardly more than last-minute Y, but most everybody is corporate with policies that would surely never permit paid F on a one hour flight. Anyhow, 4 F seats conspicuously open during boarding. Then right when the door is about to close, the agent comes back and offers me my upgrade - BUT tells me there is no room up front for my bag so I will have to leave it in the back. Yeah - I'm gonna swim upstream 20 rows to get my bag after the flight while my annoyed colleagues wait for me in the gate.

Whose interests are being served? CO had little chance at that extra $50 from a paid passenger in the first place, and in fact didn't get it. And no elite gets pleased with the freebie either 'cause it just isn't worth the inconvenience.

Battlefield upgrades should be the exception, but I'm afraid on at least some routes they are the rule.

NW faster to process than CO
 

I used to be almost 100% CO, but recently probably am 60% NW (flights to MSP) and 40% CO. I have yet to not get a NW upgrade at the 5-7 (yes, 7) day window, but am sitting with a flights on Fri and Mon from BWI-CLE-PHX-CLE-BWI. The CLE-PHX legs (which are still booking uber cheap I-class in economy) are showing 7 seats open on the outbound and 9+ on the return. Yet, no EUA as on Tues morning? Looks like a gate-fest for CLE will ensue.

Sigh.... :(

Taken 12 mainline flights thus far in 2006.

5-day EUA on 5 of the flights.
3-day EUA on 2 of the flights
1-day EUA on 2 of the flights.
Battlefield upgrade on one.

Upgrded 10 of 12 flights, all very low priced fares.
(9 of the 12 mainline flights were part of mileage runs.)

CO Plat.