Potreroflyr

I think I booked the companion first, but I just looked at the records and they have identical time/date stamps.

Also, the upgrades apparently happened SIX days out. eUA window doesn't apply?

njcommodore

Whichever was booked first would be higher in the EUA queue. There have also been reports of EUA at 6 days out. Might also have something to do with the (temporary )upgrade of some plat accts to PPlat.

channa

I don't think they actually use ticketing time as the tie breaker, just ticketing date. It's last name alphabetically for tickets booked on the same day, IIRC.

Potreroflyr

Interesting, but didn't happen in this case. My name comes before the companion's alphabetically.

Guess it's another of those IT anomalies that we'll be dealing with...

And yes, I did get the PPlat mistake status.

njcommodore

you don't remember which one you booked first? Do you still have the CO emails when you booked the ticket?

channa

While it's possible there was only one (1) seat left when it got to the companion, I think it's suspect that the companion got upgraded by the poster did not on two (2) unique segments.

I think there's something else wrong with the OP's record or ticket.

eleeut

i just completed a reward itin and scored an upgrade from EWR >>> CLE. maybe some interesting data points though. i originally looked at the itin while logged into my CO account and noticed that the only upgradable seg would book into XN. i then logged out and looked at the same itin and then the upgradable segment came in as X. i booked the reward ticket and upon confirmation, i received an EUA notice. the flight was a 738 with 20 F seats. it was well within the EUA windows and i was the 3 pax on the upgrade clearance list on the mobile site, with perhaps 2 paid F. the rest of the seats seemed to fill up with upgrades closer into departure time.

i don't know if the EUA then messed up my reservation, but i couldn't do OLCI for the return and the counter agent had to click around for a bit until she could get me checked in.

Tute84

Traveled for the first time yesterday on a reward ticket since getting the PresPlus card. I was on a YN ticket FLL-EWR.

Not added to the list automatically, and argued for 15 mins with the agent at the ticketing counter about the rules. She found a supervisor who knew the rule and they had to override the system. After he walked away, she mumbled something under her breath about not getting in trouble for it and then called some sort of help desk.

After all the drama didn't think I was going to clear until scanning my BP at the gate during boarding!

njcommodore

It stuns me at how pitiful the training is of ticketing agents. This benefit has been around for MONTHS now and there are still widespread reports about agents lack of familiarity with it.

channa

Much of the CO service philosophy relies on automation. With that comes the assumption that the computer is always right. If the computer lets you do it, you're good; if the computer doesn't let you do it, it's probably not allowed. That's why finding a CO rep to override a computer can be exasperating at times -- not just with this, but overall.

I see the problem as two-fold: 1) the high failure rate of CO's automation with respect to these types of upgrades; and 2) the cultural tendency to not override the computer. If CO could fix #1, #2 would become much less of a problem.

Henwurst

Follow up regarding GUM (where I spent a great deal of time arguing in November as reported earlier): No advance upgrade (no R availability), but at the check in desk the agent made sure to add me to the upgrade list without me having to ask for it. New agent, same supervisor in the background. Flight: GUM-HKG booked in X, upgrade cleared at the gate.

Potreroflyr

I said I thought I booked the companion first because CO's two step process (ticket issued later) threw me.

As Channa surmised, there WAS a ticket problem. Confirmation (not ticket issue) emails indicate MY reservation was booked first. But several hours passed and no tix. So I called and the agent had to rework the companion reservation. He said that it was not in the queue to issue. He fixed it, I thought. He said my reservation was just waiting. Anyway shortly after the tickets were issued, as I said, with the same time stamp.

I also had an irrops situation on the outbound (US air delay, switched to UA), so it's rather complex...

The agent also went on at length about how much more time consuming the transition was making his job. He said he can only handle half his normal call volume because of issues arising. I was somewhat taken aback -- even joked about CO recording the phone call -- and he said he hoped they were, so they'd realize that there are problems to address.

mnmme

Has anyone actually or heard of two people - either one on reward/one paid
or both on reward being upgraded on the same flight?

edcho

I've seen a few people get 2+ people upgraded via EUA while on being reward tickets.

hhmorgan

The published policy for this benefit is the primary cardholder only (OnePass Plus, Presidential Plus & a few others) is upgradable for the Reward ticket. See link here - http://www.continental.com/web/en-US.../upgrades.aspx

You can see my experience with this here - http://http://www.flyertalk.com/foru...ustrating.html

UA Insider (Shannon) answered this issue clearly. Although I'm sure the TA and GA do not clearly understand it.

See UA Insider response here - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/17342895-post39.html

It continues to be opaque - if your name is supposed to appear on the 24-hour window or not; and whether you are actually in the EUA lists.

If two are traveling the only "legitimate" way to get the upgrade is for the primary cardholder to have the Reward Ticket in their name and then request a Companion upgrade for the paid companion (Rev Ticket).

If you are the primary cardholder and you've got to argue the point - then request the TA or GA to lookup GG_Pres_Plus in their system. I had the UniteClub agent read this verbatim to me at the time and it spells out what cards qualify and that it's only the primary cardholder on Reward and that the primary cardholder can still request a companion upgrade for a Rev Ticket companion while flying under this benefit.

I would note that someone pointed out in another thread that you should make sure your Chase card (OnePass Plus or Presidential Plus) is linked to your OnePass account on Continental.com by choosing Continental Credit Card with the supporting info. Don't choose Mastercard from the drop-down.

If someone other than the Primary cardholder gets the upgrade on a Reward Ticket - then your just lucky!