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Upgrade still waitlisted even though PZ (previously R) class is available

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Old Jun 28, 19, 3:19 am   -   Wikipost
Please read: This is a community-maintained wiki post containing the most important information from this thread. You may edit the Wiki once you have been on FT for 90 days and have made 90 posts.
  
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
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It appears at times, UA will release upgrade space, now labeled as PZ, but the upgrade waitlist is not processed until a later time. During this period of time, a new upgrade request will clear, ignoring the waitlist. This could be a new request or someone calling to request their waitlisted request to be clear (sometimes called -- "jumping the queue"). So as a defensive move, some may try to call to get their waitlisted request cleared if this situation occurs. Over the years agents, at times, have been reluctant or agreeable to doing this. More recently there are reports of agents needing supervisor approval to do this (this may be UA's attempt to prevent "queue jumping").

Another strategy in this situation is to remove a waitlisted request and then reapply. This does risk losing one's place on the waitlist if unsuccessful

At times, the waitlist process seems to be delayed for an extended period of time, it is speculated that this is a situation where the waitlist processing is "stuck" -- this may be due to a ticket out-of-sync issue with the passenger on top of the waitlist or other causes. A good agent will notice this if you call about clearing and fix the situation.

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Difference of"Upgrade Requested","Segment has been Waitlisted","R/PZ class requested"

Changes to UA's Fare Classes (19-20 October 2018)

Archive thread: Upgrade still waitlisted even though R (now PZ) class is available {Archive}
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Old Dec 3, 17, 3:21 pm
  #106  
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Originally Posted by ChiTownMuggle View Post
This is indeed a crazy way to do things, but I'm glad it worked for you...and glad I discovered this thread so I can try the same thing if I'm in that boat.
That's a pretty fundamental system flaw, and it's definitely not supposed to work that way. However, it's hard for me to fault the OP for taking advantage of it, since it would have been easy for anyone else to do the same thing, even unknowingly -- if I see R space, I'm not calling up to make sure they've processed the waitlist already. If I were on the waitlist, I'd be pretty upset to find R space available before they cleared my upgrade.
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Old Dec 3, 17, 4:33 pm
  #107  
 
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Originally Posted by jsloan View Post
That's a pretty fundamental system flaw, and it's definitely not supposed to work that way. However, it's hard for me to fault the OP for taking advantage of it, since it would have been easy for anyone else to do the same thing, even unknowingly -- if I see R space, I'm not calling up to make sure they've processed the waitlist already. If I were on the waitlist, I'd be pretty upset to find R space available before they cleared my upgrade.
i experienced this 2 times in the last few weeks, been on the waitlist and there was 4 R seats available and nothing cleared. It's crazy and about time that United has this problem fixed.
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Old May 31, 18, 8:00 pm
  #108  
 
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Just wanted to thank the overall forum again. Although I had to look up on google what HUACA means, once I did it solved all my problems
Had R available, didn't clear 7 days before flight, called once was rejected, second time worked.

It's pretty crazy reading the start of this thread in 2013 where someone is quoting united "This is an issue we are aware of and will fix soon"
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Old Jun 3, 18, 9:58 am
  #109  
 
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If this 'problem' was actually costing UA money, it would have been fixed years ago ...
I suppose having more Business inventory available means more new bookings, more check-in upgrades etc.
Don't forget that expertflyer used to show R space and allow R alerts ... until those convenient features were shut down.
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Old Jun 3, 18, 1:04 pm
  #110  
 
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So it seems like if you are outside 24 hours and have low/ no status and R class is showing available, its better to just call and cancel the GPU/ RPU upgrade request without saying anything and then go online immediately after and re-apply to clear it. I know, not a "fair" way to do it but can't blame anyone for trying, especially if anyone can do this.
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Old Jun 3, 18, 3:05 pm
  #111  
 
