In the thread Silver before Gold?, several of us wrote on how fellow elites of different levels are snagging upgrades in what appears to be a random order. We wondered what was happening.

Well, a Continental customer rep has confirmed that there are indeed two methods at play when vying for the upgrades we all are seeking. Here is the breakdown:

The EUA process runs as has been described (5 days PLAT/ 3 days GOLD/ 1 day SILVER). If you do not secure an upgrade within your level by the 24-hr mark before the flight, those who checkin on-line at CO.com can secure upgrades regardless of their level of status based on the time they checkin. If a silver checks in at 1pm on Monday for a flight slated to depart at 1pm on Tuesday, that person can grab an upgrade whether there are Plats or Golds in the que or not. It is first-come, first-serve check-in on-line. Of course, then any remaining avails that are in the system after the flight check-in window begins, will be distributed in the next EUA run or at the gate. Upgrades from the gate are processed like the EUA system, so the hierarchy of PLAT/GOLD/SILVER goes back into effect.

I have missed two upgrades recently b/c of this system simply because I was not aware of how it works. Now the agent has confirmed that they are really pushing the CO.com check-in and CO execs feel this is a way to reward all of its elite customers.

This sounds more like lazy people on their tech team than some intentional method by the CO exec's to reward that use online check-in. While CO saves considerable time/money when someone uses the website to book a flight, I would assume there's no/negligible savings for someone who checks in online vs. at a kiosk at the airport.

So the luck people have with securing an upgrade outside of the automated process through online check-in seems to be more of a function of CO's wacky inventory control and weak technical prowess than a beancounter hoping to use this tiny flaw to reward those that check-in online at the right time.

I don't quite get it. How does online check-in save money over a kiosk? I've said be for and I'll say again a system that requires you to play beat the clock against your fellow passengers isn't really a logical system or for that matter a service.

If CO really wants to push online check in for elites how about an incentive instead of a competition. The way it works now its more like small minds at work who don't even know what its really like to travel on a regular baisis.

I agree. Others have speculated that the last remaining seats are released only at the 3 hour window - thus, there is no benefit to waiting to check in.

I'd be curious to see if that's actually the case.

Personally, I would check ITN before checking in. If there are no F seats, it's a no brainer - check in as early as possible - to secure an exit row seat...

If there are seats that haven't been released yet - especially if the silver window has come and gone, it may actually pay to wait.

It is having to play these kind of games (as well as the 50% EQM) that pushed me over to the Red Tail this year....

If I want to gamble, I'll go LAS (not on CO's 12/210 753's either!)

K

Although I certainly agree with your sentiment, I think like any complicated, illogical system it can work to the advantage of those who understand it.

But this entire process assumes that R bucket seats were released between the last time EUA ran (presumably sometime between midnight and say 4am the day before departure) and the time check-in is available. As check-in is now only available 24 hours before your flight, you can check in at 1p Mon for a 1p Tues flight.

My personal feeling is that very few R seats are released between the last EUA and the 24 hour check-in mark. Those would be the only seats that an elite could grab out-of-order.

However, since the possiblity exists that the above could happen, Continental needs to do two things:
1. Only upgrade someone during check-in if the standby list is clear or the person checking in trumps everyone else on the standby list and R is available (this would mean that early check-in is a good idea again);
2. Don't allow anyone to upgrade at check-in. Rather, put them all on the standby list and they'll be auto upgraded at the 3-hour EUA run in the proper order (likely to make some people angry).

Just my thoughts....

-RM

This would be a fair system

you hit it on the head. i dont think this anomaly happens very often. and if it does, it can only be when someone cancels or leaves on an earlier flight, and their seat opens up. so... it got to be very rare.

your hypothetical upgrade system would work perfectly, but that would make to much sense for CO.

If indeed this is true then it really screws people like me who fly out of Canada since I cannot check-in on-line....

I get EUA on YEG-IAH every time but my connection U/G rate has plummetted this year.

If Golds and Plats did not get the EUA upgrade at the Silver window, it means there were no F seats available. Chances for (many) F seats to clear between the Silver window and the 3-hour window are very slim.

Anyway, this is no different than what it has always been - on the day of flight, when F seats is available, it's a first come first serve. There hasn't been any change in this. The only change was that the check-in window was enhanced from 3-4 hours at the airport to 24 hours online. Before online check-in, you could still call an agent and bag for the upgrade - on the day of flight you would probably have gotten it.

I hear you on the international flight UG dillema. Flying from Guam, I can't check in online either. So I hardly get upgrades when I get to the mainland. Almost all the upgrades I got this summer were on a separate ticket with completely domestic travel. I'll be flying from BOS-EWR-NRT-GUM so there is no chance to check in online for bonus miles and definitely no chance for upgrades anywhere there--probably not even the BOS-EWR segment. Oh well. I enjoyed the upgrades I got so far.

It does make sense to have all the upgrades just processed at the gate. That way each elite level gets their status taken into account. It's always a pleasant surprise.

This has been my single biggest beef with CO. Itin's that aren't wholly within the US aren't allowed on-line check in. It's frustrating.

I enjoyed my upgrade. From the bottom of my heart, I hope I didnt beat out a Gold or Plat becuase I checked in on time. // Signed, A lowly Silver

But the whole point is that except in unusual circumstances discussed above (F upgrade seats released during OLCI window), it doesn't matter when you check-in for a flight, since everyone is on the waitlist regardless of what time you check in, and the waitlist is processed at the 3 hour mark, or at the gate, by elite status, then fare class, then date of ticket purchase. I think the odds of you exactly "tying" with someone on all 3 of these metrics are 0%, so time of check-in doesn't matter.