Aug 13, 2013, 12:23 am
Last edit by: Guate87
What is this whole PNR auto-splitting thing about?
First, you need to realize there are two separate upgrade waitlists. There's the advance upgrade waitlist, which runs periodically from your applicable upgrade window until about four hours before departure, and the airport waitlist, which is manually cleared by the gate agents about 30 minutes before departure.
The first waitlist can handle an elite and a companion automatically. If you're next in line for an upgrade and there are at least two upgradeable seats available, you'll both get the upgrade.
The second waitlist (the airport one) can only handle upgrading one traveler on a PNR. If there is more than one person in your reservation when you check in, you'll be asked if you want to either split the reservation if waitlisted for CPU or stay on the same reservation and decline being on the gate waitlist. For supported waitlisted upgrades (PPs or Miles) you will not be asked and it will split (without choice) at check-in.
Next, you need to be familiar with United's "auto-check-in" feature. If you select this option when you check in for your original outbound flight (depending on how you check in, it may automatically default to selecting this), then shortly after 24 hours before your return flight segment, you'll automatically be checked in and boarding passes will be electronically delivered to you. discontinued
If you opt for this and the system automatically checks you in, and if you have two people in your reservation, the system will automatically split your reservation. You and your companion will now be on two separate reservations, and you'll be waitlisted for an upgrade and your companion won't.
Why might splitting be bad?
[color=#000000]If your companions are not elite, they will no longer qualify for the elite benefits they inherited from you. That means no free baggage (including credit card companion bag benefit), no Economy Plus seating access (although they won't be booted out of E+ if they're already seated in it, barring irregular operations), no Premier Access, and potential issues in irregular operations as a result of being on a separate reservation (they may be rebooked on a separate flight from you without agent intervention). If you have TSA pre-check your family traveling with you on the same PNR can use the precheck line - which they cannot do if you split. And if you are traveling with children
First, you need to realize there are two separate upgrade waitlists. There's the advance upgrade waitlist, which runs periodically from your applicable upgrade window until about four hours before departure, and the airport waitlist, which is manually cleared by the gate agents about 30 minutes before departure.
The first waitlist can handle an elite and a companion automatically. If you're next in line for an upgrade and there are at least two upgradeable seats available, you'll both get the upgrade.
The second waitlist (the airport one) can only handle upgrading one traveler on a PNR. If there is more than one person in your reservation when you check in, you'll be asked if you want to either split the reservation if waitlisted for CPU or stay on the same reservation and decline being on the gate waitlist. For supported waitlisted upgrades (PPs or Miles) you will not be asked and it will split (without choice) at check-in.
Next, you need to be familiar with United's "auto-check-in" feature. If you select this option when you check in for your original outbound flight (depending on how you check in, it may automatically default to selecting this), then shortly after 24 hours before your return flight segment, you'll automatically be checked in and boarding passes will be electronically delivered to you. discontinued
If you opt for this and the system automatically checks you in, and if you have two people in your reservation, the system will automatically split your reservation. You and your companion will now be on two separate reservations, and you'll be waitlisted for an upgrade and your companion won't.
Why might splitting be bad?
[color=#000000]If your companions are not elite, they will no longer qualify for the elite benefits they inherited from you. That means no free baggage (including credit card companion bag benefit), no Economy Plus seating access (although they won't be booted out of E+ if they're already seated in it, barring irregular operations), no Premier Access, and potential issues in irregular operations as a result of being on a separate reservation (they may be rebooked on a separate flight from you without agent intervention). If you have TSA pre-check your family traveling with you on the same PNR can use the precheck line - which they cannot do if you split. And if you are traveling with children
The stupid PNR auto-splitting at T-24 needs to stop
Jan 12, 2014, 9:40 pm
#781
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
That should not be. They are always right behind you on the outbound. The inbound though is when they drop lower...usually the last at that premier level.
Jan 12, 2014, 9:53 pm
#782
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Arlington, VA
Programs: UA 1K, AA PLT, SPG PLT
Posts: 1,612
If you book one-ways and BEFORE upgrade windows, you split the reservation (listing the other passenger as the companion - i'm not certain if you can do this), that is the best approach to maximising upgrades.
