Is there a method to the upgrade seating algorithm?
 

Clearly a first world problem, but........

On ~9 of my last 10 successful CPUs, I've been automatically assigned bulkhead aisle seats by United's computer system, despite the fact that I have always had "Window seat" selected in my travel preferences and despite the fact there are window seats available. Does anyone else consistently have issues with this? i.e. system over-riding/ignoring seat preference

Case in point: I have a flight tomorrow morning on an A319. Upgrade list showed 3 of 8 booked, and upon check-in I was offered a cash upgrade (declined) which confirmed there were 5 F seats available and 5 customers eligible for an upgrade (like those odds!). Seats 1BEF and 2AB were available - I was number 1 on the upgrade list (of 4 checked in at the time), yet when the CPU process cleared 4 of us into F (at t-23hrs), I was put into 1B. Only seat left open was 2B

So, I'm wondering whether the CPU seating algorithm just fills the seating map left to right, front to back and completely ignores your pre-set preferences? (i.e. as I was no. 1 on the list, I was assigned 1B, the first seat available based on my l-r, f-b theory).

G.S

Not that I ever got a CPU while I was still a 1K MM ... but isn't the effect exactly the same for revenue bookings? Whenever I book on the phone or via a TA and then log in to change the seats, I find my seats allocated like that.

From what I've seen it's first available seat with an empty seat next to it (1A->1F, 2A->2F,...) and then in the same order after that from front to back if there are no seats that meet this criteria. Window / aisle preference is ignored.

I have found that it fills from A->D from front to back, without regard for customer's stated preference (a common theme at UA). I tend to check at T-47 and T-23 if possible to see if I've been upgraded on those sweeps and reassign my seats to better fit my liking, especially when from the load factors it is clear I should be upgraded via CPU in advance of the battlefield.

Not been my experience - when I use my corporate TA they assign based on my stated preference (but admittedly that's from their systems, not UA), whilst when booking on the phone with UA, I have typically found they either ask me what seat I want or just completely fail to assign a seat at all (eg. applying an RPU over the phone yesterday, seat selection was just ignored and left blank until I assigned myself a seat).

I think it assumes that you want to get your preferred meal choice, and since PMCO FA's can't be bothered to follow the 1K meal prioritization policy, that means you need to be seated in the bulkhead!

So in a sense, it's COdbaUA trying to look out for it's most-valued over-entitled passengers!

Sort of. CPU processes in a checkerboard:

1A, 1E
2B, 2F
3A, 3E

and so on.

At the gate, all standby lists are cleared front to back with no regard to preference or E+, IME. So First will fill up straight front to back, left to right.

And coach will fill the same way. Even if you're on a wide open flight, they will fill up E+ first for no extra charge since the system can't start behind Row 21 for some reason.

You are wrong on the last part - they absolutely do clear standbys into E- now by default as part of the automated process. See for yourself next time you're standing at a gate with some time to spare. This might have been true at some time in the past but it's not true now. You can either look at the cleared standbys screen, or the seatmap itself.

So Jeffy Jeff likes to tout SHARES ability to price upsells by flight and by seat (is the reclining exit row window really worth $10 more than the non-reclining exit row window?).....

yet when the chips are down, it will give the house away for free!

That doesn't jive with my recent experience (< 30 days ago) when a non-Elite standby cleared into E+ right next to me, and there were tons of open seats in the back.

This issue is another reason I get annoyed when upgrades don't clear at the expected window. I know I have to babysit my reservation as long as upgrades haven't cleared because I fully expect to have to change my seat assignments as soon as an upgrade does clear. I know, a first world problem, but I truly do care about seat assignments. This system forces me to spend time and energy to get what I want--not very customer friendly.

Oh, and if the email notification system worked perfectly that would help some. I don't believe it does, though, so I can't rely on it.

Don't think I've ever received a notification of a CPU clearing and I'm at about 50% for instrument upgrades. Some system they have running!

Agent doing it manually? I've seen that happen a lot. Either out of laziness or just helping a customer out.

This is actually a difference between United and PMUA. PMUA didn't use to assign seats when a UDU cleared. You had to log in and do it. But now that there is an algorithm (front to back) that does it, two 1K companions travelling together on different locators have a much harder time of getting seats together because even if you log in right away after a sweep, the algorithm has already put pax in seats, and thus the cement has set.

