"Expert Mode" Changes
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:04 pm
#721
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: EWR, ORD, IAH, LGA
Programs: UA GS, AA CK, DL PLT, HH DIA, MARRIOTT PLT, FAIRMONT LT PLT, HYATT DIA, SIXT PLT, AVIS PC
Posts: 506
Wow I understand the website confusing people which is why they had to opt in to expert mode but, blocking expert flyer as well sucks makes searching for availability so much harder.
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:07 pm
#722
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Carmel Valley(was Hawaii)
Programs: United 1K 2.7 MM
Posts: 1,188
What horrible news to come back to: just in OZ for two weeks(on UA) getting ready to plan 2013 vacations on United now that my husband has crossed the 1K mark.
What United doesn't seem to care about is that we fly a lot to keep 1K status, and not cheap tickets either as we start out of LIH. I also fly a lot of discounted business fares.
So there are extra trips that we make to get to 1K so that we get SWUs so that we can fly a lot in C as that makes flying a lot tolerable...
I really don't want to have to go back to calling the 1K desk every day to check on upgrade availability.....and if I have to pay for C there are other carriers out there...I will not do upgrade roulette.
What United doesn't seem to care about is that we fly a lot to keep 1K status, and not cheap tickets either as we start out of LIH. I also fly a lot of discounted business fares.
So there are extra trips that we make to get to 1K so that we get SWUs so that we can fly a lot in C as that makes flying a lot tolerable...
I really don't want to have to go back to calling the 1K desk every day to check on upgrade availability.....and if I have to pay for C there are other carriers out there...I will not do upgrade roulette.
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:10 pm
#723
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Washington DC
Programs: Former 1k, Lifetime UA Gold, Marriott Platinum; Avis Preferred; Hertz Gold
Posts: 1,740
So can I call UA and ask about R availability? Are they just taking this down because of screen scraping. Obviously this seems like an *awful* decision from the consumer perspective. Can I get the same info from an agent? If so, the costs to them are going to increase dramatically...
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:18 pm
#724
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Worldwide
Posts: 12,952
These Classes are now also known as CU & FU respectively:
http://Help.KVSTool.com/#UA
As per the update that has been posted in the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...l#post19277504 Master Thread earlier on today:
- UA Upgrade Availability: [Upgrades/UA] Method Replaces [Awards-Upgrades/UA]. UA Upgrade Availability display changes from numeric to [+/-] format.
Please refer to the updated Method Info & UA Booking Classes Table sections for details on the new display and be sure to download the latest version (V7.0.5).
- UA Award Availability: No impact. Availability continues to be accessible via the [Awards/StarAlliance] & [Awards/AC-StarAlliance] Methods.
- UA Regular Availability: No impact. Availability continues to be accessible via the [Sabre: FS] & [Galileo: ETR] Methods.
Last edited by J.Edward; Sep 8, 2012 at 8:44 pm
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:28 pm
#725
Formerly known as CollegeFlyer
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: JRA
Programs: DL Plat, UA Million Miler / fmr. 1K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Gold.
Posts: 6,717
UACO wheels out another Black Box.
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:32 pm
#726
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond, UA 1K MM, SPG Plat For Life, Marriott Plat, Nexus/GlobalEntry
Posts: 9,198
Hi Everyone,
I can certainly appreciate the feedback on this particular topic. Ive responded to a fair number of PMs tonight and I do want to at least offer a bit of clarification here in the thread as well. I know theres no explanation that will make the current state better for those of you here. But, at the end of the day, the way in which the information was shared was truly causing issues and confusion for an extremely broad audience. This is what drove the change. This information displays for all customers and there is no expert mode setting as there was on the previous site. So, turning it off, as a first step, really is helping mitigate a large volume of issues that our front line co-workers and other customers are experiencing.
Getting this information back into the hands of the right users is our next step. As many of you have suggested, the solution lies somewhere between adding this information as an option in a profile setting to providing even more detail in much smarter ways. I would never couch this as a change we expect anyone to like. I can appreciate that its seen as a take away. We are committed to making this information more robust and useful though especially for our expert travelers. I know it can't happen quickly enough.
Shannon
I can certainly appreciate the feedback on this particular topic. Ive responded to a fair number of PMs tonight and I do want to at least offer a bit of clarification here in the thread as well. I know theres no explanation that will make the current state better for those of you here. But, at the end of the day, the way in which the information was shared was truly causing issues and confusion for an extremely broad audience. This is what drove the change. This information displays for all customers and there is no expert mode setting as there was on the previous site. So, turning it off, as a first step, really is helping mitigate a large volume of issues that our front line co-workers and other customers are experiencing.
Getting this information back into the hands of the right users is our next step. As many of you have suggested, the solution lies somewhere between adding this information as an option in a profile setting to providing even more detail in much smarter ways. I would never couch this as a change we expect anyone to like. I can appreciate that its seen as a take away. We are committed to making this information more robust and useful though especially for our expert travelers. I know it can't happen quickly enough.