As stated above, I was seemingly passed up many times on CPUs with a companion. That most likely was because I was a party of two, and the CPU [invisible] bucket was at 1 or less, every single time. Only after I split the record was I upgraded and then shortly after, my wife was upgraded, and presumably if we DIDN'T split, neither would have received the upgrade.
Which is why on several of my flights over the last year, my wife and I would get skipped on the outbound leg, but actually clear (albeit one at at time, and we would rarely get seats together) since the records only contain one person.
Obviously, it varies dramatically based on cabin types and how many seats are available, but it's actually best with COdbaUA to have only one person on a record when seats are tight - but of course you can definitely end up in different cabins and most likely will end up in seats not next to each other.
This is one of the stupid reasons I'm leaving UA - their systems are horribly complex and awful - the agents probably have no clue about any of this (one agent gave me a hard time when I wanted to have my Y seat in the middle and my companion in the aisle, in case I cleared, the best seat remained) and there is no simple solution around these systems - basically, we all 'deal' with their limited systems in one way or another...and frankly, if i'm going to spend my money on an airline, it will be one that I don't have to deal with. It's sad, but it's taken me more than a year and half to figure that out with CO's systems...
-jeremy
Feb 3, 2014, 4:35 pm
#783
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: San Jose, CA
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Diamond, Marriot Gold
Posts: 292
We are a family of 4, and are about to book tickets for a couple of vacations.
I am a 1K, my wife and elder Son a Silver and my younger soon a non-elite.
We don't mind splitting ourselves in groups of 2 (1 parent + 1 child). A lot more peaceful if we do that
Anyways, what's the best strategy to book and / or split?
- Should I book all 4 on the same PNR?
- Should I book me (1K) and non Elite on one, and the 2 silvers on another?
- Should I book all 4 on the same PNR, get E+ seats and then split?
Even if 2 of the 4 people got upgrades, we'll be happy.
Any suggestions on the best way to approach this?
I am a 1K, my wife and elder Son a Silver and my younger soon a non-elite.
We don't mind splitting ourselves in groups of 2 (1 parent + 1 child). A lot more peaceful if we do that
Anyways, what's the best strategy to book and / or split?
- Should I book all 4 on the same PNR?
- Should I book me (1K) and non Elite on one, and the 2 silvers on another?
- Should I book all 4 on the same PNR, get E+ seats and then split?
Even if 2 of the 4 people got upgrades, we'll be happy.
Any suggestions on the best way to approach this?
Feb 3, 2014, 5:08 pm
#784
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: UA S, Marriott Gold (UA), Hertz PC (UA), HH Gold (cc), Avis PP, National EC Executive
Posts: 280
We are a family of 4, and are about to book tickets for a couple of vacations.
I am a 1K, my wife and elder Son a Silver and my younger soon a non-elite.
We don't mind splitting ourselves in groups of 2 (1 parent + 1 child). A lot more peaceful if we do that
Anyways, what's the best strategy to book and / or split?
- Should I book all 4 on the same PNR?
- Should I book me (1K) and non Elite on one, and the 2 silvers on another?
- Should I book all 4 on the same PNR, get E+ seats and then split?
Even if 2 of the 4 people got upgrades, we'll be happy.
Any suggestions on the best way to approach this?
I am a 1K, my wife and elder Son a Silver and my younger soon a non-elite.
We don't mind splitting ourselves in groups of 2 (1 parent + 1 child). A lot more peaceful if we do that
Anyways, what's the best strategy to book and / or split?
- Should I book all 4 on the same PNR?
- Should I book me (1K) and non Elite on one, and the 2 silvers on another?
- Should I book all 4 on the same PNR, get E+ seats and then split?
Even if 2 of the 4 people got upgrades, we'll be happy.
Any suggestions on the best way to approach this?
Although your two silvers could get E+ seats at checkin, you can guarantee them good E+ seats now (and ones probably all together) by booking all four on your PNR initially (also join united.com club if you haven't already).
Then I'd split off the two silvers, since they have a chance to get upgraded on their own. Keep your younger son on your reservation. In the best case, you and your younger son will get upgraded at T-96. And your wife and elder son might pick up upgrades as silvers. You could theoretically get all four upgrades. (I might also ask the checkin or gate agent if you could get the two silvers listed on the upgrade list at your status level, though it probably won't happen. It might if you and your younger son have already received upgrades.)
