Question about applying a GPU at a different airport
 

I'm flying paid C DEL-FRA-ORD on LH this coming June. I've got one GPU left and thought about using it to upgrade the FRA-ORD segment to First Class (the DEL-ORD flight is on the new 747-8I so it has the new LH lay-flat product, but the second flight is the old angled flat).

Does anyone know if I'd have any luck applying the GPU for the second flight while checking in in Delhi? Ideally I'd like to receive the benefits of LH F (First Class Terminal, car, etc) by having this confirmed as far in advance as possible. The flight from DEL will be technically day-of-travel in that it departs from DEL at 2:35am on the same day, but it won't yet be day-of-travel in Frankfurt.

If I can't clear in advance, where should I go to try the upgrade once I arrive in FRA? The Senator Lounge and then go to FCT or the FCL, or should I go straight to one of these lounges?

No dice to upgrade in DEL, the outstation staff can't touch flights that don't depart from DEL. You need to approach a service desk or the SEN lounge ticket desk the moment you deplane in FRA.

It just arrived in Tokyo, four days later. Not bad!

I read the terms and conditions. It says that it has to be used on the specified routing and PNR. It says that you can change the date and flight number for the same route. (Well the date isn't printed so that's moot.) However, it's only in the case of IRROPS or schedule changes that LH will (at its discretion) accept it for a different flight segment, according to #9 on the back of the voucher.

I think this is contrary to what UAInsider said in the first post about the discretion. Just deciding to change routing is not going to cut it.

That's pretty lousy. I got this for a RTW where I booked MUC-NRT. Let's say that I find out that MUC-NRT is booked solid in C later. Then I can't change my RTW routing to FRA-NRT and use the upgrade.

This is bad for people who hold flexible tickets. It's that kind of customer UA should try to attract; not make life difficult.

p.s. Funny that it's called "Systemwide Upgrade".
p.p.s. Did the old voucher mention that meal availability could prevent one from upgrading?

Oliver, I have only used these vouchers (successfully) when not connecting. From KIX and ICN. I arrived early (~2.5 hours) for check-in and they cleared me right away at check-in.

I am flying ARN-MUC-NRT this time with 1 hour 45 minutes in MUC. Is there anything that I can do with SK in ARN at check-in? Can they note the record somehow? This grading list that you mentioned is obviously not possible to access for an SK agent.

SK uses they own DCS (Amadeus Altea) to handle LH flights, no possibility to access LHs DCS (Pictures/Unisys). Notes in the PNR will most likely get lost in translation. So book long connections. :(

My experience overlaps with several reports which are already posted, but anyway:

I called UA Premier Desk in Japan on March 1st, so I should be among the first who received the new certificate. (I was thinking of asking the certs before the end of Feb, but had forgotten...) As others have already noted, I received the certs just in a few days delivered by FedEx - a rather pleasant surprise.

NRT-FRA (LH711): upgraded to business at NRT check-in counter. Initially the lady said "the business class is almost full, so I'm not sure..." but I got the upgrade in a few minutes. After the upgrade, they were staring my certificate (perhaps it's the first time they saw the new cert). The business class was indeed pretty full, but probably not completely.

FRA-NRT (LH710): at the airport I checked-in in the morning, I was told they could not handle the upgrade (counter outsourced to another airline). I flew to FRA, and asked for the upgrade inside the Senator Lounge. I got the upgrade rather quickly, but the lady told me that it was the first time she saw the new cert. I found many empty seats in the business class -- perhaps around 50%.

I was lucky (or just that NRT-FRA has enough capacity with A380) to get the upgrades, so the new cert turned out to be not much of a problem for me so far. However I agree with others that they should go online.... It was nice to have the certs delivered by FedEx, but it would be rather expensive for UA - perhaps the same money could be better spent elsewhere.

What am I missing? You flew to FRA and then asked for the upgrade on FRA-NRT? :confused:

I flew XXX-FRA-NRT (same day), where XXX is in Europe.
They didn't handle upgrade at XXX, so I asked for the upgrade of FRA-NRT segment after arriving FRA.

How much time did you have for your connection at FRA when you did this? I am a bit worried since it's my first time doing it with short notice in transit. I am picturing some sour LH matron informing that we cannot upgrade you because we need 90 minutes notice and now it is 1 hour 29 minutes before the flight.

Maybe I should have selected FRA since I estimated 80 empty seats on the A380 on my travel date in about a month. There are only 12 seats taken in C on MUC-NRT but it's quite odd that it's the first two complete rows. They show occupied rather than blocked in Expertflyer.

I prefer connecting in MUC and the flight leaves later too.

My worst nightmare is 11 hours in Lufthansa eco class.

This time, it just happened that I had more than 4 hours at FRA for the connection, so it was not a problem for me. I don't know what would be the "cut-off time" for the upgrade with the UA cert. I don't know if, depending on the originating airport, they would handle the upgrade of a connecting flight at the time of check-in at the originating airport. They didn't in my case, but I'm not sure it was airport-specific or a general policy. Inputs would be appreciated on this.

When I was in FRA last fall, I saw them handling upgrades in the Senator Lounge about 1 hour before departure.

I have KRK-FRA-LAX coming up, and am hoping to upgrade FRA-LAX. Fortunately I fly from KRK-FRA the evening before, so I'll make sure to get to FRA several hours before departure and hopefully score a J seat on the 748i!

ksw, may I ask if they FedEx-ed the certificate to you to an address outside the US?

There were reports in this thread that was regular mail for Europe... With FedEx the situation becomes a bit more reasonable... although the online process would be way better...

45-60 min before departure is OK for a y->c GPU upgrade, c-> f needs 90 mins since they usually want to make sure the catering is OK.

I aIm not ksw, but I once had the cert mailed to SIN by FedEx, in 2 days or so. It was quick.

Yes, they FedEx-ed the certs to my address in Japan. I was surprised to find it delivered just a few days after the request over phone. Since this was the first time for me to use GPU, I don't know if the use of FedEx is a recent policy or not.

Been that way for a long time...