mahasamatman

Welcome to FT, iamchik!

Since you only need 1,000 miles each way, you should probably be able to do that for something under $300. With the 500-mile minimum, you will get 2,000 PQM for any connecting flight (4 segments), so you have lots to choose from (depending on where you live). If you need over 2,000 PQM, it's not hard to find cheap flights for that either.

bigwings8

Really? Made 1K this year flying trips to LHR. I tried to upgrade with miles on B fares a few times as a gold and was 16-17 on the list. Only 1 or 2 people would clear into BF on the list.

But you're saying others have already cleared before T-24 and just don't appear on the list? That's different behavior from domestic upgrade list.

WineCountryUA

yes, yes and yes. So looking at the gate list info for who got upgraded is incomplete for some flights.
BTW, PS operates similiar to international.
Perhaps the systems for CPU eligible flights is different from the system/code for non-CPU flights.

But this is a topic for other threads.

PushingTin

I've had the same GPU on the same itinerary where I got upgraded on both legs. On the TATL leg I was upgraded right at T-24 and didn't appear on the upgrade list at all. Only one or two were shown as upgraded on that flight. On the CONUS flight, I had upgraded weeks in advance and I was on the upgrade list. Makes me fell a bit better about missing upgrades in the past when only one or two upgraded, when probably more did. I don't know if UA does that to hide how much money that are making on international fares??

Is 1K worth it? This was my first full year and I'd say no. I'm 50% with GPUs and have three left. CPUs are under 25%, but I take a lot of RJs so that isn't even a real factor. If I'm on a mainline, 50% of the time I'm heading overseas and trying to get aGPU to work.

E+ seating, group 1 boarding- but you get those with Plat. To me, plat was the biggest marginal bump. We'll see how GPUs clear this year. I have more overseas flights in the works, so should have more bites at the apple. The eGPUs for LH might work well with the DEN-FRA flights, we'll see.

I did run into a 1K that will lose it for 2015 based on spend. There are some guys who fly a lot, but cheap TATL/TPAC fares so they won't hit $10k, let alone 12.5k spends. That might help with GPU success since they are in that pool of looking for upgrades. Just a thought.

I thought 1K would bring something.... more? That is what GS is for, and then there is some VIP program above that?

We're all punks to the guys flying corporate jets.

UA-NYC

Someone else had this question, and I answered it - you just don't know how many are upgrades on int'l BF flights. Unless you get upgraded within T-24 (as you did), you won't show up on the UG cleared list ever. There's just no way there are flights going out with only a couple upgrades with any regularity.

Post-merger UA used to up until ~2 years ago, but likely stopped due to competitive intelligence reasons, IMO.

Ixian

For me 1k is *totally* worth it. Why, just last week I was CPU'd on an SFO-DIA segment after doing NRT-SFO (in coach, GPU didn't clear the long haul, but the domestic segment did - that's one way to get a CPU, I guess) and I really wanted a can of Pringles. Don't ask me why, I had been in the air for 12+ hours with a 2 hour wait for customs in SFO (Global Entry systems were down, fun!), I didn't want the crappy snack box, I just wanted some Pringles, you know you've been there too.

Normally these "Premium" snacks (Pringles?) are $4 because nothing racks up that extra revenue faster than charging $4 for a .60 cent can of chips but seeing as how I was a 1k living the high life in a FC seat on a RJ that was at least an inch bigger than E+ on my previous 777 I thought I'd ask. Nope, is the reply - even FC has to pay. Also, they normally don't even sell them in FC at all.

After a quick beat where it sunk in that I was being told that I wouldn't even be given the opportunity to buy an overpriced can of chips, I didn't say anything, and no mirror was handy so I'm not sure what my face looked like but, after that long of a day, it probably it wasn't a variation on "no problem, sorry for bothering you". A hurried whispered consultation proceeded to take place at the front of the plane, then a FA approached, stealthily, which is quite the trick in the aisle of a RJ, and produced a can of Pringles from behind her back where it was hidden not just from the unwashed masses in coach but from my fellow free-boozing FC seatmates as well.

"You're 1k, right" I am asked (in a whisper).

Yes. (I assumed this was rhetorical since it's on the manifest)

"Ok, here you go, no charge, but... don't tell anyone".

At first, given the elaborate bit of theater I had just witnessed, and (possibly) my travel-addled mind, I expected the can to contain not a half-size serving of over-processed salty potato goodness, but something better, like an ounce of weed. No such luck!

There you have it: 1k (and in my case, over 20k PQD) gets you free Pringles, but only if you ask. Don't spread the word or they'll all want a can.