Also note that since you're 1K, your companion upgrade (if within 24 hours) will process at before all Plats but after all 1Ks. Whether your companion is non-elite or silver won't help him/ her. (Or at least I don't think it will. It would make sense that if you had a non-elite companion and another 1K had a silver companion that the silver would take priority. I don't think United's systems are that smart though.)
Anyway, there's no harm in splitting after you've gotten all your E+ seats. Just don't split off your non-elite from your PNR.
Feb 3, 2014, 5:54 pm
#785
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
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Posts: 23,196
At IAH terminal C this morning, they couldn't check me in without splitting. I begged them to find another way, but they couldn't resolve it. I finally relented and of course my companion wasn't listed for the upgrade and, by the time I added him at the gate, he was 10 slots behind me.
It may have been due to an IRROPS rebooking (I had initially declined the split, but then our flight was cancelled and I had the 1K desk rebook--perhaps the Do Not Upgrade flag was still stuck in the record from our old flight or something).
I'm a bit disappointed for two reasons:
-lounge access for my companion in BOM -- if it's a contract lounge, I may not be able to guest him (I need to look into what the BOM lounge situation is), and
-cpu on the return domestic EWR-IAH segment
Still waiting for some long-promised resolution to the CPU system...I was hoping it would resolve some of these issues...
It may have been due to an IRROPS rebooking (I had initially declined the split, but then our flight was cancelled and I had the 1K desk rebook--perhaps the Do Not Upgrade flag was still stuck in the record from our old flight or something).
I'm a bit disappointed for two reasons:
-lounge access for my companion in BOM -- if it's a contract lounge, I may not be able to guest him (I need to look into what the BOM lounge situation is), and
-cpu on the return domestic EWR-IAH segment
Still waiting for some long-promised resolution to the CPU system...I was hoping it would resolve some of these issues...
Feb 3, 2014, 9:41 pm
#786
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,861
Feb 4, 2014, 12:17 am
#787
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,196
Feb 4, 2014, 12:30 am
#788
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SFO, TPE, HNL
Programs: UA GS 4MM, RCC life member (paid), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, CLEAR
Posts: 1,824
Just wish to reconfirm..
My wife (1K) will travel with our son's family of 5 none of them have status. All six are in E+ outbound and inbound. If my wife choose to split the reservation into 2+4, I gather the 4 will all keep their pre-assigned seats on the outbound. But they will also keep their E+ seats on the inbound unless there is a IRROP? Two years ago we had a similar situation, after I was upgraded at the gate on the outbound, in the return flight other members of my party each get their own PNR and are moved to E-.
My wife (1K) will travel with our son's family of 5 none of them have status. All six are in E+ outbound and inbound. If my wife choose to split the reservation into 2+4, I gather the 4 will all keep their pre-assigned seats on the outbound. But they will also keep their E+ seats on the inbound unless there is a IRROP? Two years ago we had a similar situation, after I was upgraded at the gate on the outbound, in the return flight other members of my party each get their own PNR and are moved to E-.
Feb 4, 2014, 7:57 am
#789
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: San Jose, CA
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Diamond, Marriot Gold
Posts: 292
At the 1K window, you can get at most two upgrades, so you'll want to split into 2+1+1.
Although your two silvers could get E+ seats at checkin, you can guarantee them good E+ seats now (and ones probably all together) by booking all four on your PNR initially (also join united.com club if you haven't already).
Then I'd split off the two silvers, since they have a chance to get upgraded on their own. Keep your younger son on your reservation. In the best case, you and your younger son will get upgraded at T-96. And your wife and elder son might pick up upgrades as silvers. You could theoretically get all four upgrades. (I might also ask the checkin or gate agent if you could get the two silvers listed on the upgrade list at your status level, though it probably won't happen. It might if you and your younger son have already received upgrades.)
Also note that since you're 1K, your companion upgrade (if within 24 hours) will process at before all Plats but after all 1Ks. Whether your companion is non-elite or silver won't help him/ her. (Or at least I don't think it will. It would make sense that if you had a non-elite companion and another 1K had a silver companion that the silver would take priority. I don't think United's systems are that smart though.)
Anyway, there's no harm in splitting after you've gotten all your E+ seats. Just don't split off your non-elite from your PNR.
Although your two silvers could get E+ seats at checkin, you can guarantee them good E+ seats now (and ones probably all together) by booking all four on your PNR initially (also join united.com club if you haven't already).
