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Consolidated "Waitlist for Award Seats Questions/Issues"

Old Mar 31, 2014, 3:57 pm
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Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Waitlisting for awards

Click for the current rules from United
Waitlisting options
  1. Waitlist for alternative flights times / routing
  2. Waitlisting for a different cabin
From the above link on waitlisting for a different cabin: You may redeem miles for travel in United Global First, United First, United Business or United BusinessFirst, even if the space is not available. In these cases, United Economy in the same award type must be confirmed, and the front cabin will be waitlisted. If the courtesy waitlist does not clear, it will expire 24 hours before itinerary departure, and you will automatically be added to the airport upgrade standby list upon check-in. In these cases, you will be confirmed on a space-available basis by a United airport representative at the gate once the flight has closed for check-in. For United BusinessFirst and United Business travel awards, the difference in miles will be refunded when the United BusinessFirst or United Business class segment of the trip could not be confirmed. Waitlist requests may only be made over the phone with your local United Customer Contact Center.
Waitlisting can only be done over the phone, not online.
You can not book a standard award and then waitlist for a saver award.
If waitlisting for a higher cabin, best if done at the time of booking or soon afterward.
If done more than 24 hours after booking you may be charged an award change fee.
Generally, the waitlisted class mileage is deducted at time of request and will be refunded if unsuccessful
When waitlisting for a higher, state you are waitlisting for I (or IN if a plat or higher) -- do not use the word "upgrade", it may confuse the agent

If waitlisting for a segment when the rest of the segments are already in the higher cabin, there is no refund if unsuccessful

Member experiences:
  1. You must have a confirmed segment to waitlist for different cabin and/or a different flight.
  2. Can only waitlist for UA/UX operated flight, cannot waitlist for partner flights. Can waitlist for UA/UX flights on a mixed itin.
  3. The maximum number of WL segments in a PNR is 2.
  4. When confirmed segment is on a partner, you can waitlist for UA operated alternative.
At the airport, if you have not yet cleared for the higher cabin waitlist, you should be listed on the standby upgrade list (your priority on the waitlist is not well understood -- below are some conflicting theories)

Note: The correct priority term here may, in fact, be a code that is one of WAX, WBX, WCX, or WDX depending on status. The is per GG ONESTANDBY lines 32-55.

Originally Posted by hughw
The agent should give you PR-1 status* which gives you top-priority status and moves you to the very top of the upgrade standby list, ahead of employees and everyone else trying to upgrade with miles+cash. If one agent wont put you on the list as a displaced Business class passenger with "PR-1 status"* then find another one who will. With this status, the odds of you getting a business class are very high if there are still open seats (or if anybody no-shows).

If the agents in the airport are all clueless you should direct them to look
up gg onestandby in their system (theyll know exactly what this is)
and look around lines 85-89 which spell out the details of the procedure for
this award.
Note: PR-1 status is given to those who "paid" the requisite miles for an upgraded seat (i.e. biz) when only the non-upgraded space (i.e. coach) was available. The PR-1* status is to clue the system (and agents) in so that it is clear that you have been "displaced." (NOTE: once you have obtained PR-1 status, should there be any change to your ticket, e.g., an involuntary reroute by UA due to missing a connection, the PR-1 status will most likely get dropped and you must have it reattached (esp. before any UGs are given to others).
* note "PR-1" may not be the correct term, see the Wxx note proceeding this section

Unfortunately at T-24, many GAs do not get this concept. Use the above to plead your case but be prepared to be unsatisfied. One method that can get you to a higher level of understanding is the UC. Their staff seems to not only have a better understanding of the issues, but they can contact the gate and exert some influence on the less informed GAs, AND they seem to have more of an interest in helping PAX. If you can get into the UC, it will be worth your while.

**Note: If you get the UG on the long haul, the higher level of award miles you are using (like with the GPU) are considered used up regardless of the short haul. You will not be charged the lower level # of miles (i.e. refunded the diff between the lower level and the higher level you paid in advance), rather the higher level award miles will be considered spent. That is the risk you take when you do Plan B.

Related thread - Understanding the United Upgrade List Comprehensively

Archive of past posts - Consolidated "Waitlist for Award Seats Questions/Issues [ARCHIVE]
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Consolidated "Waitlist for Award Seats Questions/Issues"

Old Jan 19, 2024, 5:21 pm
  #391  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Originally Posted by jsloan
I understand what you're saying, but, just like everyone who expects UA to continue a waitlisting program that is clearly dead as soon as somebody remembers to update the website, you're missing a fundamental point. There is no chart. Therefore, even if you were booked on a through fare, there's no way to know that it wouldn't have been priced differently if I space had been available all the way through.
But there is. Just look at the fare calculation.

