Empty F seats even with CPU (EUA/UDU)?
Mar 30, 2010, 9:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Programs: United Mileage Plus
Posts: 232
Empty F seats even with CPU (EUA/UDU)?
I flew back on DEN-SJC last night on a 757 and noticed an empty seat in the F cabin. I know this isn't a hub-to-hub route, but I was pretty surprised by that. I arrived during boarding so I didn't check the screens to see if anyone was left on the upgrade list, but I thought this was a bit surprising given there were about 20 people on the upgrade list for the flight out.
Do you think more or less F seats remain empty with UDU or is it just about the same as before?
Do you think more or less F seats remain empty with UDU or is it just about the same as before?
Mar 30, 2010, 9:54 am
#2
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: CHS
Posts: 2,246
I'm going with less F seats remaining empty. Now that we don't have to "support" domestic upgrades and it's automatic...I can't imagine more F seats empty!
Mar 30, 2010, 10:19 am
#3
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: UA 1K , HH Gold VIP, Hertz Gold, Hertz 5*, National Executive, Marriott Silver Elite
Posts: 92
Forgive me but I thought that with UDU there should have been no empty F seats (unless there were no more elites on the plane.)
Mar 30, 2010, 10:23 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: The World.
Programs: UA MP/UC - "RIP Tulip Plat"
Posts: 1,225
Since UDU started, I've seen the upgrade lists for the south of the border stations. Every single time there were more seats than people on the list- I guess these leisure stations don't have many elites flying to and from.
Last edited by UAL4life; Mar 30, 2010 at 10:25 am Reason: I blow at spelling.
Mar 30, 2010, 10:31 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: JAX
Programs: DL Silver Medallion
Posts: 2,671
We're still in a transition period here seeing as how UDU has only been activated for <2 weeks. Remember that anyone who had tickets booked prior to 3/19 -OR- is using a TA probably did not have an active UDU request in their itinerary (unless they called in and had it added manually). So quite possible there was 2-3 elites on this flight in that very situation: due the comp upgrade, but unaware they had to call to have it added.
Mar 30, 2010, 10:35 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA-1K-MM AA-EXP-MM
Posts: 726
Yes there are empty seats even with UDU
I flew GRR-ORD on a CRJ-700 last Saturday and I was the only person in first class, and the only elite flier on the plane. Only about 20 passengers total on the flight. So even if you upgrade every elite you can have empty seats in first class. My guess is that it won't happen often and particularly won't happen often on hub to hub routes.
Mar 30, 2010, 10:54 am
#7
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 27
I was on a flight from ORD to DSM on Sunday. I am a 1K that was booked in 1st on a later flight and I was on standby for the earlier flight. 1st class on the earlier flight checked in full according to the gate agent but I was able to get on the plane in E+. Just before the doors closed the gate agent came down and noticed that 2 seats in 1st class were empty. I was expecting her to ask me if I wanted to move up. No luck. The doors closed and we flew to DSM with 2 open 1st class seats.
Mar 30, 2010, 11:04 am
#8
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: MBS/FNT/LAN
Programs: UA 1K, HH Gold, Mariott Gold
Posts: 9,630
Also, remember.... only one companion allowed under UDU. So if you are traveling with non-elite family, you probably would stay in back.
Mar 30, 2010, 11:14 am
#9
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: DL DM MM, Hyatt LT Globalist, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 2,141
I was on an ORD-DCA flight that went out with one empty F seat and 15 people on the upgrade waitlist at the time I boarded....
Mar 30, 2010, 11:25 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Gold, MR Gold, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 209
Although this won't happen too often, I'm not overly surprised. I used to fly DL almost exclusively for a number of years, and this sort of thing would happen often on ATL-Florida routes. Especially with larger planes they would operate to MCO/TPA/RSW - a lot of leisure travel, and a lot of F seats available. I remember more than once that I was in F with no-one next to me.