Then I'd split off the two silvers, since they have a chance to get upgraded on their own. Keep your younger son on your reservation. In the best case, you and your younger son will get upgraded at T-96. And your wife and elder son might pick up upgrades as silvers. You could theoretically get all four upgrades. (I might also ask the checkin or gate agent if you could get the two silvers listed on the upgrade list at your status level, though it probably won't happen. It might if you and your younger son have already received upgrades.)
Also note that since you're 1K, your companion upgrade (if within 24 hours) will process at before all Plats but after all 1Ks. Whether your companion is non-elite or silver won't help him/ her. (Or at least I don't think it will. It would make sense that if you had a non-elite companion and another 1K had a silver companion that the silver would take priority. I don't think United's systems are that smart though.)
Anyway, there's no harm in splitting after you've gotten all your E+ seats. Just don't split off your non-elite from your PNR.
Feb 4, 2014, 10:32 am
#790
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: UA S, Marriott Gold (UA), Hertz PC (UA), HH Gold (cc), Avis PP, National EC Executive
Posts: 280
Just wish to reconfirm..
My wife (1K) will travel with our son's family of 5 none of them have status. All six are in E+ outbound and inbound. If my wife choose to split the reservation into 2+4, I gather the 4 will all keep their pre-assigned seats on the outbound. But they will also keep their E+ seats on the inbound unless there is a IRROP? Two years ago we had a similar situation, after I was upgraded at the gate on the outbound, in the return flight other members of my party each get their own PNR and are moved to E-.
My wife (1K) will travel with our son's family of 5 none of them have status. All six are in E+ outbound and inbound. If my wife choose to split the reservation into 2+4, I gather the 4 will all keep their pre-assigned seats on the outbound. But they will also keep their E+ seats on the inbound unless there is a IRROP? Two years ago we had a similar situation, after I was upgraded at the gate on the outbound, in the return flight other members of my party each get their own PNR and are moved to E-.
It's also probably not that important to you, but I don't think you can split into 2+4. I think you can split people off one at a time, so it would be 2+1+1+1+1. (Though again, I don't think it will matter to you in this case.)
Feb 4, 2014, 2:55 pm
#791
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SFO, TPE, HNL
Programs: UA GS 4MM, RCC life member (paid), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, CLEAR
Posts: 1,824
Yes, in my experience, they'll also keep their seats on the inbound unless there's an IRROP. In most cases these systems are "once you have it you keep it." Some people may remember the glitch at the beginning of 2013 where 1K status was awarded to a number of members who had flown a flight within the first couple days of January. I was supposed to be silver but ended up 1K for a few days because of the glitch. My upgrades on both legs cleared while I was 1K and remained even after the glitch had been fixed.
It's also probably not that important to you, but I don't think you can split into 2+4. I think you can split people off one at a time, so it would be 2+1+1+1+1. (Though again, I don't think it will matter to you in this case.)
It's also probably not that important to you, but I don't think you can split into 2+4. I think you can split people off one at a time, so it would be 2+1+1+1+1. (Though again, I don't think it will matter to you in this case.)
Feb 4, 2014, 5:54 pm
#792
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Platinum
Posts: 396
Interesting Companion Return Upgrade After Split on Outbound
There may be other data that show this result but I haven't found it yet and I've read a lot of pages in this thread.
Companion (Silver) and I (Gold) booked on same reservation. On outbound I split. Neither of us upgraded but it was properly split as we have 2 separate PNR's now.
Stayed 5 nights which brought us to 48 hours. At 48 hours I got email of confirmed upgrade. Then my companion said he got an email of upgrade confirmed as well. But he's only Silver and I thought that when splitting on outbound, your companion loses my higher priority.
But I can confirm we are on completely separate itineraries and both upgraded at 48 hours on return.
Only thing noteworthy is that I missed outbound flight and ended up rebooking on other airline. My companion went as planned. UA cancelled out the outbound without affecting the return.
Thoughts? Is it possible companions are now keeping priority on return even when splitting on outbound?
Companion (Silver) and I (Gold) booked on same reservation. On outbound I split. Neither of us upgraded but it was properly split as we have 2 separate PNR's now.
Stayed 5 nights which brought us to 48 hours. At 48 hours I got email of confirmed upgrade. Then my companion said he got an email of upgrade confirmed as well. But he's only Silver and I thought that when splitting on outbound, your companion loses my higher priority.
