LAX

With UA yanking E+ access at booking for Silvers, I think it would be helpful to have some data on how difficult/easy to get E+ at T-24hrs. Info of interests would be what type of E+ seats is available (middle vs. aisle), ability to get seats for companions, etc. TIA.

LAX

lonelystar

I am a United Premier, I flew BOS to PHX via DEN on Monday last week, it was before the final merger.
I booked coach ticket and was upgraded to business for both the segments at the airport when I printed the boarding pass.

Kiaranyc

Worried about this too. I was downgraded from gold so they are 'glitch' still recognizing me as such this week. Hoping silver doesn't suck

JCM9608

What fare class was your coach ticket? TIA.

am1108

Thats weird, I was upgraded two times LGA-ORD and PDX to IAH as a Premier (before 3/3), that double the upgrades that I had last year

caseminole

I'm flying tomorrow, but booked my seats 3 weeks ago (E+).

Tonight at T-24 will look at seat map to play the "what if" game and will post results here. Perhaps I will get an upgrade???? (LAX-MCO)

chasbondy

Lets put it this way, I have seat 23F and I have no illusions that it will be any closer at T-23:59:59. Yet, I'm a nothing on AA and was able to book seat 10A on a reward flight.
Thats the typical CO service enhancements that spews from SMI/J upon pushback.

Jorgen

I'm very interested in the results of this. Please, Silvers, drop by and let us know.

Your post confuses me. Firstly, 23A may or may not be E+ depending on what kind of aircraft you're on. Secondly, are you saying that you've checked and the E+ section is full? Thirdly, folks participating in this thread please tell us what route you're flying, as I assume things will be very different depending.

Come to think of it, though, we can all play the what-if game simply by checking seatmaps for flights leaving in ~24 hours. For example, right now it's 3:18pm at SFO on March 13. Suppose I were trying to check in to tomorrow's 2:37pm flight to LAX; I can check the seatmap and see that there's still a dozen or so good E+ seats left on the A320. I'd take 21A, thanks.

Longer flights are trickier in my experience, though. Looking at the 2:12pm flight to ORD there's only six seats in E+ available (including, oddly, the whole of row 12). And the 1:20pm flight to EWR has just three (one is a window, which is nice). Finally, I checked the 2:33 flight to IAH, and found nearly half the E+ section is empty.

So at least on midweek, mid-day hub-to-hubs, the situation at T-24 to T-22 doesn't look all that desperate. I wouldn't like to be on a 6am Monday flight though.

caseminole

Interestingly enough, I am looking at tomorrow's LAX-MCO flight operating TODAY instead, which is at T-6 (about 6 1/2 hours away)

E+ currently has 9 seats, 4 of which are aisle or window.

FlyingProf

Actually, this is also a reminder that if you want E+ you might actually have more availability at the Gate than at OLCI ... after all, every upgrade they hand out almost certainly frees an E+ seat ... so the answer is keep the seat map on your smart phone, or, if airport has the full service computer screens that display real time seat chart ... when one opens have a chat with the GA ... or perhaps they will take your request at gate and move you when an E+ opens?

chasbondy

Gee, now Silvers can huddle at the gate desk and whisper sweet nothings into the ears of the gate agents trying to get that last E+ seat.

AA_EXP09

You should join us. We have soft landing.
Welcome to FT!

FlyingProf

chasbondy ... sorry to imply that this was a delightful solution ... it's not. And, of course, will put ever more burden on the gate agents and make the podium a nastier and more stressful place than it is already.

I guess I can somewhat understand the fact that the ranks of loyal fliers have grown so much that it may be creating a situation where the most profitable flyers (loyal fliers who buy last minute fares) are sitting in middle seats in E- ... but I think the airlines are taking the wrong approach to culling the herd here ... in stead of diluting everyone's benefits, it would have been wiser I think to just adjust the thresholds after a decent grace period and fair warning ...

Keep all the silver benefits, but maybe make silver 30K ... Gold 60K etc? Under that approach, ok, we all have to up our game a little, but under the dilution approach, a Silver now really needs to DOUBLE their flying to 50K to get the benes they got before at 25 ... a Gold needs to add an additional 25K to get to Platinum ... etc ...

am1108

Its too bad they did not take the approach and lock the first row of E+ seats (depending on routes) for flyers who buy expensive last minute fares and let Silvers pick at least 48 hours out, at least at that point a couple of seats would be opened up from upgrades... given that the non-Premiers dont buy First for $20.00

Or at 37,500 PQM you can have a larger window for E+ i.e. 2-3 Days window.
I think US Airways has a program where between elite status levels you can choose or you can get special benefits.

I just hope they dont comeback with the E+ for a year, or "Elite Status for a Day" options because that is what makes our benefits useless, at least at the Silver Level. E+ should be purchased for every flight that you take under 25K.

caseminole

Just checked in online.

I already had my E+ seat, as ticket was purchased last month (2P then, 2P now).

Excluding MY current seat, another 15 (!) E+ seats are available at present, 7 of which are aisle or window.

Would feel pretty good about my chances had I been getting this seat now instead of last month!

3 seats still available in F, will see what happens (#1 on upgrade list at present)

This is for a transcon - LAX-MCO