sbm12

The "Redeem Upgrade" button often is missing when a TCV is used in the purchase. You should be able to call in to get the upgrade if you want.

LowlySpartan

I have a ticket for a flight that I bought for less than the change fee (which I understand to be $150 since I don't have status), which I might have to miss because of work. Is there any way for me to get anything out of the ticket?

WineCountryUA

even us folks with status have to pay the full change fees on paid tickets

unfortunately there is little you can do with UA on this. The one possible is to watch to see if there is any travel waivers (such as due to weather) that might allow a free change or cancellation. This would include origin / destination / connecting cities.

If appropriate, your employer might be will to cover some of the loss -- but you are the only one to determine if that is an appropriate request.

landrew

My spouse and I have the same *G status (I have a couple thousand miles on him though), were ticketed on the same RL same itinerary same fare bucket and checked in at the same time outbound. He was asked whether he wanted to pre-check in for the return flight when he checked in, I don't remember being asked (this might not be the exact term used). Both of our names were on the existing reservation page on my United.com at least until this point.

On the return trip, I got upgraded after a notification to that effect and he did not. When I checked in (subsequent to notification of the upgrade, only about 12 hours prior to the flight) I got a notification that there had been a change to my itinerary but there was no change apparent, except for the fact that his name no longer appeared on my reservation page.

My Reservations page and the Flight Status link showed that there was still one seat available in F. At the same time, his showed that no FC seats were available. I checked again, and mine still said that there were, though now he was #2 on the upgrade list.

Needless to say, he did not get the seat he couldn't even see. So I flew guiltily in F while he was back in steerage. I didn't ask the very young woman (not a child) who was occupying the last F seat when she had been upgraded or her status.

What could explain this situation? Spoke to Elite Desk about another upcoming upgrade which I have gotten and he has not yet, and she couldn't find a difference in our status, fare bucket, or anything else. She suggested a website glitch. Don't want history to repeat if there is any way to correct an individual error.

Thanks for any logical (or even feasible) explanation!

WineCountryUA

There is no simple answer to your question. The new UA upgrade process is complex and not very transparent.

First it could have been a glitch but it could have been a number of other "legit" reasons.

Second, sounds like your reservation got split at check-in. There needs to happen since the present upgrade system (at the gate) can only handle one person at a time. Also, sounds like your spouse declined auto-check in for the return flight (Accepting auto-checking seems in general to be a good thing).

Also relying on the seat map for available seats is unreliable -- sometimes folks have a confirmed upgrade but no seat assignment. Better to look on upgrade waitlist where it states the number of seats booked & number of seats checked-in.

There are two upgrade processes -- 1) that runs until just a bit before departure and 2) one the runs at the gate. The upgrade list you see online is the gate list. The prioritization of the two list can be different. So in this case the person that cleared could have been on either list depending on when they cleared. Also your spouse will not show up on the list until he had checked-in.

As far as clearing, GS have the top priority, then those that booked Y,B and for 1Ks M fares. Then those using RPU/GPU/Miles to upgrade and then the complimentary upgrades by status, fare class, and time. Note a late booker, say after your upgrade was processed, is likely to be a high fare or maybe a higher elite and would have jumped to the top of the list.

Also the system may have decided to hold 1 F seat until closer to departure, allowing time for someone else to jump to the top of priority list.

And one final possibility -- at check-in some passengers will get a cash offer to upgrade and if they take it, they will skip the waitlist completely.

So (and this was the Reader Digest version) they could have been multiple methods for the last F seat to be filled.

much more in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ad-merged.html

RichardInSF

Thanks for the info.

PaceLaw2012

I have a noob question about how RPUs and the waitlist works. I'm trying to acquire 2x RPUs for a MIA-EWR-HNL itin which shows available upgrades on MIA-EWR, but not for EWR-HNL. If I were to apply the RPUs to my itinerary, how would the upgrades work? Would I be automatically upgraded despite the waitlist? Would it just upgrade the MIA-EWR segment and i'd be hosed if the EWR-HNL one doesn't clear? Would the RPU be refunded to the RPU grantor? Please help.

WineCountryUA

RPUs are just like using miles, if upgrade space exists, you will clear, if not you will be waitlisted. RPU usage does give you priority over elites doing just complimentary upgrades.

If you apply the upgrade to a multi-segment trip and any segment clears, the RPU is considered used and will not be returned. The fact you clear one segment will not influence the clearing for the other.

If you don't want to risk clearing just MIA-EWR, have your sponsor call and request only the EWR-HNL segment. If that clears before you depart MIA, you can ask for the RPU to be extended to the MIA-EWR.

Ericka

OK guys. Here is my simple question....
What is the maximum time allowed for a stopover on an award ticket?

sbm12

There is none, other than the 1 year max validity of a ticket.

Ericka

Suuuuuhweeeeeet. I was thinking it was something like 24 or 48 hours.

WineCountryUA

a stay of >24 hours creates a stopover (allowed only one in additional to actual destination for an award ticket) otherwise it is just consider a connection.

Ericka

So much to be learned on flyertalk! Thanks.

cmculp

For a 1K, what changes are allowed for day of travel?? is it only earlier or 24 hours either way (no change fee + fee difference??) I ask because I hugely sprained my ankle and would do better to ice and elevate it for 24 a day prior to flying. Pushing 12-18 hours would do it, but change fees ($300 as it is a joined itinerary + changes would be tough). My goal is a change from morning to evening.

WineCountryUA

The farest out you can change is 24 hours later. Say 1 hour prior to departure, you can change to a flight 23 hours after departure (if available). You can do this multiple times. Note many of the lower fare class may not be available at the 24 hour point. Usually but far from always the lower fares may not be available until 2-3 hours prior to that flight's departure.

The website is pretty clear.