But I can confirm we are on completely separate itineraries and both upgraded at 48 hours on return.
Only thing noteworthy is that I missed outbound flight and ended up rebooking on other airline. My companion went as planned. UA cancelled out the outbound without affecting the return.
Thoughts? Is it possible companions are now keeping priority on return even when splitting on outbound?
Feb 4, 2014, 6:02 pm
#793
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 420
Sorry if this has already been covered, but it's a SHARES thing, a rather annoying one, at that. Ran into it at US they they switched from Sabre to SHARES. One of the many shortcomings of SHARES that can drive agents --- and customers --- crazy.
Feb 4, 2014, 8:22 pm
#794
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 46
There may be other data that show this result but I haven't found it yet and I've read a lot of pages in this thread.
Companion (Silver) and I (Gold) booked on same reservation. On outbound I split. Neither of us upgraded but it was properly split as we have 2 separate PNR's now.
Stayed 5 nights which brought us to 48 hours. At 48 hours I got email of confirmed upgrade. Then my companion said he got an email of upgrade confirmed as well. But he's only Silver and I thought that when splitting on outbound, your companion loses my higher priority.
But I can confirm we are on completely separate itineraries and both upgraded at 48 hours on return.
Only thing noteworthy is that I missed outbound flight and ended up rebooking on other airline. My companion went as planned. UA cancelled out the outbound without affecting the return.
Thoughts? Is it possible companions are now keeping priority on return even when splitting on outbound?
Companion (Silver) and I (Gold) booked on same reservation. On outbound I split. Neither of us upgraded but it was properly split as we have 2 separate PNR's now.
Stayed 5 nights which brought us to 48 hours. At 48 hours I got email of confirmed upgrade. Then my companion said he got an email of upgrade confirmed as well. But he's only Silver and I thought that when splitting on outbound, your companion loses my higher priority.
But I can confirm we are on completely separate itineraries and both upgraded at 48 hours on return.
Only thing noteworthy is that I missed outbound flight and ended up rebooking on other airline. My companion went as planned. UA cancelled out the outbound without affecting the return.
Thoughts? Is it possible companions are now keeping priority on return even when splitting on outbound?
Feb 13, 2014, 4:57 pm
#795
Join Date: May 2006
Location: STL
Programs: UA Platinum, AA Platinum Pro, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,429
The stupid PNR auto-splitting at T-24 needs to stop
Today's latest PNR splitting experience flying PSPIAH as a Silver (formerly 1K) with wife.
Reservation booked yesterday less than 24 hours out. Flight was booked 4/6 at checkin. Ambiguous wording when going thru prompt to check in...only my name appeared during select travelers to upgrade. Doesn't make sense to me because it added my wife to the upgrade list even though she wasn't listed in "select travelers to upgrade".
Split PNR put me at #1 and wife as #6. #'s 2/3 and 4/5 had same last name and from conversation at gate were traveling together. So why did they stay in order but we didn't? I figured what would happen is what typically happens because SHARES is useless...only one of us would get the upgrade even though I was #1 and theoretically wife should have been #2. Companion benefit never works for me clearing in advance and usually results in us sitting apart even though two seats end up being open in the end. #2 could be on a lower fare class, checked in later etc....they might as well say add companion at gate rather than give the impression that by booking together you are eligible to upgrade yourself and said companion if you are next on list and two seats are open.
Reservation booked yesterday less than 24 hours out. Flight was booked 4/6 at checkin. Ambiguous wording when going thru prompt to check in...only my name appeared during select travelers to upgrade. Doesn't make sense to me because it added my wife to the upgrade list even though she wasn't listed in "select travelers to upgrade".
Split PNR put me at #1 and wife as #6. #'s 2/3 and 4/5 had same last name and from conversation at gate were traveling together. So why did they stay in order but we didn't? I figured what would happen is what typically happens because SHARES is useless...only one of us would get the upgrade even though I was #1 and theoretically wife should have been #2. Companion benefit never works for me clearing in advance and usually results in us sitting apart even though two seats end up being open in the end. #2 could be on a lower fare class, checked in later etc....they might as well say add companion at gate rather than give the impression that by booking together you are eligible to upgrade yourself and said companion if you are next on list and two seats are open.
