Hm. So even a GM on an award ticket can trump a 1k for upgrade
Dec 25, 2011, 3:22 pm
#31
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAD
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It is comical to read how spun up people are getting about a policy that doesn't even exist!!! The buy ups are offered to elites, period. There is a pricepoint CO uses to determine whether the buy up is shown. UA Insider posted about this earlier in the year, I will try and find it.
Dec 25, 2011, 3:25 pm
#32
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAX
Programs: UA MM | BA Silver
Posts: 7,193
I have had good success with UDU this year, but I understand that I can quickly be on the other side at any time. I know loyalty should be rewarded with free upgrades and all, but in the end it boils down to treating elites and frequent customers as valued business. Hopefully CO dba UA will figure out how to balance the expectations of PMUA FFs with the revenue generating savy of PMCO. This will take time, and who is used to patience these days.... My tune will be different when my CR1s and SWU's dry up :-)
Dec 25, 2011, 3:39 pm
#34
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I don't see DL's FCM as anything remotely close to UA's blatant eff our elite scheme. I haven't missed an upgrade as a DM. DL offers me the same buy-up deal as others and hasn't tried to screw me. Plus DL's A fares are frequently so attractive that I simply buy an F ticket, get my 150% EQMs and the seat I want at booking. Case in point: I could have paid $800 for next months's round-trip Y SFO-YUL on DL, AA or AC with a 90% chance of an upgrade on each. But DL offered and I accepted a $180 RT buy-up for both me and non-status Mrs. SFO.
Dec 25, 2011, 3:52 pm
#35
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
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Priority
Miles+Copays
GPUs
RPUs
e500 by elite level
CPU free upgrades for all elites by level and fare class.
upsells starting at 48h (after 1k and Plats)
hold back 2 seats till gate lottery for high fare last min elites
I think DL FCM is more transparent, btw.
Last edited by ffI; Dec 25, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Dec 25, 2011, 4:04 pm
#36
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Chicago
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It is comical to read how spun up people are getting about a policy that doesn't even exist!!! The buy ups are offered to elites, period. There is a pricepoint CO uses to determine whether the buy up is shown. UA Insider posted about this earlier in the year, I will try and find it.
As for pricepoints the only policy I can recall is that the price of an UG might be the difference between the fare paid and the lowest OW Y/B fare which would of course enjoyed an automatic UG if designated UG space was available.
Dec 25, 2011, 4:09 pm
#37
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I don't see DL's FCM as anything remotely close to UA's blatant eff our elite scheme. I haven't missed an upgrade as a DM. DL offers me the same buy-up deal as others and hasn't tried to screw me. Plus DL's A fares are frequently so attractive that I simply buy an F ticket, get my 150% EQMs and the seat I want at booking. Case in point: I could have paid $800 for next months's round-trip Y SFO-YUL on DL, AA or AC with a 90% chance of an upgrade on each. But DL offered and I accepted a $180 RT buy-up for both me and non-status Mrs. SFO.
Dec 25, 2011, 5:37 pm
#38
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It is comical to read how spun up people are getting about a policy that doesn't even exist!!! The buy ups are offered to elites, period. There is a pricepoint CO uses to determine whether the buy up is shown. UA Insider posted about this earlier in the year, I will try and find it.
And of course Kettles get even lower offers than elites, that's been documented many times over.
Dec 25, 2011, 5:53 pm
#39
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Agreed. ^ 
While this topic has been brought up here, IMHO this specific aspect of "upgrades becoming harder" is worth separating out from the more general discussion and worthy of its own thread.
I posted in that thread (and others made similar suggestions):
Between this and the planned devaluation of Million Miles and Beyond benefits, it almost seems as if UA wants to enhance away my business.
I think you may well be on to something with your theory they're trying to "'hide' the offers from elites on the UG list." Apparently some of them haven't heard of FT.
What other motive could there be? If they're trying to sell 'em, why not ask every potential customer? 
The new UA is still advertising Regionals and SWUs as great benefits. Oddly enough (he said sarcastically), there's no disclaimer that a GM on an award ticket will have the ability to buy up and past the elite with an upgrade instrument.
While this topic has been brought up here, IMHO this specific aspect of "upgrades becoming harder" is worth separating out from the more general discussion and worthy of its own thread.
I posted in that thread (and others made similar suggestions):
Between this and the planned devaluation of Million Miles and Beyond benefits, it almost seems as if UA wants to enhance away my business.
I think you may well be on to something with your theory they're trying to "'hide' the offers from elites on the UG list." Apparently some of them haven't heard of FT.
What other motive could there be? If they're trying to sell 'em, why not ask every potential customer? The new UA is still advertising Regionals and SWUs as great benefits. Oddly enough (he said sarcastically), there's no disclaimer that a GM on an award ticket will have the ability to buy up and past the elite with an upgrade instrument.
Well, unless you are my GM kids and you just took upgrades (on a coach saver award ticket) from 11 elites on the upgrade wait list for $109.
My solution is to buy A and Z fares (my wife and I are already in F tomorrow because we bought a Y-up fare) on whatever carrier is the cheapest. After 15 or so years, I expect 2012 will be the first time I will not make 1k on United. This policy is a major reason why.