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A quick question: I'm traveling tomorrow (so within 24 hours & checked in) and there is now R space on the flight, where I've applied a GPU. Does the advice in this thread still apply if I call in, or will I have to wait until the gate to have the upgrade clear?
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Old Jun 3, 18, 3:13 pm
  #112  
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Originally Posted by wbatl1 View Post
A quick question: I'm traveling tomorrow (so within 24 hours & checked in) and there is now R space on the flight, where I've applied a GPU. Does the advice in this thread still apply if I call in, or will I have to wait until the gate to have the upgrade clear?
Call. Say “I have a GPU upgrade waitlisted and I see that R is available”.
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Old Jun 3, 18, 4:17 pm
  #113  
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Originally Posted by PrivatePilot View Post
So it seems like if you are outside 24 hours and have low/ no status and R class is showing available, its better to just call and cancel the GPU/ RPU upgrade request without saying anything and then go online immediately after and re-apply to clear it.
If you're low/no status, it's not your RPU or GPU, so not so easy to just reapply it.
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Old Jun 3, 18, 9:21 pm
  #114  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee View Post
If you're low/no status, it's not your RPU or GPU, so not so easy to just reapply it.
I meant if you are applying for someone (family member) and they have no/low status.
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Old Jun 13, 18, 9:22 am
  #115  
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The Waitlist System Is Officially Broken
For the second time in two weeks, R has opened on a flight I had waitlisted, and I haven't cleared. Today I see that SFO-HKG went R9 last night, but I'm still waitlisted.

Having just spent 17 minutes on the 1K line fixing what PEK ground staff did to a friend's award ticket (my miles) during IRROPS, I am really not looking forward to calling this in. Last time I had to call for this (about a week ago), the agent was quite unpleasant and insisted she couldn't clear upgrades. Supervisor intervention was required.
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Old Jun 13, 18, 9:29 am
  #116  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee View Post
For the second time in two weeks, R has opened on a flight I had waitlisted, and I haven't cleared. Today I see that SFO-HKG went R9 last night, but I'm still waitlisted.

Having just spent 17 minutes on the 1K line fixing what PEK ground staff did to a friend's award ticket (my miles) during IRROPS, I am really not looking forward to calling this in. Last time I had to call for this (about a week ago), the agent was quite unpleasant and insisted she couldn't clear upgrades. Supervisor intervention was required.
Maybe only for instruments?
I'm clearing at random intervals between T-72/T-96 waitlists for CPUs as usual.
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Old Jun 13, 18, 9:49 am
  #117  
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Originally Posted by laxmillenial View Post
Maybe only for instruments?
I'm clearing at random intervals between T-72/T-96 waitlists for CPUs as usual.
That is a completely different issue. Instruments should clear automatically into R within a few hours of inventory becoming available (typically in the early morning hours). That is not the case with CPUs, as R is not a sufficient condition for a CPU to clear.
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Old Jun 13, 18, 9:52 am
  #118  
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Originally Posted by Kacee View Post
That is a completely different issue. Instruments should clear automatically into R within a few hours of inventory becoming available (typically in the early morning hours). That is not the case with CPUs, as R is not a sufficient condition for a CPU to clear.
Agreed, but I think the point being made was that CPU sweeps are continuing even though instrument sweeps appear to be hitting all sorts of snags.
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Old Jun 13, 18, 11:17 am
  #119  
 
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I guess the frustration we all feel is the continued smoke and mirrors. I am sensing a great re-branding opportunity here - Fly "Opaque" formerly known as "United Continental"
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Old Jun 13, 18, 11:39 am
  #120  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee View Post
For the second time in two weeks, R has opened on a flight I had waitlisted, and I haven't cleared. Today I see that SFO-HKG went R9 last night, but I'm still waitlisted.

Having just spent 17 minutes on the 1K line fixing what PEK ground staff did to a friend's award ticket (my miles) during IRROPS, I am really not looking forward to calling this in. Last time I had to call for this (about a week ago), the agent was quite unpleasant and insisted she couldn't clear upgrades. Supervisor intervention was required.
I figured that you have heard or read about complaints about just this issue more often than I. I have had this happen to me a few times a year especially given that I am throwing instruments at most my flights. I typically call and do just as you were forced to and speak with a TA. Usually I don't need to get a supervisor but that has happened to me as well. The only thing that I have read here on FT is that they do the instrument upgrades with "sweeps" and have been told it was "a timing issue" and they tried to assure me I would have ultimately been upgraded. Not sure I buy that but it is what it is.
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