Why would someone be listed on both standby & upgrade list(s)?
Apr 24, 2013, 11:07 am
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Posts: 10,907
Just wondering. I've been monitoring the US-HKG flights this week to get a sense of the upgrade situation, and I'm noticing that there are often a few people who are on both upgrade lists. They tend to be pretty high up the lists and usually clear into one of the cabins. How would this be?
Apr 24, 2013, 11:14 am
#33
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,769
Just wondering. I've been monitoring the US-HKG flights this week to get a sense of the upgrade situation, and I'm noticing that there are often a few people who are on both upgrade lists. They tend to be pretty high up the lists and usually clear into one of the cabins. How would this be?
They should be a the bottom of the priority list, although there is a priority / seniority order for Non-Revs. But since they will be waitlisted / standby for all cabins, it does improve their chances -- especially for F on 3-cabin since F is less likely to sell out. Note all upgrades of revenue customers should clear first and only then is the Non-Rev folks processed for that cabin.
For some routes at some times of the year, the Non-Rev list can be long. Non-Revs can standby for multiple flights and will in some cases build indirect routines to get where they want. Standby for XXX but also YYY and then from there to XXX.
Apr 24, 2013, 11:22 am
#34
Join Date: May 2000
Location: IAH
Programs: UA 1K 2.7MM, Marriott Titanium/LT Plat, IHG Spire
Posts: 3,317
Non-Revs -- especially if they are also listed as Standby for economy.
They should be a the bottom of the priority list, although there is a priority / seniority order for Non-Revs. But since they will be waitlisted / standby for all cabins, it does improve their chances -- especially for F on 3-cabin since F is less likely to sell out. Note all upgrades of revenue customers should clear first and only then is the Non-Rev folks processed for that cabin.
For some routes at some times of the year, the Non-Rev list can be long. Non-Revs can standby for multiple flights and will in some cases build indirect routines to get where they want. Standby for XXX but also YYY and then from there to XXX.
They should be a the bottom of the priority list, although there is a priority / seniority order for Non-Revs. But since they will be waitlisted / standby for all cabins, it does improve their chances -- especially for F on 3-cabin since F is less likely to sell out. Note all upgrades of revenue customers should clear first and only then is the Non-Rev folks processed for that cabin.
For some routes at some times of the year, the Non-Rev list can be long. Non-Revs can standby for multiple flights and will in some cases build indirect routines to get where they want. Standby for XXX but also YYY and then from there to XXX.
May 13, 2013, 3:42 pm
#35
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: SLC
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 493
Upgrade shenanigans, UA 940, 3/13/13
I'm on UA 940 today and a number of strange things have been happening with the upgrade list that I haven't seen before and can't explain. Does anyone have insight?
-over the past 24 hours as the online upgrade waitlist has been populated a bunch of individuals have been showing up as "cleared". Currently (about 2 hours before departure) 7 out of 20 are marked cleared. If this was a domestic flight I would expect this, as instrument and CPU upgrades that clear prior to checkin are usually displayed on this list, but IME this is not the case for international flights.
-it seems unlikely that these are buy-ups or TOD's since both the seat map and the business booking codes indicated zero availability for the past ~2 weeks.
-all of the "cleared" names on the BF upgrade list also appear on the GF upgrade waitlist.
None of this jives with my experience or understanding about how these lists are supposed to work. All I can come up with is that these individuals were on some sort of a special corporate contract deal that got them confirmed early into BF (about the same number of seats disappeared from inventory, closing out the BF availability, overnight, a couple weeks back) but still registers in the system as an upgrade (but also allowing a further upgrade to GF?). Or maybe non-revs who were placed on the flight early due to some high-priority re-positioning operation?
Regardless, looks like I will be in the back in this one - UA also managed to screw up my ticket so my GPU didn't register in the system until I called today, as a 1k on U fare I'm at least 5 from the top of the list, and over the past 24 hours the GF cabin has gone from 3/8 to 8/8. I can accept all this (I paid for a ticket in Y) but am kinda bothered by the shady maneuvering on the waitlists.
-over the past 24 hours as the online upgrade waitlist has been populated a bunch of individuals have been showing up as "cleared". Currently (about 2 hours before departure) 7 out of 20 are marked cleared. If this was a domestic flight I would expect this, as instrument and CPU upgrades that clear prior to checkin are usually displayed on this list, but IME this is not the case for international flights.
-it seems unlikely that these are buy-ups or TOD's since both the seat map and the business booking codes indicated zero availability for the past ~2 weeks.
-all of the "cleared" names on the BF upgrade list also appear on the GF upgrade waitlist.
None of this jives with my experience or understanding about how these lists are supposed to work. All I can come up with is that these individuals were on some sort of a special corporate contract deal that got them confirmed early into BF (about the same number of seats disappeared from inventory, closing out the BF availability, overnight, a couple weeks back) but still registers in the system as an upgrade (but also allowing a further upgrade to GF?). Or maybe non-revs who were placed on the flight early due to some high-priority re-positioning operation?
Regardless, looks like I will be in the back in this one - UA also managed to screw up my ticket so my GPU didn't register in the system until I called today, as a 1k on U fare I'm at least 5 from the top of the list, and over the past 24 hours the GF cabin has gone from 3/8 to 8/8. I can accept all this (I paid for a ticket in Y) but am kinda bothered by the shady maneuvering on the waitlists.
May 13, 2013, 4:04 pm
#37
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: SLC
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 493
So they cleared 7 company employees or affiliates into the BF cabin while paying customers were waitlisted for those seats? That pisses me off. If I see SMI/J sitting in BF on my flight he is totally getting the evil eye.
May 13, 2013, 11:25 pm
#40
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 11,439
And as has been said, employees only clear into an upgrade after every person who is willing to pay for an upgrade, through miles or money, is accommodated.
May 14, 2013, 2:41 am
#41
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: SLC
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 493
OK - thanks for the explanation planemechanic. This was one of my guesses. From what you are saying these individuals have not cleared an upgrade, having booked into BF following company policy, even though for some reason they show up on the BF upgrade list (yet another quirk of United IT). Still cost me my upgrade, but I can get over it knowing it was likely for an essential operations maneuver.
May 14, 2013, 2:45 am
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 11,439
OK - thanks for the explanation planemechanic. This was one of my guesses. From what you are saying these individuals have not cleared an upgrade, having booked into BF following company policy, even though for some reason they show up on the BF upgrade list (yet another quirk of United IT). Still cost me my upgrade, but I can get over it knowing it was likely for an essential operations maneuver.
Jun 26, 2013, 12:31 pm
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,000
Jun 26, 2013, 12:33 pm
#45
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: UA PremExec
Posts: 732