Y fares on UA, LH Not Upgradable???
Jul 31, 2012, 8:01 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: USA
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy BS, Hertz & Avis Pres
Posts: 653
Y fares on UA, LH Not Upgradable???
I've looked in both the UA and LH forums and cannot find the answer to this question.
I booked DEN-IAH-AMS ... AMS-FRA-IAH-DEN for September. The IAH-AMS (UA metal), FRA-IAH (LH), and IAH-DEN (UA metal) legs are each in Y:
When I attempt to upgrade the flights, it appears that the system is not recognizing my Y fare bucket:
Has anyone else had a similar experience? I see in the MP Upgrade rules that "Only flights marketed and operated by the same airline are permitted" and "Codeshare flights not eligible" so I am guessing that the LH A380 flight is not eligible for a mileage plus upgrade.
1. Has anyone else had a similar experience with Y fares?
2. Is my interpretation correct that the LH flight is not MP upgrade eligible because it is listed as a UA flight number in my reservation? If I cannot use MP miles to upgrade, do I have any chance of paying for an upgrade with LH, either now or at check-in?
3. What is the best way to go about attempting to upgrade my UA flights, both avoiding the co-pay for the outbound legs (DEN-IAH-AMS) and pushing through the IAH-DEN upgrade on the instant upgrade fare?
Thanks much as always.
I booked DEN-IAH-AMS ... AMS-FRA-IAH-DEN for September. The IAH-AMS (UA metal), FRA-IAH (LH), and IAH-DEN (UA metal) legs are each in Y:
When I attempt to upgrade the flights, it appears that the system is not recognizing my Y fare bucket:
Has anyone else had a similar experience? I see in the MP Upgrade rules that "Only flights marketed and operated by the same airline are permitted" and "Codeshare flights not eligible" so I am guessing that the LH A380 flight is not eligible for a mileage plus upgrade.
1. Has anyone else had a similar experience with Y fares?
2. Is my interpretation correct that the LH flight is not MP upgrade eligible because it is listed as a UA flight number in my reservation? If I cannot use MP miles to upgrade, do I have any chance of paying for an upgrade with LH, either now or at check-in?
3. What is the best way to go about attempting to upgrade my UA flights, both avoiding the co-pay for the outbound legs (DEN-IAH-AMS) and pushing through the IAH-DEN upgrade on the instant upgrade fare?
Thanks much as always.
Last edited by NgatesSEA; Jul 31, 2012 at 8:13 am
Jul 31, 2012, 8:07 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: MBS/FNT/LAN
Programs: UA 1K, HH Gold, Mariott Gold
Posts: 9,630
Has anyone else had a similar experience? I see in the MP Upgrade rules that "Only flights marketed and operated by the same airline are permitted" and "Codeshare flights not eligible" so I am guessing that the LH A380 flight is not eligible for a mileage plus upgrade.
Jul 31, 2012, 8:08 am
#3
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,645
I've looked in both the UA and LH forums and cannot find the answer to this question.
I booked DEN-IAH-AMS ... AMS-FRA-IAH-DEN for September. The IAH-AMS (UA metal), FRA-IAH (LH A380), and IAH-DEN (UA metal) legs are each in Y:
When I attempt to upgrade the flights, it appears that the system is not recognizing my Y fare bucket:
Has anyone else had a similar experience? I see in the MP Upgrade rules that "Only flights marketed and operated by the same airline are permitted" and "Codeshare flights not eligible" so I am guessing that the LH A380 flight is not eligible for a mileage plus upgrade.
1. Has anyone else had a similar experience with Y fares?
2. Is my interpretation correct that the LH flight is not MP upgrade eligible because it is listed as a UA flight number in my reservation? If I cannot use MP miles to upgrade, do I have any chance of paying for an upgrade with LH, either now or at check-in?
3. What is the best way to go about attempting to upgrade my UA flights, both avoiding the co-pay for the outbound legs (DEN-IAH-AMS) and pushing through the IAH-DEN upgrade on the instant upgrade fare?
Thanks much as always.