And yes, I thanked her, I don't blame the employees for having to enforce this culture.

tom911

You didn't clear the international upgrade, where you probably paid a couple hundred dollars extra for a "W" fare, and you're still happy as a 1K? UA needs more flyers like you.

Nice to see UA matching AA's published policy for EXP flyers. You're the second 1K that's posted about a free snack in the last day or two.

Ixian

Sarcasm is a hard thing to do in posts (maybe you would say the same to me )

New acronym: OEPE (Over-Entitled-Pringle-Eater).

You think we're handing out free chips? What are we, Jet Blue? Get back in line.

New discussion: Are Snack Boxes a secret form of punishment for CPU's? I don't even see tubes of Hummus when I visit the Mediterranean.

Early morning posting binge! Thanks jet lag.

It gets better when you learn that my W fare/GPU also did not get me upgraded on the way there, either.

W is literally a special fare class created for gamblers, lets see here, pay more for the exact same seat - exact same everything - and maybe we'll let you use the upgrade - the one we gave you (begrudgingly) for flying with us so damn much - on the flight. Maybe we won't tell you until boarding either. Maybe this time you'll be just the extra bit of free revenue we need to keep those Pringles in stock.

Virtual monopolies suck. Hotels have to compete way more, which is why when I arrived at my Tokyo hotel I was treated like the second coming of The Lord (maybe that means something different in Japan) because I stayed there once before a year ago. And you know, I suspect they still made money off me. In fact I know they did because I spent two hours in the bar recovering from the flight.

I keep reading that with PQD's there will be less Elites now hogging up the aisles and United will treat us all better because if you are a 1k now they know you dropped some coin.

Don't.
Make.
Me.
Laugh.

swm61230

Well I can honestly say that I would only purchase the w fare if I could confirm the GPU at booking. Or if I really needed to save a few hundred form getting a q or v fare. The odd thing is I have paid less at times for the higher fare code then for a w fare.

Not sure how or why. Must be the .bomb at work.

My last use of a GPU was from LAX-SFO-HKG. round trip. Both long haul cleared at booking but I will be damned if the unsold domestic first class would clear. I fact I am still wait listed for the return SFO-LAX leg. I guess they value the domestic first seats more then international BF seats.

ASEFlyer

I finished this year with 20k PQD and about 80K pqm. I had the opporunity to give UA anoth $1500 dollars and miss the weekend after christmas with my family. No thanks. With diminished 1K CPUs, difficulty using GPUs there is little incentive. I'll probably shoot for gold in 2016..time to get all of my eggs out of the UA basket.

azzurro

Always fill in a paper declaration form on the airplane, so when the kiosks are down, or there is a line for a kiosk, just walk to the front of the normal line with your GE card and paper declaration form and they will process you immediately. You NEVER have wait in line when you have GE (if you are at a customs station that offers GE kiosks) - it says so on the GE webpage.

I have never been denied my request to purchase Y snacks/boxes/BOB while in F. I do ask nicely and try to let the FA know of my intention while the Y FA's are still near the front of Y so they don't have to chase them down at the back of the plane, and I let them know I would like to pay for it (so they don't think they have to argue with me about why I should get it for free - DYKWIA?). Every time they bring my item and the hand held card reader to charge me. Seamless - and up until the recent catering menu change, the snack boxes were often better than the F meal. For everything else, there's MasterCard...

Ixian

It may indeed say that, but it doesn't say what to do if A)The officials at the station direct you to the back of the line anyway and B) Your fellow travelers try to murder you for cutting in line.

You didn't see it, so you don't know, but GE kiosks were down and the "computers" in general were slow for customs - the line was enormous. Including about 100 or so GE's. They eventually opened up a special line just for us, which turned out to be a suckers game because it was just one customs agent for all the GE's. I still think they did it to make the *other* line go faster, which it did. Believe me, no one in that situation is just walking past the horde to the front of the line, GE card held high

I believe you, I am sure I could have talked them into paying for it, and if you think being 1k in FC who has to pay quadruple prices for snacks is a good thing then I suppose you are a happy person in general

vaderizer

Did something happen in 2014 for United? I'm new to the forum so I've much to catch up on.

2014 was my first year as a 1k flyer. I get regional upgrades about 60% of the time. My 1K flyer friends have a much better upgrade rate at 95+%. We all own our businesses and travel for work/fun with no set routine in terms of routes/destinations. We just like to fly/travel and at times, we bring our girls with us.

After deducing all options I can think of, I am left wondering if my profile/UA account had been flagged or something. I never had any mishandling of any sort with a gate agent/flight attendant so I wonder why I feel like I am not getting the full value of 1K.