Last edited by iluv2fly; Dec 26, 2011 at 4:08 am Reason: unnecessary
Dec 25, 2011, 6:16 pm
#40
Join Date: Dec 2007
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An idea for a thread ... I know we have a buy-up offer thread, but maybe something a la udustats.com - to add a form to report a buy-up offer. What your status is, when you received the offer, your booking class , etc.
Dec 25, 2011, 6:25 pm
#41
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As most of the posts here are about UDU and domestic F, I want to make sure I understand this....is this also the way it works for international?
Am I forced to buy up to a W fare in order to apply an SWU, but then the new UA will offer to sell an upgrade to a lower fare class while I sit on a wait list?
Very crappy system for domestic....cause for fleeing if intl as well.
Am I forced to buy up to a W fare in order to apply an SWU, but then the new UA will offer to sell an upgrade to a lower fare class while I sit on a wait list?
Very crappy system for domestic....cause for fleeing if intl as well.
Dec 25, 2011, 6:36 pm
#42
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As most of the posts here are about UDU and domestic F, I want to make sure I understand this....is this also the way it works for international?
Am I forced to buy up to a W fare in order to apply an SWU, but then the new UA will offer to sell an upgrade to a lower fare class while I sit on a wait list?
Very crappy system for domestic....cause for fleeing if intl as well.
Am I forced to buy up to a W fare in order to apply an SWU, but then the new UA will offer to sell an upgrade to a lower fare class while I sit on a wait list?
Very crappy system for domestic....cause for fleeing if intl as well.
I had paid an extra ~$700 for a W fare vs. an L fare that my companion paid for the same flights IAD-LHR-IAD. I was on the w/l LHR-IAD. Watched as the seats in C dwindled. At 24 hours went to check in for myself and my GM companion. My companion was offered a buy-up for LESS than the difference between an L fare and a W fare. I was so
that I called UA to complain. The lady said I could get off the w/l and see if I got the same offer, but if I did not get that offer and went back on the w/l I would end up losing my place in line on the PA1 wait list.That made me so angry that I told her to cancel my return ticket and booked a one-way award in F at a saver mileage rate.
That was the day I decided that I am willing to give up 1k status and instead pay Z or A fares for flights on whoever has the cheapest Z or A fare....because if I am going to be paying more, I actually want better class of service for that premium, not a dwindling chance at it while others buy it at check-in for less than my W fare difference on an offer that is not even made to me.
PA1 is now the WORST place to be at 24 hours before the flight: GMs will get buy-up offers that you won't see while you linger on the W/L. It's a sick joke of a policy.
Last edited by kokonutz; Dec 25, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Dec 25, 2011, 6:43 pm
#43
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Slap in the face when people have to pay (sometimes substantially) more to get a higher priority (Both domestic and intl) - and then someone pays for a low fare and is offered an upgrade for tens of dollars.
Absolutely cause for taking biz elsewhere. To me this demonstrates that management is simply not interested in loyalty at all-if they are purposefully hiding or restricting this from their most frequent customers.
Not to mention requiring us to W/L while kettles upgrade for next to nothing . Is the temporary revenue so substantial that they want folks to bypass waitlist of 60+ people?
Absolutely cause for taking biz elsewhere. To me this demonstrates that management is simply not interested in loyalty at all-if they are purposefully hiding or restricting this from their most frequent customers.
Not to mention requiring us to W/L while kettles upgrade for next to nothing . Is the temporary revenue so substantial that they want folks to bypass waitlist of 60+ people?
Dec 25, 2011, 6:53 pm
#44
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Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: UA*Lifetime GS, Hyatt* Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 12,337
This has happened to me many times in 2011, mostly on international flights. What really frustrates me is that they offer an upsell to someone who is a general member that paid less than half the ticket price I paid. When I asked about it once the gate agent told me that incremental $ trumps everything except GS.
Is the part about GS true?
Dec 25, 2011, 6:53 pm
#45
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Slap in the face when people have to pay (sometimes substantially) more to get a higher priority (Both domestic and intl) - and then someone pays for a low fare and is offered an upgrade for tens of dollars.
Absolutely cause for taking biz elsewhere. To me this demonstrates that management is simply not interested in loyalty at all-if they are purposefully hiding or restricting this from their most frequent customers.
Not to mention requiring us to W/L while kettles upgrade for next to nothing . Is the temporary revenue so substantial that they want folks to bypass waitlist of 60+ people?
Absolutely cause for taking biz elsewhere. To me this demonstrates that management is simply not interested in loyalty at all-if they are purposefully hiding or restricting this from their most frequent customers.
Not to mention requiring us to W/L while kettles upgrade for next to nothing . Is the temporary revenue so substantial that they want folks to bypass waitlist of 60+ people?
What galls me is thinking that I would be asked to pay $700 more for the W fare THEN $450 more to get the UG each way if the C seats dwindle. At that point I may as well be paying for a Z fare on DL or BA or Virgin (or UA, if they are cheapest).
Which is why I decided that that's precisely what I will do from now on.
The selling of ugs to GMs that are not offered to elites, along with the huge W fare premiums of late, along with the tightest NC space ever have effectively driven my loyalty/business away.