Feb 27, 2019, 11:55 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread, the active thread is "Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays"
Archive thread "Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}
Archive thread "Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}
"Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}
Nov 22, 2018, 7:20 pm
#2236
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In the last few years, I have noticed on more and more flights, no one cleared upgrades - e.g. TCON flights EWR to SFO or vice versa - certainly not out of ordinary the entire J class is made up of paid fares, TODs, and non-revs.
Nov 22, 2018, 8:00 pm
#2237
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
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I understand the point you're making. For *you* they're not useless, which isn't surprising, because all but one of the examples you list are flights to/from LAX (where UA is the #3 carrier) and/or to/from AA's fortress hub in PHL. It's to be expected that you wouldn't be competing against as many 1K's and GS's on those routes, and we know that UA's premium yields out of LAX aren't as strong as they would like. Surprise, surprise, the one trip involving a true hub to an international destination? You didn't clear.
The net of all of that is you're going to clear a disproportionate percentage of upgrades compared to someone based in SFO, EWR or ORD.
For those of us (who are a sizable percentage of UAL's revenues) based at UA's hubs? I've been playing the SWU game out of SFO since the late 90's, so I do know all sorts of tricks. They just don't work for me very often anymore, resulting in worthlessness for *me*. I'm not moving to LA just to be able to use my SWU's.
Greg
The net of all of that is you're going to clear a disproportionate percentage of upgrades compared to someone based in SFO, EWR or ORD.
For those of us (who are a sizable percentage of UAL's revenues) based at UA's hubs? I've been playing the SWU game out of SFO since the late 90's, so I do know all sorts of tricks. They just don't work for me very often anymore, resulting in worthlessness for *me*. I'm not moving to LA just to be able to use my SWU's.
Greg
As far as ‘sizable percentage of UAL’s revenues’, I don’t know how much I contribute but for this year, I did 2 TATL in P (CDG & GVA), a dozen or so domestic in F (discounted, mind you), and a whole bunch of B & V domestic in addition to those W and V international to use the GPUs.
Nov 22, 2018, 8:03 pm
#2238
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
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it’s beyond me why people expect to pay for Economy and want to fly F or J with upgrades, and then whine when they can’t.
Nov 22, 2018, 10:13 pm
#2239
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That said, I now buy J on premium t-cons because the upgrade odds are so dismal. (Except I was able to confirm an RPU in advance on one of the 781 flights next Feb.)
Nov 23, 2018, 12:38 pm
#2240
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Last edited by WineCountryUA; Nov 23, 2018 at 3:43 pm Reason: discuss the issue; not the poster(s)
Nov 23, 2018, 1:00 pm
#2241
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
The net of all of that is you're going to clear a disproportionate percentage of upgrades compared to someone based in SFO, EWR or ORD.
For those of us (who are a sizable percentage of UAL's revenues) based at UA's hubs? I've been playing the SWU game out of SFO since the late 90's, so I do know all sorts of tricks. They just don't work for me very often anymore, resulting in worthlessness for *me*. I'm not moving to LA just to be able to use my SWU's.
Greg
Nov 23, 2018, 1:56 pm
#2242
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: HKG • Ex SFO, NYC
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Posts: 3,319
A non-rev should never get a J seat ahead of an upgrade. This is absolutely NOT as it should be.
Nov 23, 2018, 4:55 pm
#2243
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
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I have cleared 100% of my waitlisted GPUs thru EWR and ORD over at least the last 5 years. You, unfortunately, live near the UA hub with perhaps the highest concentration of wealthy flyers in the country, and are experiencing one of the expected outcomes of such. I know it's a hassle but, when I lived in CA, I would route through DEN or LAX (or even hubs further east) to avoid SFO as a transit airport in order to use my UGs. Now, I don't even go to SF anymore for vacation because of the deterioration downtown.
Like you, I have cleared a LOT of upgrades (RPUs, GPUs, & even CPUs) when routing through EWR, ORD, DEN, & IAH (all are UA fortress hubs) but whenever it’s important for me to be in F or J, then I will buy that class of service. I love it whenever {others} get stuck in the back because people like me PAY for our F or J seat (whether at booking or TOD). That how it should be as a United is out to make money first and reward its elites with upgrades second.
Back to topic: GPUs and RPUs are part of a KEY BENEFIT of being a United 1K or GS, and they not worthless as they have provided pleasurable Biz & F seats to many people including myself, even in this very ‘competitive’ upgrade environment in which unless you are a GS, don’t count too much on being upgraded out of places like SFO or IAD.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Nov 23, 2018 at 6:03 pm Reason: Discuss the issues, not the poster(s)
Nov 23, 2018, 4:56 pm
#2244
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Let me repeat, on some routes and during certain time of the day/week/month/year, there are no upgrades to be had. No one is talking about fairness, expectations, profit, the topic of discussion is how useful certs are. For some, they are; for others, they are not. They are route/time specific, and there are no universal one size fits all answers.
Nov 23, 2018, 4:57 pm
#2245
Join Date: May 2003
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Nov 23, 2018, 5:17 pm
#2246
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
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I cleared 3 GPUs for SFO-AKL and AKL-SFO in December, where I was NOT expecting any luck whatsoever.
Added: in fact, I know of the weather/fog issues, and I might very well be in the minority here, but I actually kind of like SFO (and its Polaris lounge) and can't quite understand the bad rap it gets here on FT.
I've stayed in nearby hotels for a day-rate room stay on a long connection several times, and enjoyed the walk along the waterfront in warm weather immensely.
Caveat: my home airport is EWR, and I think maybe some of you Californians are just too darn spoilt!
Last edited by narvik; Nov 23, 2018 at 5:27 pm
Nov 23, 2018, 6:07 pm
#2247
Moderator: United Airlines
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Nov 23, 2018, 6:41 pm
#2248
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
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I have cleared 100% of my waitlisted GPUs thru EWR and ORD over at least the last 5 years. You, unfortunately, live near the UA hub with perhaps the highest concentration of wealthy flyers in the country, and are experiencing one of the expected outcomes of such. I know it's a hassle but, when I lived in CA, I would route through DEN or LAX (or even hubs further east) to avoid SFO as a transit airport in order to use my UGs. Now, I don't even go to SF anymore for vacation because of the deterioration downtown.
Nov 23, 2018, 7:12 pm
#2249
Join Date: Oct 2009
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Sorry if I was unclear, I didn't mean that my domestic segments always cleared using a GPU to connect to an international flight in LAX/DEN but only that my international segments cleared most of the time (in the last 5 years, 100%). I have real difficulty using RPUs through most hubs for domestic flights, however DEN has been a pretty good hub for me with RPUs-CPUs, not so much.
Nov 23, 2018, 7:25 pm
#2250
Join Date: Sep 1999
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Originally Posted by sapguy
Back to topic: GPUs and RPUs are part of a KEY BENEFIT of being a United 1K or GS, and they not worthless as they have provided pleasurable Biz & F seats to many people including myself, even in this very ‘competitive’ upgrade environment in which unless you are a GS, don’t count too much on being upgraded out of places like SFO or IAD.
You probably disagree, but I do actually think that I should get priority over TOD’s by non-Premiers when I want to use a cert. I believe that my $35K and 100K+ should buy me that, or at least an open and honest admission from UA as to where we actually sit in the pecking order.