If it is is something like AAA UA X/BBB XX CCC, then it is a through fare. If it is broken up and is additive (AAA to BBB, then BBB to CCC), then it is just that.

Also, one letter fare code is generally the normal ("saver" - which still does show up so on the UA site also, BTW) fare, while two-letter one is higher. So if you book X-fare (one letter X) on a UA flight and have I-fare (one letter I) on UA or another *A airline, then the X-fare segment is eligible for waitlisting, as the X-fare segment is in the normal ("saver") fare class, same as the O-fare segment.

The problem is that most UA res agents and supervisors have no clue of what they are doing. They can't even read and comprehend the fare calculation!

That being said, I most definitely do not expect this wait-listing program to be continued. I've said so before. It's a relic of better days in the [getting more and more distant] past, which exactly as you say, will be removed the moment someone at UA who knows what they are doing notices that it is still so published and updates the site.
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Old Jan 19, 2024, 6:57 pm
  #392  
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Originally Posted by RealHJ
But there is. Just look at the fare calculation.
I stated that I understood what you were saying. I did.

Originally Posted by RealHJ
If it is is something like AAA UA X/BBB XX CCC, then it is a through fare. If it is broken up and is additive (AAA to BBB, then BBB to CCC), then it is just that.
I dont disagree. However, it doesnt mean that it would not have been a different price if all segments could be confirmed into I. We have absolutely no idea what considerations go into the pricing. There are no charts; the I through fare can be picked at any level UA feels at any time. And, yes, Ive seen different prices for I fares on the same route on the same date at the same time. I know that its an article of faith around here that there are hidden charts that guide the prices of I inventory, and I understand that I is often offered at a given price that looks a lot like theres a chart. But if there were a chart, there should never be any counterexamples.

Originally Posted by RealHJ
Also, one letter fare code is generally the normal ("saver" - which still does show up so on the UA site also, BTW) fare, while two-letter one is higher. So if you book X-fare (one letter X) on a UA flight and have I-fare (one letter I) on UA or another *A airline, then the X-fare segment is eligible for waitlisting, as the X-fare segment is in the normal ("saver") fare class, same as the O-fare segment.

The problem is that most UA res agents and supervisors have no clue of what they are doing. They can't even read and comprehend the fare calculation!
The fare calculation is a red herring. Even if you were on a broken fare, you should be able to waitlist for I on any segment where you have X the question is just what to charge you. Youre making the case that it should be zero on a through fare, and Id agree with you if there were still a chart.

Originally Posted by RealHJ
That being said, I most definitely do not expect this wait-listing program to be continued. I've said so before. It's a relic of better days in the [getting more and more distant] past, which exactly as you say, will be removed the moment someone at UA who knows what they are doing notices that it is still so published and updates the site.
Dynamic pricing. It took longer than I expected, but its gotten pretty much as bad as I thought when they first announced it.
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Old Jan 21, 2024, 4:06 am
  #393  
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by RealHJ
Most definitely not. That's what's next to impossible to get waitlisted. You can easily spend 10-20+ hours over countless calls/chats (each one escalate), and still no go.
I don't doubt your experience, but as I have stated before, the UA phone agents in Australia seem to be more open to waitlisting. Of the few agents that refused to waitlist, most stated that they would be willing to waitlist if the ticket was a mixed-cabin and the (dynamic) price had already been charged.

Regardless, I totally agree that waitlisting is not going to be around for much longer and will be officially eliminated once someone at UA updates the Award Travel and the Premier Award travel pages.
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Old Jan 21, 2024, 2:28 pm
  #394  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,496
I've successfully waitlisted for I/IN class on mixed itineraries, but have never waitlisted for I/IN when I'm only booked in X. I understand that if I can find an agent willing to do so, I will be deducted the full I class amount. If the waitlist does not clear, will I be refunded the difference in miles?

Never mind, I should have read the wiki first. Answer is yes I will be refunded, but may need to request it.
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Old Feb 5, 2024, 2:56 pm
  #395  
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 41
How to join waitlist for business-class saver "I"-fare while booking into "X"-fare

I am trying to book an international flight. Right now, there is an economy saver award ticket available for 55k miles, but there is no business saver award ticket available; just a business every day ticket for 200k miles. I have read that you can pay for the "I"-fare ticket now, even if there are no "I"-fare tickets available to book, and that United will (1) place you into an economy saver ("X"-fare) seat while waitlisting you for a business saver seat. If the business saver seat becomes available, you will get that seat. If it does not become available, you fly economy and the additional miles get redeposited in your account. It is technically not an upgrade, since you are pre-paying for the business saver ticket.