The checkerboard pattern makes this particularly odd -- I've seen families checkerboard-ed across F.

Check your email preferences.

So are you saying that the example I provided is 'odd', or that the result of the algorithm results in odd seating for families? I would agree with the latter. That's my point.

The latter :)

Is there a method to the upgrade seating algorithm?
 

Interesting...when I get an advance CPU, ice found that I am always seated per my aisle preference assuming there is one and it assigns a seat at all.

There have also been a handful of times when I get the email saying seats will be assigned at the airport, I go online to select a seat, and it doesn't take, because apparently it decided to assign a different seat just ehen I went to select one. I find this very odd behavior.

SHARES clears NRSA starting in the E+ cabin based on seniority. They absolutely do not clear them into E-.

Like many, I of course have this box checked, and like many, I pretty much never get these e-mails (maybe ~10% of the time, best guess, since 3/3). PMUA wasn't perfect with this, but I was well over 50% in getting the notices.

Note that I went 2/2 last week on AA w/T-100 UGs and UG emails like clockwork though...somehow they've figured it out

And then read my post - I'm not talking about NRSAs, nor do I care about them. Of course NRSAs go into E+. I'm talking about revenue passengers on standby.

I've never cleared CPU without an email.

This seems to mesh exactly with what I've been seeing. Not that I clear CPUs at the 1K window much anymore, but when I do it always seems to throw me into row 1 which I really don't like because I'm not a fan of FC bulkhead seats with restricted legroom.

although spotty right after the merger, i have been receiving my upgrade emails about 20-30 minutes after the upgrade window opens (for the flights i have cleared - which has been the majority in 2013)

:) Depends on your status :)

To be fair, SHARES used to process NRSA from back to front, which means junior employees would get the best seats.

Thankfully this was reprogrammed in mid to late 2012.

I still prefer how legacy UA agents usually clear NRSA - one by one at the podium, and letting you know what seats are open.

And despite having it checked in my profile, I can't remember ever getting an email when a CPU cleared. Only time I have ever gotten an email is when a waitlisted (RPU/Award) segment cleared before the CPU window.

I agree 100%.

And while this really is a first world problem, this has become the hardest thing to acquire in this day in age of CPUs and especially ToD upgrades - two seats together.

My wife and I fly a lot and now that we have a baby, it isn't easy to be worrying about the baby+supplies and then ask folks if they don't mind swapping out seats, since it seems that if my CPU clears as a 1K, there are no other seats at all to select from.

I really really miss PMUA's way of doing this - I could *always* get two seats together, since I was active and *knew* when my upgrade would go through, since NF space was visible!

Wow, what a thought - systems that actually worked and were predictable...oh wait, Jeffy Jeff wouldn't make enough cash to fill his pockets with, if he did that! :td: :td: :td:

-jeremy

And THIS is exactly our situation.

On the other hand, I have yet to find anyone who refuses to swap seats considering their alternative is to sit next to a baby, LOL!

Interestingly, we went from being a 6A/6B couple on a 757 to a 1A/1B couple after kids. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to get the F bulkhead anymore because the CO algorithm auto-fills that row, whereas PMUA assumed (rightly so) that the F bulkhead was the least desirable seats in the cabin and thus the bulkhead seats often were available right up until the finally UGers were cleared at the gate.

And yes, it is truly a FirstWorldProblem..... and for sure, don't even THINK about complaining about it to any of your other parent friends! It's also not a topic that usually comes up on the MommyBlogs. ;)

I actually did check earlier today and all email boxes are checked. All my cell-phone alerts though had been unchecked for some reason (I have re-checked that box about 10 times in the past year!)

To be honest, I've given up expecting a notification and just obsessively check within the window....the new norm....

+1 on the standbys in E+. My last two flights the whole lists cleared into + rev or no rev.

I never get any email from UA unless they're trying to get me to UG with miles or sign up for "you're in!" This despite my emails prefs being skewed away from this kind of communication.

Yes true. But I never assign seats via TA or phone agent. So if I get seats assigned by the system they are always contrary to my preferences.