I booked DEN-IAH-AMS ... AMS-FRA-IAH-DEN for September. The IAH-AMS (UA metal), FRA-IAH (LH A380), and IAH-DEN (UA metal) legs are each in Y:
When I attempt to upgrade the flights, it appears that the system is not recognizing my Y fare bucket:
Has anyone else had a similar experience? I see in the MP Upgrade rules that "Only flights marketed and operated by the same airline are permitted" and "Codeshare flights not eligible" so I am guessing that the LH A380 flight is not eligible for a mileage plus upgrade.
1. Has anyone else had a similar experience with Y fares?
2. Is my interpretation correct that the LH flight is not MP upgrade eligible because it is listed as a UA flight number in my reservation? If I cannot use MP miles to upgrade, do I have any chance of paying for an upgrade with LH, either now or at check-in?
3. What is the best way to go about attempting to upgrade my UA flights, both avoiding the co-pay for the outbound legs (DEN-IAH-AMS) and pushing through the IAH-DEN upgrade on the instant upgrade fare?
Thanks much as always.
Jul 31, 2012, 8:16 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: USA
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy BS, Hertz & Avis Pres
Posts: 653
Thanks. Do the instant upgrade Y fares book into a different booking class than MP upgrade fares? If united.com will allow me to use 15k miles to upgrade the IAH-DEN UA metal flight (and is showing current availability), which fare bucket am I looking for in order to use the instant upgrade?
Jul 31, 2012, 8:27 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,645
Thanks. Do the instant upgrade Y fares book into a different booking class than MP upgrade fares? If united.com will allow me to use 15k miles to upgrade the IAH-DEN UA metal flight (and is showing current availability), which fare bucket am I looking for in order to use the instant upgrade?
I think it's the JN fare class. Check Expertflyer if you are not aware of that.
If you pay Y for that segment you should get instant upgrade with no need to use miles.
Jul 31, 2012, 8:39 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Oakland
Posts: 199
Note that last flight (IAH-DEN) is eligible for a free upgrade right now (since you're Premier on a Y fare code), and has seats available, so you should get that with no mile or dollar charge.
However, these seem to not be automatic upgrades, rather it involves some interaction on your part. It may be complicated since you have international legs, but when I've had Y fares for domestic only, I have to go through some process of a few clicks to actually request the free upgrade. If you're having issues, try calling and they should be able to upgrade you on that flight with no charge.
Also, the fare bucket you're looking for is JN, but I've always seen JN greater than or equal to R. On the page you show above, R=3, so you should be fine for JN.
Edit: Gotta love UA Math: 15 mins gate-to-gate AMS-FRA!
However, these seem to not be automatic upgrades, rather it involves some interaction on your part. It may be complicated since you have international legs, but when I've had Y fares for domestic only, I have to go through some process of a few clicks to actually request the free upgrade. If you're having issues, try calling and they should be able to upgrade you on that flight with no charge.
Also, the fare bucket you're looking for is JN, but I've always seen JN greater than or equal to R. On the page you show above, R=3, so you should be fine for JN.
Edit: Gotta love UA Math: 15 mins gate-to-gate AMS-FRA!
Last edited by 777boy; Jul 31, 2012 at 8:44 am
Jul 31, 2012, 8:41 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: SFO, LON
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Bonvoy Tit, Hilton Dia etc etc
Posts: 2,354
On the outbound you should be able to call MP and request upgrade on the INT segment only, which is in Y, thus avoiding co-pay. If you try to upgrade the whole thing in one go my guess is that the L segment forces you into the miles+copay scenario. DEN-IAH you can live with in Y, or you might luck into a CPU, you never know.
Too bad with the LH flight, as others have said it does have to be sold as LH and not a codeshare. Anything can happen at the airport; I don't believe Y will give you any particular advantage here, though, just hope you're lucky, or that the flight is busy enough in econ that they will be glad for people to purchase upgrades.
Too bad with the LH flight, as others have said it does have to be sold as LH and not a codeshare. Anything can happen at the airport; I don't believe Y will give you any particular advantage here, though, just hope you're lucky, or that the flight is busy enough in econ that they will be glad for people to purchase upgrades.