Wowsers, that's awesome, first good news from MP in a while!

Hello All,

Just off the phone with a 1K rep and I couldn't get a resolution to the following problem. Suggestions most welcome.

My folks were flying IAH-MUC yesterday and I applied GPUs to their tickets. About 45 minutes prior to departure, I checked and they were #1 and #2 on the list. They went ahead and boarding the flight. I checked the list again about 20 min prior to departure and my mom's upgrade had cleared. I figured at least one got to ride up front.

This morning I had an email from my mom saying the ride in economy class wasn't too bad and thanks for trying on the upgrades. A couple of email exchanges and it seems like no one told her she had been upgraded. She rode IAH-MUC in seat 17B though she was assigned 1A.

It seems odd that a) the upgrade cleared but no one told her pre-departure and b) 1A went out empty and no one thought to check with her at any point during the flight.

When I talked to the 1K rep, the answer was, "The upgrade cleared." I tried to explain that my mom never knew this.

Is there any recourse here to get the GPU back?

You get the GPU back, your mom gets $1500 compensation under GG OVS DOWNGRADE, and UA re-trains the gate agent. Consult the DOT if UA doesn't believe you.

Did your folks buy anything on board in coach — anything to indicate your mom was definitely in 17B?

Isnt the bp scan the proof needed? As no 1A was scanned?

Do we know that?

Obviously not OP's mom, but things have been known to happen ...

Hopefully she has her original BP.

Not so. If OP's mom boarded before the UG cleared, it was absolutely the GA's discretion as to whether to go onboard, locate her and have her swim upstream. All depends on the GA, what other tasks there are and how the boarding process is going.

If the choice is delaying the push vs. finding a pax who has forfeited the UG by boarding, that's an easy one for the GA (and the other pax).

I realize that this is awkward when the recipient is not a regular flier as a GPU-user would ordinarily be, but the only way to assure that this works is to ask the GA for direction. Some will guarantee that they will come find you. Others will tell you to wait at the gate and others may tell you that you may board and that they will do their best to come find you, but without any guarantees.

And if the GA makes that decision, it is the GAs responsibility to reverse the cleared upgrade and return the cert. UA has no stated published policy on how the GA or the passagner is to act in this case. But since the GA chose not to notify the customer, the customer's cert/miles should be returned.

I would call back and try again. There should be proof that she boarded under the Y seat assignment. There may be no way for you to prove someone didn't come and get her, but there's no way for UA to prove that someone did. While many of us obsessively check the app once on board if we're #1, they can't expect that of everyone.

I assume you have access to that UA policy statement?

My mom scanned her original boarding pass for 17B, boarding, and sat down in that seat. She has the original boarding pass (and the "witness" in 17A - my dad).

Called back and got the same response. The upgrade shows as cleared so I'm being told she was upgraded.

Part of the problem is United waiting until the very last minute to upgrade people. It has gotten ridiculous. I was flying from Europe last week and I boarded since it didn't look like my upgrade was going to go through. 5 minutes before departure a woman comes on the plane with my same coach seat. It took another 10 minutes before they figured out I had been upgraded (and my phone didn't say that I had).

The OP issue is 100% United's fault. I recommend asking for a supervisor and they will credit the GPU back.

Not true. On UA, you are expected to board. It is not a waiver of the upgrade.

But this circumstance is a good reminder that best practice is to check in with the GA if you're in the running for the upgrade. I'm not saying that's what OP's parents should have done though; I can't really see my mom doing it, for example. And at the end of the day this was a GA fail.

Don't give up. Keep asking for supervisors. E-mail 1kvoice. pm UAInsider. Whatever it takes.

My GS sponsored RPU on a flight changed from "PN class requested" to "R class requested" at T-24. Is this correct, and will it have any affect on a potential upgrade?

Also, I assume that if F/A/J etc = 0 or is less than the number of passengers, then our chances of getting an upgrade is close to zero since the flight would be sold out or overbooked in front?

would be interesting to know if 1A remained empty ... shouldn't this have caused a passenger count issue in the J cabin? Perhaps the GA had a friend who needed that seat ... u know ...
I agree to contact UA over and over again till this is resolved. IAH-MUC is a tough upgrade; learned that the hard way earlier this year

This is kind of a unique case, I hope. Maybe this is one of those times you might want to try contact UAInsider. They seem to be able to clearly understand these type of problems in a way that other agents cant.