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
#1066
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA 1K 24 years/2MM, Honors LT Diamond, AVIS & Hertz Prez Club
Posts: 4,746
#1067
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: STL
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA Plat, SPG/M P75 and few from CC
Posts: 341
This benefit does not apply to companions traveling on award tickets. If a reservation includes passengers other than the Cardmember, the Complimentary Premier Upgrade will not be processed. Premier members will be added to the upgrade standby list at check in on the day of travel.
I checked in an award ticket reservation with three passengers today. One of the passengers is eligible for CPU (Chase CC holder), who is split out from the reservation. This is a one-way ticket. I thought that only round-trip tickets got split for the return segments. Anyway, unrelatedly, the split-out passenger did not get TSA Pre, while a non-status passenger with the original reservation got TSA Pre. And so is his 1K companion on this reservation.
#1068
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: STL
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA Plat, SPG/M P75 and few from CC
Posts: 341
#1069
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA 1K 24 years/2MM, Honors LT Diamond, AVIS & Hertz Prez Club
Posts: 4,746
Premier members who are primary cardholders for certain Chase-issued MileagePlus credit cards are eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades when traveling on award tickets on United-operated flights. The following credit cards qualify for this benefit:
United MileagePlus Explorer Card
United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card
United MileagePlus Club Card
United MileagePlus Club Business Card
United MileagePlus Presidential PlusSM Card
United MileagePlus Presidential Plus Business Card
Complimentary Premier Upgrades on award tickets will be prioritized as indicated in the "Upgrade Confirmation Priority" section above, and prioritized after the lowest paid fare class within each Premier level. This benefit does not apply to companions traveling on award tickets.
#1070
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: STL
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA Plat, SPG/M P75 and few from CC
Posts: 341
Beware if the credit card holder's miles were not used for the ticket they are not CPU eligible. The CPU only applies when miles and cardholder are the same person.
(And let's set the +1 aside since +1 is not eligible in the case of CPU on award ticket).
Are you stating my comment is incorrect? If so please provide your source. Here's mine:
Premier members who are primary cardholders for certain Chase-issued MileagePlus credit cards are eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades when traveling on award tickets on United-operated flights. The following credit cards qualify for this benefit:
United MileagePlus Explorer Card
United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card
United MileagePlus Club Card
United MileagePlus Club Business Card
United MileagePlus Presidential PlusSM Card
United MileagePlus Presidential Plus Business Card
Complimentary Premier Upgrades on award tickets will be prioritized as indicated in the "Upgrade Confirmation Priority" section above, and prioritized after the lowest paid fare class within each Premier level. This benefit does not apply to companions traveling on award tickets.
Premier members who are primary cardholders for certain Chase-issued MileagePlus credit cards are eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades when traveling on award tickets on United-operated flights. The following credit cards qualify for this benefit:
United MileagePlus Explorer Card
United MileagePlus Explorer Business Card
United MileagePlus Club Card
United MileagePlus Club Business Card
United MileagePlus Presidential PlusSM Card
United MileagePlus Presidential Plus Business Card
Complimentary Premier Upgrades on award tickets will be prioritized as indicated in the "Upgrade Confirmation Priority" section above, and prioritized after the lowest paid fare class within each Premier level. This benefit does not apply to companions traveling on award tickets.
#1071
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORF, RIC
Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum
Posts: 6,882
add: when checked in on App, it asked which pax I wanted to put on upgrade standby list.
Last edited by Kmxu; Dec 25, 2016 at 6:10 am
#1072
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: NJ (EWR) - USA
Programs: UA Silver - IHG Spire AMB - Hilton Gold - Choice Hotels Platinum - Hertz Gold FiveStar
Posts: 396
So if I were to split my 3 person PNR to 1 (UA Gold) + 2 (no status) in hopes of a better UG chance is it still true that the +2 lose my elite benefits as listed in the Wiki?
We can't all go as single PNR's because my son is only 5yo, so it's either me alone or him w/ me.
"Why might splitting be bad?
If your companions are not elite, they will no longer qualify for the elite benefits they inherited from you. That means no free baggage, 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..."
Any recent confirmation of this would be of great help!
We can't all go as single PNR's because my son is only 5yo, so it's either me alone or him w/ me.
"Why might splitting be bad?
If your companions are not elite, they will no longer qualify for the elite benefits they inherited from you. That means no free baggage, 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..."
Any recent confirmation of this would be of great help!
#1073
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
So if I were to split my 3 person PNR to 1 (UA Gold) + 2 (no status) in hopes of a better UG chance is it still true that the +2 lose my elite benefits as listed in the Wiki?