Even recently, I flew CVG-DEN early this year, and got an upgrade as DL Silver (almost forgot I still had the status left over, since I barely made it in 2008 and did not fly a single segment in 2009) and IIRC there was still one seat left on MD80 (14F total available).
Even recently, I flew CVG-DEN early this year, and got an upgrade as DL Silver (almost forgot I still had the status left over, since I barely made it in 2008 and did not fly a single segment in 2009) and IIRC there was still one seat left on MD80 (14F total available).
Mar 30, 2010, 11:34 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat
Posts: 38,186
We're still in a transition period here seeing as how UDU has only been activated for <2 weeks. Remember that anyone who had tickets booked prior to 3/19 -OR- is using a TA probably did not have an active UDU request in their itinerary (unless they called in and had it added manually). So quite possible there was 2-3 elites on this flight in that very situation: due the comp upgrade, but unaware they had to call to have it added.
All bookings made prior to 3/19 were automatically recu'd for UDU. I thought one needed to call in to "activate" UDU but was told by an agent this was not the case, and when I checked my bookings they all showed upgrades were pending, something they did not show a day or two after UDU was implemented.
Suspect there just were no more elites on the flight, thus F cabin still had open seats.
Mar 30, 2010, 11:45 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: COS
Programs: UA Gold/1.5MM (several years running now!), Marriott LTTE, Hertz Prez
Posts: 1,899
I recently jumped to a COS->ORD flight since all COS->DEN travel was falling apart due to weather. It was a very last-minute thing, so I wasn't terribly surprised that I wasn't in F (CRJ-700). There were two of six seats in F occupied. Bummer. Then going from ORD->BWI I was in F but there were two open seats. I was a little surprised by that but I think it was late on a Tuesday evening, so I suppose it's possible there were no 2P or above sitting in the back.
It'll be interesting to keep tabs on this in the coming weeks...
It'll be interesting to keep tabs on this in the coming weeks...
Mar 30, 2010, 11:46 am
#13
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: JAX
Programs: DL Silver Medallion
Posts: 2,671
All bookings made prior to 3/19 were automatically recu'd for UDU. I thought one needed to call in to "activate" UDU but was told by an agent this was not the case, and when I checked my bookings they all showed upgrades were pending, something they did not show a day or two after UDU was implemented.
Suspect there just were no more elites on the flight, thus F cabin still had open seats.
Suspect there just were no more elites on the flight, thus F cabin still had open seats.
I had two reservations I had to call in and straighten out. One was a reservation made a couple months prior to 3/19 and the other was made just after 3/19, but was made by a TA.
Mar 30, 2010, 11:48 am
#14
formerly known as RK7
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Grass Valley SMF
Programs: Many
Posts: 720
[QUOTE=Shareholder;13677753] All bookings made prior to 3/19 were automatically recu'd for UDU. I thought one needed to call in to "activate" UDU but was told by an agent this was not the case, QUOTE]
Same thing happened to me on a May itin I'm holding that was booked a month or so ago...called in and was told that I didn't need to and that it would happen "automatically" at the 72 hour window. I called back yesterday to double check and nice CSR said, sure no problem and it now appears as upg pending on My Itins.
Same thing happened to me on a May itin I'm holding that was booked a month or so ago...called in and was told that I didn't need to and that it would happen "automatically" at the 72 hour window. I called back yesterday to double check and nice CSR said, sure no problem and it now appears as upg pending on My Itins.
Mar 30, 2010, 12:18 pm
#15
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PDX
Programs: United Premier Gold, HH Diamond, Hertz #1 Gold 5*
Posts: 266
Pre-UDU - completely Empty
I was on a flight a week or so before UDU - I can't remember exactly where it was to/from but I remember paying attention to the number of empty seats in F, wondering if I would have been given a seat there if UDU had been in place. On one of the legs I was on a 757 with 24 seats in F. The grand total of people seated in F? Zero.
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Jul 26, 2010 at 2:50 pm