Shannon
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:39 pm
#727
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Here today gone tomorrow
Programs: *G, ow Saph
Posts: 2,865
Wow, I'm so glad you announced this BEFORE I just booked my first ticket on UA since May.
I was almost ready to give you a try again, United. Now that will swing at least 30K in business from UA to AA/oneworld for the remainder of the year.
I was almost ready to give you a try again, United. Now that will swing at least 30K in business from UA to AA/oneworld for the remainder of the year.
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:40 pm
#728
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,164
- Upgrade roulette is irrelevant with expert mode.
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:40 pm
#729
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 72,611
Seems that UA makes it a high priority to "fix" anything which benefits the customer in any way.
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:43 pm
#730
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 133
This will be my last year as 1K. I've made no efforts at all this year to requalify; unlike in past years when I'd pay extra for a UA flight. This thread is an additional disappointment. It's going to be a little more bothersome to burn my last few upgrades.
So add me into the mix of people who are more than just talk, and have actually shifted their spend post-merger.
So add me into the mix of people who are more than just talk, and have actually shifted their spend post-merger.
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:46 pm
#731
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,082
Hi Everyone,
I can certainly appreciate the feedback on this particular topic. Ive responded to a fair number of PMs tonight and I do want to at least offer a bit of clarification here in the thread as well. I know theres no explanation that will make the current state better for those of you here. But, at the end of the day, the way in which the information was shared was truly causing issues and confusion for an extremely broad audience. This is what drove the change. This information displays for all customers and there is no expert mode setting as there was on the previous site. So, turning it off, as a first step, really is helping mitigate a large volume of issues that our front line co-workers and other customers are experiencing.
Getting this information back into the hands of the right users is our next step. As many of you have suggested, the solution lies somewhere between adding this information as an option in a profile setting to providing even more detail in much smarter ways. I would never couch this as a change we expect anyone to like. I can appreciate that its seen as a take away. We are committed to making this information more robust and useful though especially for our expert travelers. I know it can't happen quickly enough.
Shannon
I can certainly appreciate the feedback on this particular topic. Ive responded to a fair number of PMs tonight and I do want to at least offer a bit of clarification here in the thread as well. I know theres no explanation that will make the current state better for those of you here. But, at the end of the day, the way in which the information was shared was truly causing issues and confusion for an extremely broad audience. This is what drove the change. This information displays for all customers and there is no expert mode setting as there was on the previous site. So, turning it off, as a first step, really is helping mitigate a large volume of issues that our front line co-workers and other customers are experiencing.
Getting this information back into the hands of the right users is our next step. As many of you have suggested, the solution lies somewhere between adding this information as an option in a profile setting to providing even more detail in much smarter ways. I would never couch this as a change we expect anyone to like. I can appreciate that its seen as a take away. We are committed to making this information more robust and useful though especially for our expert travelers. I know it can't happen quickly enough.
Shannon
I am a GS MM and my wife enjoys the MM companion benefit and being a GS. We do not travel together often, but when we do finding upgrade space is very important to us. My disillusionment with United just continues and continues...
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:53 pm
#732
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Carmel Valley(was Hawaii)
Programs: United 1K 2.7 MM
Posts: 1,188
And "automatically waitlisted" is meaningless...see numerous posts on this topic. I myself have "gamed" the system by calling the 1K desk to clear a waitlist when R>0.
Last edited by mmack; Sep 8, 2012 at 8:56 pm Reason: spelling, clarification
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:53 pm
#733
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Zurich
Programs: UA 1k, BA silver, HH D
Posts: 220
Hey everyone! Let's just all start calling in and tying up the lines asking to check day after day after day for R availability. If EF won't work anymore, let's make UA work instead. What a stupid thing for UA to do. I will use my SWUs. I'm not just throwing them away because some jacka$$ has made it hard for me to use them. I might as well hurt UA as they are hurting me now by making me spend time in the phone to find upgrades confirm able at time of booking.
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:56 pm
#734
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Sep 8, 2012 | 8:58 pm
#735
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Earth ... for now
Programs: UA 2MM * Marriott Ambassador LT Titanium 2K+ nights * Hilton Diamond *
Posts: 2,094
Announcement
Jeff Smisek is scheduled to give a speech at the City Club of Chicago Forum on
"The Art and Manner of Upsetting your Best Customers".
A book on the subject is planned to be published before the end of the year.
A complimentary DVD including all the in-flight announcements of Jeff Smisek will be attached on each book.
"The Art and Manner of Upsetting your Best Customers".
A book on the subject is planned to be published before the end of the year.
A complimentary DVD including all the in-flight announcements of Jeff Smisek will be attached on each book.
Last edited by UASPG; Sep 8, 2012 at 9:03 pm