We can't all go as single PNR's because my son is only 5yo, so it's either me alone or him w/ me.
Any recent confirmation of this would be of great help!
We can't all go as single PNR's because my son is only 5yo, so it's either me alone or him w/ me.
Any recent confirmation of this would be of great help!
Remember to give everyone great seats (no middles) so in case two are upgraded the last has a good seat.
Something like: ABC DEF - then place flying partner in A, son in C and yourself in D.
#1074
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA MM Plat, UA 1MM, Hilton Lifetime Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold, CLEAR, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 3,606
Help with I hope is a simple ?
Certain times when I read the wiki's on FT I just go crazy and this is one of them. I figured I was fairly savvy about flying. I am one 1K and LT Gold for life with UA. But I didn't realize the issue with using auto check in.
Now my wife is my designated companion and flies at my current status, 1K. Then even print a 1K card for her. I assume if we use the auto check in function, which I previously always used, she still flies at 1K status even though her own level without companion would probably be Silver (has Chase Club card as well)?? I must admit there are numerous times that I get upgraded and she doesn't AND even the reverse. (Of course being the nice guy I am all always give her the F seat :-)
Now my wife is my designated companion and flies at my current status, 1K. Then even print a 1K card for her. I assume if we use the auto check in function, which I previously always used, she still flies at 1K status even though her own level without companion would probably be Silver (has Chase Club card as well)?? I must admit there are numerous times that I get upgraded and she doesn't AND even the reverse. (Of course being the nice guy I am all always give her the F seat :-)
#1075
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 1,575
Like you I am MM Gold (which got upgraded to Plat for the second half of 2016). My wife is my designated companion. When she flies solo, she flies with my status, i.e. gets E+ on check in. In order to get upgrades when we fly together, we have to split PNRs, and then it's pretty random who gets them.
#1076
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA MM Plat, UA 1MM, Hilton Lifetime Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold, CLEAR, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 3,606
Thanks, that is pretty much my experience as well. When she flies solo she always gets my 1K perks although I would say she doesn't SEEM to get CPU's as frequently as I. I don't even attempt to ever try to figure out why that happens (class of ticket, hub, etc....)! We have learned to just shrug it off. CPU's even for me seems to be getting rare. I travel to Hawaii on biz a lot and UA no longer gives CPU to Hawaii on certain routes so many times my 1K status is meaningless (as far as CPU's). Of course I can and do use the occasional regionals and miles for upgrades.
#1077
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Florida
Programs: UA 2MM
Posts: 1,917
Flying in a group of 10 people this weekend. Only 2 of us have 1K status, the rest are no status, and we wanted to maximize the benefit for the group. So we did this:
record locator #1: 8 people ... a 1K and 7 people with no-status
record locator #2: 2 people ... a 1K and 1 person with no status
The idea is that everyone would get luggage and econ plus seating. And 2 people (record locator #2) might have a chance for an upgrade. No one will check-in online, it will be at the airport. We did book these as RTs rather than OWs (I should have read this thread earlier)
- I was told that the 1K on record locator #1 will not be on an upgrade list because there are 7 people with no status on the same record. Is this correct? Or do I have to do anything to keep this record from being split (which would be very bad as 7 people would lose benefits)?
- We are about 68 hours before the flight and the people on record locator #2 are not upgraded yet. A reliable source with access to loads told me that economy is oversold by 3 and first has 4 seats (out of 16) available. We are thinking that once we are about 6 hours before the flight, the upgrade will not come through via reservations, so we might as well call and tell UA "no upgrade" on this reservation, just to be safe and keep it from auto-splitting. Then, at least we would have a fighting chance for upgrades in the 100-hour window on the return. Does this make sense?
- Finally, will all 8 of the non-status people on these reservations get access to Priority check-in and priority security (even if the 1K is not present at that moment)?
Thanks.
record locator #1: 8 people ... a 1K and 7 people with no-status
record locator #2: 2 people ... a 1K and 1 person with no status
The idea is that everyone would get luggage and econ plus seating. And 2 people (record locator #2) might have a chance for an upgrade. No one will check-in online, it will be at the airport. We did book these as RTs rather than OWs (I should have read this thread earlier)
- I was told that the 1K on record locator #1 will not be on an upgrade list because there are 7 people with no status on the same record. Is this correct? Or do I have to do anything to keep this record from being split (which would be very bad as 7 people would lose benefits)?