Per the United air travel award rules:
You may use miles for travel in United First, United Business or United Polaris business class, even if the space is not available. In these cases, United Economy in the same award type must be confirmed, and the front cabin will be waitlisted. If the courtesy waitlist does not clear, it will expire 24 hours before itinerary departure, and you will automatically be added to the airport upgrade standby list upon check-in. In these cases, you will be confirmed on a space-available basis by a United airport representative at the gate once the flight has closed for check-in. For United Polaris business class and United Business travel awards, the difference in miles will be refunded when the United Polaris business class or United Business class segment of the trip cannot be confirmed. Waitlist requests may only be made over the phone with your local United Customer Contact Center.
https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/mil...ir-awards.html

I tried doing this, both by phone with a supervisor and through Twitter (X) customer service. Both agents were familiar with this process but told me that this is no longer possible because of the change to dynamic pricing. That seems incorrect, for multiple reasons. (1) It directly contradicts the written policy online. (2) There are other data points showing that people have been able to do this after United made the change to dynamic pricing in late 2019. See One Mile at a Time and The Points Guy.

Has anyone had success with booking this kind of an award ticket recently? Is there any kind of magic language that I should use?

Thanks!
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Old Feb 5, 2024, 3:10 pm
  #396  
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Originally Posted by hbcobra
... Has anyone had success with booking this kind of an award ticket recently? Is there any kind of magic language that I should use?
Unfortunately this is a YMMV, it generally will take multiple tries to find an agent willing to this and may lose patience first. Note never argue or make big deal about tis or your reservation will be marked as having been told no and then you are dead for sure.

Yes all you say above is correct BUT the reality is this can be a challenge. This thread is a very long history of inconsistency although there is a trend toward no more ioften
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Old Feb 7, 2024, 6:00 pm
  #397  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Rochester, MN
Programs: UA Silver, Hilton HHonors Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 1,823
Have a mainland to HNL segment coming up in a few days. Booked into XN originally. Then bought up to PP for a fair price, so sitting in R space now. Did this buy up pull me out of award space such that I cannot waitlist for I space now (Im only Silver).

2nd...I did see a mileage and copay waitlist for about 2 days after I bought up to R space...I didnt act and it disappeared? Why would that be? I didnt want to act on that because the MSP -ORD segment was immediately upgradeable but the ORD-HNL segment was waitlist, so I would have been pretty screwed getting only the mainland segment upgraded for the MUA, right?
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Old Feb 7, 2024, 8:05 pm
  #398  
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Originally Posted by Hawkeyefan
Have a mainland to HNL segment coming up in a few days. Booked into XN originally. Then bought up to PP for a fair price, so sitting in R space now. Did this buy up pull me out of award space such that I cannot waitlist for I space now (Im only Silver).
Its difficult enough to get someone to waitlist you for I when everything is pristine. From R? Likely impossible.
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Old Feb 7, 2024, 9:05 pm
  #399  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Originally Posted by jsloan
Its difficult enough to get someone to waitlist you for I when everything is pristine. From R? Likely impossible.
Gotcha on that respect...

Why would the MUA disappear though. It only showed up for a day or two after I bought up to R. Gone now. Do they generally disappear by a T-xx before departure?
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Old Feb 7, 2024, 9:07 pm
  #400  
 
Join Date: Jun 2023
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Knowing why wont help you. Call them and they may be able to do something
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Old Feb 8, 2024, 6:59 am
  #401  
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Originally Posted by Hawkeyefan
Why would the MUA disappear though. It only showed up for a day or two after I bought up to R. Gone now. Do they generally disappear by a T-xx before departure?
Is the cabin possibly full? I can't think of any other reason (and even then, I'd be a little surprised that if you couldn't waitlist anyway).
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Old Feb 8, 2024, 8:17 am
  #402  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Originally Posted by jsloan
Is the cabin possibly full? I can't think of any other reason (and even then, I'd be a little surprised that if you couldn't waitlist anyway).
F cabin not full, can still b-up to F from R and THAT offer is still there. Just no mileage and co-pay offer.
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Old Feb 27, 2024, 1:24 am
  #403  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,496
If I'm able to get waitlisted for I, if I split a multi passenger itinerary does the waitlist get preserved? I'd rather waitlist then split if possible since miles are coming from one account, minimize time on phone, etc.
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Old Feb 27, 2024, 7:15 am
  #404  
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Yes. It's an extra segment in the PNR.
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