So I should have to pay cold hard cash out of my pocket to ensure a benefit I am told I can get for free? Nope, not going to do it. I'll be thankful if and when I do get a CPU but I won't give them a dime of my money to sit up front (company pays for the back). And when I do fly for leisure it will be the same story. I don't have to sit up front.

It's ridiculous. And all it does is serve to annoy loyal customers. When the window opens if the upgrade is available it should be available. Period. Otherwise they're being untransparent and dishonest.

If they badly want R not to be for CPUs then why not open a different inventory?

The fact that 4/20 is booked on a flight 4 days out, the Y cabin is not even 25% full, and they can't upgrade ONE 1K when the window opens? Absolutely ridiculous.

Yeah, United, you'll sell 16 TODs....

Just cleared CPU on IAD-DEN, L fare, for Saturday. I'd expected to clear on a Saturday, but it was surprising to do so right at the 1K window. Interestingly, saver F has not opened up (my wife's on a saver Y award, "happy" to stay in Y, but obviously I'd like to change her to F if possible).

they are proudly telling the street about how many F class seats they are upselling to, and the opaque system is designed to allow them to do it. Here is what UA said on the 1q 2013 call:

"Ancillary revenue continues to perform very well, with first quarter ancillary revenue up 13%, and ancillary revenue per passenger up 14% versus the same period in 2012. Our goal is to grow ancillary revenue per passenger by at least 9% in 2013, and our first quarter performance positions us well to achieve that target.

Improvements in Economy Plus and paid premium upgrades continue to drive much of the year-over-year growth in ancillary revenue. Sales of both Economy Plus and paid premium upgrades increased more than 40% year-over-year in the first quarter."

Sales of TODs are up 40% from jan-march 2012 period, and UA intends to sell more TODs.

With UA you have several options to get into F (1) buy a TOD, (2) work for a company with a deal for 30-40% off Y, get into J/JN space, (3) Be GS, (4) Buy B fares (get into P/PN) or (5) fly another airline that wants your business enough to still give out complementary upgrades.

But you said yourself that you usually don't get CPUs because of the 1Ks and GSs on the routes you fly. Therefore, either a Kettle will buy the TOD or you will. That's your choice. And if your employer is paying the coach fare it's only a pittance out of your pocket for the TOD. Your choice is clear.

RNE, saying, "Swallow your pride, play ball by UA's new rules, and enjoy FC."

Pittance? Guess I'm not rich like you are. Flying every week or two would be hundreds of dollars a month to sit up front out of my pocket. Not going to do it. Have better things I can spend my money on. Yes, the kettles and any elite that does buy the TOD is going to get the F seat before I do. I understand that and understand that if I continue to fly UA it will be this way, I will be in the back of the bus. No pride to swallow with this regard and who says I have to play by UA's rules to sit up front. Most of my flights are about 2 hours. I can survive just fine in E+. I will take the CPU when/if I get it but other than that I will be in coach.I know that and accept it flying out of SFO and usually through DEN.

Wow. Would you like to re-state that in a form that is at least slightly accurate? Since when do "paid premium upgrades" equate to "TODs"? Talk about willfully misleading. The two simply aren't the same thing at all. I've purchased a $900 upgrade to BF in the past on flights to / from Europe - that would go into this 40% increase bucket. Do you think I stole an upgrade away from people as a "TOD"? Come on. You don't have the facts regarding the price that upgrades are sold for, I don't have them either. But only one of us is claiming to know that they have increased "TODs" by 40%

Tell that to all the people who get 80-90% CPU success rate on UA. This comment is incredibly misleading, not to mention completely removed from reality.


If only they were all TODs, then this would be the perfect strategy...!

If you're unfamiliar with RNE's great sense of humour I suggest you do some more reading before you get too upset

I'm at the point where TOD = paid upgrade. I have no delusion they are cheap upgrades. In 2013 my UG rate is decimated compared to prior years. Something has changed. That is impacting my loyalty. I would fly on W fares to Europe to maintain 1K. This year there's no chance I'll do that with my current upgrade percentage. If I end up a Gold riding on my MM status so be it. I will give another airline a chance to impress me in 2H 2013. The money I spent in prior years gave me assurance of most upgrades. Maybe that was payment on account in lieu of TOD per ticket. But now that F Meals are McMuffins and "beef" wraps why bother. If I can't get a more comfy seat I have nothing to be loyal for. I can get E+ as a Gold. And this is after 13 years as a 1K. Sucks.

All the people who currently get 80-90% CPU success is a sliver of what it was prior to 3/3 if the board, colleagues, friends, etc. is an indicator. I wouldn't guess you get many people having that kind of success these days.

It's all relative.

Not hard to construe a perspective from which maximizing revenue = "improvement."

It was nice to sit in FC all the time, but I never did pay for it. If they've got someone who will pay, good for them.

star: The good thing about a community like this, at least the regulars, is that we know exactly where spin is coming from and what points he is attempting to substantiate.

Any half intelligent reader of his statement recognizes the exaggeration.

So, you take his posts with the appropriate sized grain of salt, and move on. I don't think it is worth your 'virtual breath' anymore to keep trying to counterbalance spin. Assume the community is smart, assume the community can make their own judgements.

And, I do appreciate (at times!) the information and analysis spin brings to the rest of us.

(spin - I am not singling you out... I think regular members recognize where I am coming from, where starworld is coming from, etc. We all come in here with our own perspective. We should all just recognize that and move on...)

Yep. Funny how it's still not translating into anything remotely related to a profit though.

Management refuses to think in the long term. Your "loyalty" is based on how much you spent on the individual flight you are on, how many seats are open on the individual flight you are on etc. Nothing long term, only in the moment.

Oh, and 16 seats out of 20 are open such as my flight where my upgrade window opened this afternoon, no upgrades at all cleared while R inventory remained solid at 9. God forbid upgrade a 1K or two when their window opens when 16 seats are open in F 4 days before the flight !

All the people--you mean the 2 or so people that come to every thread to cheerlead for Smisek? If anyone is getting this upgrade rate, it's clearly an anomaly---the facts are, the vast majority of FF 1Ks have had their upgrade rates drop astronomically.

36 out of 42 domestic segments so far this year. 86% upgrade rate.

Unless the info on DidItClear is way off, there have got to be some high CPUers out there to make up for all the 1K's out of SFO who are supposedly getting nada.

19 out of 20. 95%

Best CPU was HNL-DEN and back. CPUed on a 3-class 777-200. J seat was better than normal domestic F.

I try to call 'em as I see 'em and not cheerlead (although I may have been guilty on occasion )