- We are about 68 hours before the flight and the people on record locator #2 are not upgraded yet. A reliable source with access to loads told me that economy is oversold by 3 and first has 4 seats (out of 16) available. We are thinking that once we are about 6 hours before the flight, the upgrade will not come through via reservations, so we might as well call and tell UA "no upgrade" on this reservation, just to be safe and keep it from auto-splitting. Then, at least we would have a fighting chance for upgrades in the 100-hour window on the return. Does this make sense?
- Finally, will all 8 of the non-status people on these reservations get access to Priority check-in and priority security (even if the 1K is not present at that moment)?
Thanks.
#1078
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: NJ (EWR) - USA
Programs: UA Silver - IHG Spire AMB - Hilton Gold - Choice Hotels Platinum - Hertz Gold FiveStar
Posts: 396
Nothing's changed. Split off the one person, and keep you and your son together. Gives you more of the benefits without needing agent intervention.
Remember to give everyone great seats (no middles) so in case two are upgraded the last has a good seat.
Something like: ABC DEF - then place flying partner in A, son in C and yourself in D.
Remember to give everyone great seats (no middles) so in case two are upgraded the last has a good seat.
Something like: ABC DEF - then place flying partner in A, son in C and yourself in D.
#1079
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: STL
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA Plat, SPG/M P75 and few from CC
Posts: 341
- Nothing needs to be done, as long as you did not put RPUs GPUs MUAs on everybody.
- You will have chance to opt for no split-no upgrade during check-in(online or kiosk, see wiki above), if I were you don't even bother with agent while check-in and tag bags, use kiosk or self tag if all possible.
- Should be ok
- You will have chance to opt for no split-no upgrade during check-in(online or kiosk, see wiki above), if I were you don't even bother with agent while check-in and tag bags, use kiosk or self tag if all possible.
- Should be ok
Flying in a group of 10 people this weekend. Only 2 of us have 1K status, the rest are no status, and we wanted to maximize the benefit for the group. So we did this:
record locator #1: 8 people ... a 1K and 7 people with no-status
record locator #2: 2 people ... a 1K and 1 person with no status
The idea is that everyone would get luggage and econ plus seating. And 2 people (record locator #2) might have a chance for an upgrade. No one will check-in online, it will be at the airport. We did book these as RTs rather than OWs (I should have read this thread earlier)
- I was told that the 1K on record locator #1 will not be on an upgrade list because there are 7 people with no status on the same record. Is this correct? Or do I have to do anything to keep this record from being split (which would be very bad as 7 people would lose benefits)?
- We are about 68 hours before the flight and the people on record locator #2 are not upgraded yet. A reliable source with access to loads told me that economy is oversold by 3 and first has 4 seats (out of 16) available. We are thinking that once we are about 6 hours before the flight, the upgrade will not come through via reservations, so we might as well call and tell UA "no upgrade" on this reservation, just to be safe and keep it from auto-splitting. Then, at least we would have a fighting chance for upgrades in the 100-hour window on the return. Does this make sense?
- Finally, will all 8 of the non-status people on these reservations get access to Priority check-in and priority security (even if the 1K is not present at that moment)?
Thanks.
record locator #1: 8 people ... a 1K and 7 people with no-status
record locator #2: 2 people ... a 1K and 1 person with no status
The idea is that everyone would get luggage and econ plus seating. And 2 people (record locator #2) might have a chance for an upgrade. No one will check-in online, it will be at the airport. We did book these as RTs rather than OWs (I should have read this thread earlier)
- I was told that the 1K on record locator #1 will not be on an upgrade list because there are 7 people with no status on the same record. Is this correct? Or do I have to do anything to keep this record from being split (which would be very bad as 7 people would lose benefits)?
- We are about 68 hours before the flight and the people on record locator #2 are not upgraded yet. A reliable source with access to loads told me that economy is oversold by 3 and first has 4 seats (out of 16) available. We are thinking that once we are about 6 hours before the flight, the upgrade will not come through via reservations, so we might as well call and tell UA "no upgrade" on this reservation, just to be safe and keep it from auto-splitting. Then, at least we would have a fighting chance for upgrades in the 100-hour window on the return. Does this make sense?
- Finally, will all 8 of the non-status people on these reservations get access to Priority check-in and priority security (even if the 1K is not present at that moment)?
Thanks.
#1080
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,663
- I was told that the 1K on record locator #1 will not be on an upgrade list because there are 7 people with no status on the same record. Is this correct? Or do I have to do anything to keep this record from being split (which would be very bad as 7 people would lose benefits)?
Last edited by Boraxo; Jan 6, 2017 at 7:39 pm