Ah, I see I'm not the only one - I didn't have negative PQMs, but today I noticed that my mileage balance and YTD EQMs were unchanged but my lifetime miles had dropped by 5888. That adds up to some (but not all) of the flights I've had post since 3/3 (which itself is a set that represents some but not all of the flights I've actually flown, naturally).

However, to make the numbers add up, one of the flights I have to subtract from the lifetime miles total is a US Airways flight which obviously wasn't in there to begin with, so there's really no possible way this makes any actual sense.

Thanks for posting your update - I was really thinking WTH

At this point I am just printing my details every time they change so we can figure out how to reconcile everything once this all shakes out - maybe by this time next year

Re: upgrading a domestic flight with miles.

The return flight cleared immediately and charged me 17,500 miles, which is correct as far as I know. However under "View Reservations" it says 17,000 miles + the dollar amount of the ticket.

The outbound cleared the short segment immediately and waitlisted me for the longer one. But immediately I got the "must be reticketed and call United" message. I called and someone worked on it for 10 min. Nothing changed at least from what I can see in view reservations. Will I really have to call and reticket after such a routine request?

I bought premier maximizer PQMs with my check in yesterday, and this morning those PQMs and RDMs posted and my negative PQMs disappeared. I am so excited. I will be half way to 1k requal by tomorrow, by May 75% of the way there.

I have not checked my lifetime BIS. Doubt I will hit 2MM before I die, so not much of a priority, but I suppose I should have that duck in order before the next merger.

(bolded cliffs notes version)

Two issues I dealt with over the weekend that seem to need fixing...

1. Likely this one is an agent re-education issue. I was booking flights for 4 of us where I saw RN=3 and wanted to use GPUs. I called, booked the flights, then had my ticket split off into a separate PNR, applied to GPUs (which cleared) to the other 3, then a GPU to mine which was then waitlisted. Fortunately, I woke up the next morning to see that RN=2 but, of course, I hadn't been cleared from the waitlist. I called UA for (what I assumed) simple task of clearing my stuck GPU. I was told by 3 (3! One who claimed to be PMCO, and one who claimed to be a Supervisor!) different agents that, despite their being RN availability, they couldn't clear my upgrade because waitlist priority dictated that GS members on the waitlist should be cleared first. I tried 100 ways to explain that if there was RN space my upgrade should clear. Finally, just as I realized I was still within 24 hours from purchase and I was about to cancel the whole thing and rebook, Agent #4 was able to put me on hold for about 20 minutes and clear the upgrade, despite using an additional GPU that I then had to call this morning to have replaced.

2. The whole 'reservations not ticketing immediately' thing seems to cause an issue with partner awards. I realize that it was often the case in the past where the ticket did not issue until UA or CO received some sort of confirmation from the operating carrier. In this case I went to book awards for 4 of us on SQ from SIN to DPS, availability showed 2 C awards and 2 Y awards. I booked a first PNR for two people in the two C seats. Then, when I went to book the second reservation (presumably because the first had not ticketed yet) UA.com still showed C availability. 24ish hours later neither reservation has ticketed, and I assume there will be some sort of problem. The issue concerns me because what about the case where I book a partner award and, while that reservation is pending, someone else out there sees the same availability and attempts to make the same reservation? How does the system determine who gets ticketed when UA inevitably goes to SQ, TG or someone else with multiple requests and finds out there is less availability than ticketing requests?

On the R(G)PU not clearing with R>0 point out that if you were to apply the instrument afresh right then it would clear immediately. If that does not convince the agent, ask them to remove the upgrade request and then reapply it. The only hitch with this is if it is multi leg where one leg has already cleared.. UA really needs to do a better job educating the 1K (and GS) agents. These are the folks dealing with issues like this and doing so for the best customers. It is one thing for a general reservations agent to be unclear about upgrade procedures (although clearly they should know them as well) but it is just silly not to have the agents dealing with the folks that do this stuff everyday knowing the policies.

And... the first 3 agents were correct.

