Mar 31, 2014, 3:57 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Waitlisting for awards
Click for the current rules from United
Waitlisting options
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:
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.
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).
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]
Click for the current rules from United
Waitlisting options
- Waitlist for alternative flights times / routing
- 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.
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:
- You must have a confirmed segment to waitlist for different cabin and/or a different flight.
- Can only waitlist for UA/UX operated flight, cannot waitlist for partner flights. Can waitlist for UA/UX flights on a mixed itin.
- The maximum number of WL segments in a PNR is 2.
- When confirmed segment is on a partner, you can waitlist for UA operated alternative.
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.
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 won’t 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 (they’ll know exactly what this is)
and look around lines 85-89 which spell out the details of the procedure for
this award.
If the agents in the airport are all clueless you should direct them to look
up “gg onestandby” in their system (they’ll 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" 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]
Consolidated "Waitlist for Award Seats Questions/Issues"
Feb 27, 2023, 10:29 am
#106
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
If you see XN space -- saver coach -- as opposed to YN, you may be able to make this plan work -- but if you're seeing Polaris (I/IN) space on the TATL, I wouldn't wait around for domestic space to open.And, yes, you should have Polaris lounge access at ORD as an arriving passenger in Polaris with an onward flight.
Feb 27, 2023, 11:43 am
#107
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
No problem. If you see XN space -- saver coach -- as opposed to YN, you may be able to make this plan work -- but if you're seeing Polaris (I/IN) space on the TATL, I wouldn't wait around for domestic space to open.
And, yes, you should have Polaris lounge access at ORD as an arriving passenger in Polaris with an onward flight.
If you see XN space -- saver coach -- as opposed to YN, you may be able to make this plan work -- but if you're seeing Polaris (I/IN) space on the TATL, I wouldn't wait around for domestic space to open.And, yes, you should have Polaris lounge access at ORD as an arriving passenger in Polaris with an onward flight.
Feb 28, 2023, 3:32 pm
#108
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: DTW/MBS
Programs: UA 1K, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Formerly Starbucks Gold
Posts: 3,525
I was able to waitlist for IN today on an XN award via phone after being declined via Twitter. What was strange was that unlike in the past, the business saver mileage wasn't debited at the time of the waitlist.
My interpretation of this would be that while I may auto-confirm into any XN space that opens up prior to T-24hr (as with a basic waitlist), I expect this to expire at T-24hr, and that PR-1 or equivalent high-priority status will likely not apply.
My interpretation of this would be that while I may auto-confirm into any XN space that opens up prior to T-24hr (as with a basic waitlist), I expect this to expire at T-24hr, and that PR-1 or equivalent high-priority status will likely not apply.
And now that I've read previous posts, looks like this is getting harder to do.
Feb 28, 2023, 3:44 pm
#109
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: None - previously UA
Posts: 4,866
Mar 1, 2023, 6:19 pm
#110
Join Date: Aug 2018
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 114
This is what I got when I messaged them on Twitter: "Though previously allowed, the award waitlist option from Economy to Business Class has been discontinued. We have shifted to dynamic pricing where at any given time, the mileage requirement may change, unlike before where the mileage requirements are fixed for every travel region. ^BT"
Mar 1, 2023, 9:47 pm
#111
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
This is what I got when I messaged them on Twitter: "Though previously allowed, the award waitlist option from Economy to Business Class has been discontinued. We have shifted to dynamic pricing where at any given time, the mileage requirement may change, unlike before where the mileage requirements are fixed for every travel region. ^BT"
Mar 2, 2023, 12:48 am
#112
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 562
This is what I got when I messaged them on Twitter: "Though previously allowed, the award waitlist option from Economy to Business Class has been discontinued. We have shifted to dynamic pricing where at any given time, the mileage requirement may change, unlike before where the mileage requirements are fixed for every travel region. ^BT"
Mar 2, 2023, 4:28 am
#113
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,280
Originally Posted by United
Waitlisting any premium cabin segments is allowed only when a premium cabin award price is paid and some, but not all segments are available in premium cabin at time of purchase.
Mar 2, 2023, 9:30 am
#114
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
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.
Mar 2, 2023, 9:42 am
#115
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,280
I think that quoted text is the bigger thing here as the guidance to agents appears to be essentially that waitlisting an entire business saver is dead, and explains on top of agents not being trained on it, why it is increasingly difficult to find people willing to do it (and will likely continue to become more difficult going forward)
Last edited by Lux Flyer; Mar 2, 2023 at 9:48 am
Mar 2, 2023, 9:50 am
#116
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,412
If it was constructed such that a domestic segment being in I/IN with the long haul Polaris marketed segment being XN with a waitlist for I/IN would likely meet the requirements for the refunded difference (assuming the same approach as they take for MUAs), which is why I said not wholly inconsistent.
There is a construction that fits with that refund policy, not that I'm sure how viable creating that construction is.
There is a construction that fits with that refund policy, not that I'm sure how viable creating that construction is.
Right, but UA shouldn't be able to post one policy and then say "oh, sorry, we have a secret internal policy" when someone tries to use it.
Mar 2, 2023, 7:00 pm
#117
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,762
We have BRU-EWR in Polaris, but EWR-FLL in XN. I called to ask about waitlist the EWR-FLL, the agent who was based in Columbia did not seem quite understand what this was about but he did try for 15 min doing whatever he thought would work but no dice. According to him the system would not allow him to "modify" it, despite I explained to him this is waitlisting since we had already paid the cost for I.
Does it worth to try again, given we are peons on UA,
Does it worth to try again, given we are peons on UA,
Mar 2, 2023, 7:13 pm
#118
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DCA
Programs: UA 1K; *G and *A Top 1000; HHonors Diamond; *$ Gold; Global Entry
Posts: 2,272
We have BRU-EWR in Polaris, but EWR-FLL in XN. I called to ask about waitlist the EWR-FLL, the agent who was based in Columbia did not seem quite understand what this was about but he did try for 15 min doing whatever he thought would work but no dice. According to him the system would not allow him to "modify" it, despite I explained to him this is waitlisting since we had already paid the cost for I.
Does it worth to try again, given we are peons on UA,
Does it worth to try again, given we are peons on UA,
Mar 2, 2023, 7:16 pm
#119
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,762
Yes we are in I on BRU-EWR. I asked exactly what you said, but the home-based rep at Columbia, South America obviously did not know how to do it. I will try again. Is there a "magic" phone number to call? I only called the general number.
Mar 2, 2023, 7:28 pm
#120
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DCA
Programs: UA 1K; *G and *A Top 1000; HHonors Diamond; *$ Gold; Global Entry
Posts: 2,272
If pressed, you booked a Saver Business award and want to waitlist for I on EWR-FLL.