Could it be that I was also flying as a companion since my buddy is a full time employee of United? Why would that affect me since the new PQD make it harder to achieve 1K which I had earned for 2015?

When I looked into this more, I learned about Global Services. And after reading about it, I was left wondering what the point of being 1K status was?

I justified staying with United as a 1K flyer by having 4 global upgrade vouchers and regional ones but here's the kicker:

I save my vouchers for when my girlfriend can take time off work which we chose for January so she can enjoy the upgrade with me. What we did not know was that in order to use the upgrade vouchers, we had to buy tickets in a W fare class or higher. This made our itinerary double in cost from 1k to 2k per person. No big deal I thought. After all, it's a small fee for flat bed flying to/from Asia and the USA. A bit misrepresented but I was fine with it.

When it came time to use the upgrade voucher, I was told that due to our itinerary (direct flights from EWR to HKG/NRT), we would be wait listed for the upgrade. Oh boy.

This meant that if we don't get upgraded, we just spent twice the fees to fly the same route. Sure, I can use the extra spent towards my PQD's for 2016 qualification but what good does it do for my girlfriend who doesn't fly as freely as I can?

And sure, United will give the voucher back for us to use on a different flight but what good is it also when it expires Jan 31, 2015?

Lesson learned....use those vouchers earlier in the year and make sure my girlfriend gets better vacation days. Maybe it's a good time to kick her booty into starting a business.

Have you noticed the influx of standby passengers? Almost all my flights mid-year to year-end was nearly at 100% capacity domestic and abroad. I was once a Untied Companion and flown standby so I monitor this and am very aware of how it works.

Many of my flights abroad and domestic had a surge of 10-30% available seats occupied by standby passengers versus 85-100% occupancy by a standby passenger most of 2014.

Did United open the floodgates in a code-sharing agreement with partner and non-partner airlines? It was way more difficult to get elbow room from an unoccupied middle seat since you can count on standby passengers to fill up front rows first. This is a poor experience for status flyers or flyers who paid for that privilege in Economy Plus.

With regards to Global Services, this makes 1k flyers like me feel like...a ....... step-child. I'm not one that walks with a sense of entitlement but this is how I feel about United 1k service:

United doesn't give me love but they provide enough services to keep me guessing whether they love me even though it hurts every time I get rejected towards a business first class seat.

"What did I do wrong Daddy and what can I do to make you love me more?"

Kidding aside, I'm not even within the first 10% percentile on the upgrade list most times. When my buddies show me screenshots (more to poke fun at me) on their phones with their names as first to be upgraded, I start to wonder.

I asked 1K reps and a GS rep about this over the phone and they told me that nothing was wrong with me and that United oversold their 1k statuses last year at year's end (you can 'buy' the status at year end through the kiosk apparently). They also blame the Continental merger 4 years ago which brought them too many 1k level flyers over.

Oh-kay. So lets process this for a moment.

On the one hand, the Continental merger brought on too many 1k flyers four whole years ago and on the other hand, United then sold 1K status at year end 2013 that brought more high status flyers for 2014? And now they implement an escalating PQD requirement for 2015 and 2016 to filter them out? Is it me or do I smell unethical business practices here?

Within my circle of friends, a few of them are Delta Diamond flyers. They get upgraded 98-99% of the time, 60-70% with their spouses and at times with their children,. They also on occasion get the white glove treatment where a Delta employee greets said friend and his family at the gate, grabs all their luggage and drives them in a Porsche Cayenne from one gate to another gate at the other end of the large airport. I'd be quite impressed with that level of service and having a Porsche waiting was just pure icing. It was only a 5 minute drive according to my buddy but that 5 minutes gave him and his family so much relief between gate transfers.

I am tempted to swap over to Delta even with their 125k PQM /$12,500 PQD requirements which I have no problems hitting. Another friend who is a speaker/consultant is a Platinum level Delta flyer and even he gets upgraded domestically at 90-95% of the time.

What a huge difference for me, as a 1K flyer, to experience on United. I will give it another chance for 2015 and hope that it improves. If United can make things right, they won't forget the ones that stay loyal and will do things to reward them more. Thanks for reading. Any insights you can share would be gladly appreciated.

Kmxu

Hilarious!! A lot of contradictions in the relationship with United as a 1K member. One thing that you should add is that United would throw you a couple of thousand of miles as bribe when you complain about their service or for any trouble you experienced.
Happy travels even if United loves you as a step child.

Always Flyin

If flying on a buddy pass, you neither earn miles (or status), nor does your status provide you with any benefits.