While the process is getting stuck, RN space doesn't mean YOUR instrument upgrade should clear. It means that instrument upgrades should be processed *in priority order* the next time the (supposed to be daily, rt? or is that just the CPU process?) process runs.

When you found the 4th agent to force it through, you probably jumped ahead of others who were supposed to be upgraded before you.

When the upgrade process gets stuck, the agents need a way to force *the process to run*, not a way to force individual upgrades without respect to waitlist order.

EDIT: And this even means that seeing RN > 0 *at booking* might not mean an instant upgrade... if the upgrade process is choked on an out-of-sync ticket where someone of >= status/fare is waitlisted on an instrument already.

flyer215: I think you are confusing instrument upgrades and CPUs. The latter you are correct about - done in sweeps. The former are not. If you apply and instrument to a trip with R>0 it will clear immediately for you. It will not await a sweep. Thus if you are waitlisted and R>0 and remove and reapply the instrument you will clear. There may indeed be others also waitlisted and stuck for some reason - even ones with higher status. But it isn't awaiting a sweep. I had exactly such a case recently - granted as a GS it is unlikely anyone is ahead of me. But when the agent balked at forcing the upgrade I simply had her remove the request and then reapply it. Presto - upgrade.

Thanks for the reply, I certainly didn't understand this to be the new process. And, this isn't directed at you, but more at UA, that if that last sentence is correct it would be a complete game-changer for me. I certainly haven't been one to quickly jump ship, or sound the alarm over post-merger glitches; for the number of hours I've been on the phone with agents lately I've had very pleasant conversations asking how things are going, being encouraged by their optimism that all the kinks are being worked out.

But, being a 1K has devalued for me over the past few years mainly due to the difficulty of clearing SWUs. It's to the point where I will be flexible in my travel (depart on a Wednesday, return on a Tuesday on this current trip) to find NC, now-RN, space so that I know I can clear upgrades at the time of booking. If it becomes policy that all my searching to find RN>0 around dates that work for us doesn't necessarily even mean that my GPUs will clear at booking on something like the $2000 W fares I just bought, then GPUs, and frankly 1K status, have little value to me. I would happily drop to a lower status and spend the remaining miles/money to gain status on a second airline, or I would consider moving all 150k or so of my flying to another airline.

EDIT: Thanks pdx1M. I've been around here a long time, and followed all the merger talk pretty closely, and I thought I had missed something big if this was now the case. Sounds like RN>0 still means a green light to book.

Is there way for us to remove the request and reapply on our own or does this have to be done by an agent? Thanks.

Thanks. Did not see that last tie I went to the site.

Hear, hear! If R>0, then I expect to be able to book and secure upgrade space immediately. I am worried about ticketing delays, though. If it takes 2-3 days to ticket an itinerary, does that mean Upgrade space is not confirmed?

And if one has 24hours to cancel a reservation, does that mean 24 hours after on-line booking or 24 hours after ticketing?

As previously noted, it is 24 hrs after ticketing, not booking.

With the new Continental website interface I found that one can book an upgrade using miles right with the actual ticket purchase.

At the bottom of the "Advanced Search" reservation screen is a box that can be checked that says "Mileage Plus Upgrade Award." When this box is checked the results page shows the number of miles required for any route where R/RN>0. So when you select that itinerary you are purchasing the mileage upgrade with it.

I was able to select a roundtrip international itinerary with mileage upgrades instantaneously. I even held the reservation for 7 days before paying for the ticket. The upgrades and prices were all held for the 7 days. So even when R/RN went back to zero for some of the flights I kept my upgrade.

This is a feature of the new system that I will find useful. And it basically says that if the system is offering the upgrade to you then you can get it instantly upon purchase - no waiting for a sweep of other passengers to process before you.

Wow! This is cool! I just locked a HNL-HKG trip using this feature. Thanks for the info!

*sigh*

Haven't flown since 3/3, but everything in my account was looking good up until now. ^

All of my 6 upcoming reservations just disappeared. Fun times.