FlyWorld

Message number 2,338. And, still, the CO apologists insist this isn't happening!

Maybe when we get to 10,000 messages, those who say this isn't happening will finally stop saying that.

On we go ...

limey1K

What's really strange is that theres no Flight Info showing on the UA website regarding my flight. Usually, theres a "check flight status" button you can click but there isnt on my flight for tomorrow. Flight: UA1028 IAD-DEN 2:50pm even though I'm checked in

UPDATE:

I figured out where my seat went!

aindfan

I just booked a round trip NYC-DEN in L outbound and G inbound. Immediately after the last step in the purchase, I got the upgrade offer pop up for $269 on the outbound leg and $399 on the inbound leg. (spoiler: I didn't take it, even for the redeye. sUA 757 F for 3.5 hours is not worth it to me. sCO 752 BF might be a different story... but I digress.)

Once my reservation ticketed, the upgrade once again became available for cash, but this time at $351, the actual fare difference between G and P.

My questions:

1. Huh?
2. Wait, what?
3. Are the TODs/HODs at purchase ever a good deal?
4. Are they every *cheaper* than the fare difference to the lowest available F fare?

Thanks!

WineCountryUA

it's called dynamic pricing, a hallmark of SHARES

depends on your definition of good and the fare you purchased . There may be -UP fare just a bit higher.
at purchase time, probably not, at other times, yes

aindfan

[QUOTE=WineCountryUA:20022701]Thanks for the reply! I can't help but feel like this could work much better if I didn't have any information about the fare difference... thanks to the yellow box above the itinerary review screen that offered an upgrade to a higher cabin or more flexible fare.

Thanks again! As a Silver on NYC-DEN, it looks like I'll be flying in the back of the plane.

Edit: come to think of it, I would did once take advantage of a "good" deal... Something like a $79 upgrade to F from Y class on a PMCO 5 hour Caribbean flight. I was not elite at the time.

njcommodore

RT for V is 324. RT for VUP is 434. Difference of 110. OW 55. Close enough. Thanks for stopping by.

Plane-is-home

What's close enough? 15% less or that a 1K should have gotten the upgrade on CPU before TOD offer?

njcommodore

Less than $20 between what it should be and what it actually was.

I'm not going to get into the whole CPU issue because the R inventory isn't relevant in this discussion.

One of the biggest complaints of the gang of 12 has been that elites aren't offered the same deals as GMs or lower level elites. For a 1K to be offered a $39 buy up, after having assessed his/her position on the waitlist, to me, is how the system was designed. Do I agree with it? No. Do I stick with UA because it continues to be the best airline for my flying pattern and desire for a loyalty program? Yes.

UA-NYC

So a V-up price, typically defined by it's 14/21 day advance purchase requirement, is cool to offer inside T-24?

exerda

I'm curious what happens when the pax has a higher fare code and a cheaper fare code -UP fare opens up. E.g. the pax is booked into a Q fare, and a "special V-UP" is available at check-in.

Naively, perhaps, I expect that pax is offered a UFC to any available Q-UP, or M (as a 1K), or B... all of which may cost significantly more than the fare differential between W or V and the special V-UP fare.

This could explain some (not all) of the incidences of "why am I getting offered a more expensive buy-up than others."

It's also perversely wrong from a revenue standpoint in that it encourages the purchase of cheaper fare classes. Why buy a Q, E, or H fare when W, S, or T will be offered a better UFC deal?

What should happen--assuming UA does want to sell UFCs and sell them fairly--is that if the -UP fare is available in a lower fare class, those in higher fare classes should still be offered UFC but at some minimal value no lower than, and no higher than the lowest UFC being offered. E.g. The market has a $550 Q fare and a $400 V fare, and a $440 V-UP. The Q fares should be offered a $40 UFC, just like the V fares.

MBS MillionMiler

Booked a ticket a week ago for travel in late Feb, one of the many segments (it's a zig-zag trip across the country)...

My PHL-ORD on a mainline aircraft is booked in Q class. (One below M, if memory serves me correctly). I called to see how much 'M' would be on this segment, and was told it was a $200 difference. A straight buy to A class was $300-something. For the 2 hour flight, I'll pass.

Co-worker, only a Gold, just booked his ticket on the same route. He's booked in W, and at ticketing, he was offered the buy-up for $99.

I just logged on to see what the buyup would be for me now (because at less than $100, that changes the game a bit), and it's not even offering me a buyup..."Upgrade not available on this flight"--but I can use a RPU or GPU ).

Awaiting the United defenders to explain this one...

exerda

I'm guessing part of it was a cheap V-UP for your coworker in W, and for you, buy-up to M (can't buy-down to the V-UP). As to why you don't see any offer at all now, that's a good question, and something I've experienced many times.

UA-NYC

Current published difference between a W and a V-up is $148 o/w, so your co-worker got a nice lower-elite break

But hey, it's "close enough", nothing to see here, move along

MBS MillionMiler

My point is, where's my "elite break"?...I pay a higher fare (was forced because of my routing), and I get a $200+ opportunity to upgrade, while he got an opportunity to upgrade from a lesser fare class for half the price.

I'm not looking for 'over entitlement', I think as a 1K I should be able to swap my exit row seat for an F seat, in the same manner my co-worker had the opportunity to, for no more than the same price as he was offered. (He declined it anyway). And again, I still can't buy up for ANY price online, $99, $200, or $700.

PV_Premier

i used to think this too, until i flew EWR-RSW last month and was CPU'd into the last F seat despite being #3 on the list on the mobile app/gate screen. they pulled me out of steerage right before the door closed and i validated my position on the list on the app to be #3 immediately before i was awarded the upgrade (i saw the UG occur online before the FA/GA pulled me forward).

my only speculation (and purely that) is that the list is sorted by status, but that fare class is much more important than we think and isn't reflected in the order of the display that shows publicly. on this flight i was on a U fare, which i would imagine is a pretty high bucket for that route.