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"Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}

Old Feb 27, 2019, 11:55 pm
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"Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}

Old Aug 5, 2019, 5:49 pm
  #2641  
 
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Came across EWR - LAX flight for Friday, August 30 5pm, with PN=6, PZ=1. Surprised for a Friday late afternoon route!


Last edited by tstauck; Aug 5, 2019 at 5:51 pm Reason: add photo
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Old Aug 5, 2019, 8:36 pm
  #2642  
 
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Interesting find, but not a surprise. Friday evening of Labor Day Weekend, nobody with any RPUs or GPUs is on that plane. I'm not sure anybody with status is on that plane! I'm only Gold, and even I don't fly Friday of long weekends. I'm either already there or already home!
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 12:28 pm
  #2643  
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
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Been pretty lucky with clearing lately! Had PZ=4 at booking for LAX - EWR on Aug 21. Used 2 RPUs for 2 pax instantly. Used all my RPUs and GPUs for 2020.
Used all my RPUs expiring in 2021 too already since I re-qualified for 1K in June.
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 1:52 pm
  #2644  
 
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We're going to see a lot more of this in 2020 with UA hard capping RPUs at 4 per 1K/GS, I feel the RPU will become a very coveted instrument in 2020.

No longer will a GS's third cousin and their entire junior soccer team be clogging up the upgrade waitlists in 2020!

The days of, "RPUs are useless" will be replaced with, "I wish I had more RPUs!"
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 2:02 pm
  #2645  
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Originally Posted by spartacusmcfly
We're going to see a lot more of this in 2020 with UA hard capping RPUs at 4 per 1K/GS, I feel the RPU will become a very coveted instrument in 2020.
No, we're really not, but I don't think there's anything I can say to convince you of this.

Instead of having 20 instruments that will generally only clear on flights where a CPU would have cleared also, people will have 4. It won't create new upgrade opportunities, because the first class seats aren't going to GS members' third cousins on upgrades. They're going to paid tickets and TODs -- mostly the former.

Last edited by jsloan; Aug 6, 2019 at 3:32 pm
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 3:25 pm
  #2646  
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Originally Posted by jsloan
Instead of having 20 instruments that will generally only clear on flights where a CPU would have cleared also, people will have 4. It won't create new upgrade opportunities, because the first class seats aren't going to GS members' third cousins on upgrades. They're going to paid tickets and TODs -- mostly the former.
+1
Five years ago, GS were using RPUs to upgrade the entire family to Hawaii. Now they're either paying for F or sitting in the back.
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 3:46 pm
  #2647  
 
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Originally Posted by jsloan
No, we're really not, but I don't think there's anything I can say to convince you of this.

Instead of having 20 instruments that will generally only clear on flights where a CPU would have cleared also, people will have 4. It won't create new upgrade opportunities, because the first class seats aren't going to GS members' third cousins on upgrades. They're going to paid tickets and TODs -- mostly the former.
You're saying day-of-departure upgrades will go to TODs vs RPUs. Maybe. I'm saying PN slots that are available, months in advance, and are consumed by GS RPUs today, will likely slide into PZ in 2020 and open to all the folks who've been frustrated at RPUs not clearing.
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 3:53 pm
  #2648  
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Originally Posted by spartacusmcfly
You're saying day-of-departure upgrades will go to TODs vs RPUs. Maybe. I'm saying PN slots that are available, months in advance, and are consumed by GS RPUs today, will likely slide into PZ in 2020 and open to all the folks who've been frustrated at RPUs not clearing.
These mythical PN > 0 PZ = 0 slots don't exist -- ask any GS who's frustrated because they can't get their instruments to clear. (OK, yes, they exist, but they're rare).

And, anyway, it doesn't matter, because that same GS member can just use the increasingly worthless MileagePlus miles to sponsor people into PN space, if they run out of RPUs and don't want to use (uncapped) GPUs.

As long as the economy continues to expand, and as long as UA continues to be able to monetize the front cabin, they're not going to give large numbers of upgrades away. To anybody.
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 4:13 pm
  #2649  
 
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To the above I am sitting on several GPU/RPU requests with flights going out this weekend, next week, and later in the month. NONE have cleared and IF they clear my experience has been it has been at the gate or more recently even after boarding. Having said that, I have had better luck with instruments clearing this year as a GS but it was ridiculously bad over the several years as 1K. I think I burned 10 instruments at the end of last year.
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 4:47 pm
  #2650  
 
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Originally Posted by jsloan
These mythical PN > 0 PZ = 0 slots don't exist...
Simply not true. There are hundreds if not thousands of these in the system today -- even in and out of major hubs. I happen to be waiting on two itineraries myself:

- LAX-EWR on 8/13 = PN2/PZ0
- BOS-SFO on 11/25 = PN3/PZ0

The reality is there will be significantly fewer RPUs chasing roughly the same number of upgradable seats in 2020. We'll know for sure starting Feb 1!
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 5:57 pm
  #2651  
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Originally Posted by spartacusmcfly
The reality is there will be significantly fewer RPUs chasing roughly the same number of upgradable seats in 2020. We'll know for sure starting Feb 1!
Will this be like the improvement we've seen in1K upgrades each time UA has "thinned the ranks" by first imposing then raising PQD requirements?

My bet is it will be an equally positive improvement; i.e., no material change at all.
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Old Aug 6, 2019, 6:06 pm
  #2652  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Will this be like the improvement we've seen in1K upgrades each time UA has "thinned the ranks" by first imposing then raising PQD requirements?
My bet is it will be an equally positive improvement; i.e., no material change at all.
Sadly, I agree. After the so-called rank-thinning this year, I've had only one RPU clear after being waitlisted. It cleared at the gate for my husband, who then whined about losing his window seat in Y.
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Old Aug 7, 2019, 8:35 am
  #2653  
 
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So I was able to apply a GPU on HKG-ORD flight at time of booking, however, on my same-day connection ORD-DFW was in Economy and it does not show I'm on waitlist for F. Is this normal?
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Old Aug 7, 2019, 8:40 am
  #2654  
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Originally Posted by DFWFairy
So I was able to apply a GPU on HKG-ORD flight at time of booking, however, on my same-day connection ORD-DFW was in Economy and it does not show I'm on waitlist for F. Is this normal?
You should see "Upgrade requested" when you view your reservation. If you don't, you should call in and have UA take a look at it. You wouldn't appear on a waitlist (in the flight status) until you check in.
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Old Aug 7, 2019, 9:10 am
  #2655  
 
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Originally Posted by Lori_Q
Sadly, I agree. After the so-called rank-thinning this year, I've had only one RPU clear after being waitlisted. It cleared at the gate for my husband, who then whined about losing his window seat in Y.
This seems to be more the norm now. IF you get upgraded with an instrument it is literally at the last minute. UA wants to sell that last F seat right down to the wire. The days are gone of clearing at, what is it 96 hrs for GS and 72 hours for 1K, are gone. Those times are basically meaningless. As I said above my last two upgrades were after boarding. Can't really complain too much as an upgrade is an upgrade but it is very apparent as to what is happening now. Can't really really "blame" them for what they are doing as they are in business to make $$$.
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