jjmoore

Definitely saw this post.... that's really why I say there's no apparent mechanism... it's anyone's guess. My own experiences have shown that there are some good deals (the ones I mentioned previously) and ones that were nothing short of insulting.

I'm not certain that the BS is shenanigan-related... maybe just incompetence in the system's ability to accurately price upgrades and distribute those offers evenly or according to a pre-defined structure.

NOTXAPTAP

Not exactly following format here...hope that's ok. My wife, daughter and I flew from BOS to RAP last week. My wife and I are 1k, my daughter is 5 and has no status. We flew through Chicago. I made 3 separate reservations to increase upgrade odds for my wife and/or I, so we had a chance for one of us to sit up front with our daughter. All on V fares, which was around $775.00 each. A couple of weeks before the flight, I checked upgrade possibilities for each of us. My daughter with no status had an offer to upgrade for $96.00. My wife's reservation could not be upgraded at all, and I could upgrade for $600.00. I upgraded my daughter and held out for comp. upgrades for my wife and I. Posting this to support the theory that the process, while maybe making sense to some algorithms somewhere, makes no sense on it's surface. It's hard to understand how someone with no status gets a $96.00 upgrade while a 1k on the same fare gets offered the same upgrade for $600 and one not at all. Any insight?

UA-NYC

It's some combination of:
1) United's systems (AKA SHARES) truly suck
2) United will do anything and everything in its power to ensure that its most frequent flyers don't get CPUs with any regularity

Your call on what % you ascribe to each. Unfortunately, "we" lose

bseller

My insight is upthread, but I prefer to ascribe this type of insult to malice rather than incompetence. Others disagree.

It's telling that we see countless examples of kettles being offered cheap buy ups, while we see comparatively few upgrade offers discounted for elites.

To an airline with disdain for its elite flyers this likely makes sense. Enhancing "auxiliary revenue" at the expense of long term financial health is a page right out of the pmCO play book, IMO.

Dave

jasonvr

Any possibility that the disparity between the elite/non-elite offers posted recently (same flights, same fare basis, etc) are actually a difference between UFC and PCU? If they are offering UFC to non-elite for cheap, but PCU to the elites (figuring they want the PQM) for the fare difference, it could explain the huge discrepancies in some cases.

bseller

That's a very interesting hypothesis. And it could explain the differences.

As for me, I'd prefer to be given the CHOICE, but I'm just an (over-entitled) elite. Why should the HouCrew worry about me?

Dave

Bearcat16

SMF-IAD
V fare booked
Upgrade for a mere $1,599

No thanks

Gold**

kss5555

Well here we go, me and boss, separate PNR's flight 1609 tonight ORD-DTW. I have gold status now (need to update handle), him none. Go to check in. Flight is booked 11 out 12 in first with 15 on upgrade list. His upgrade offer is $29, mine $139, same fare class, purchased literally minutes apart last month. As he has a bag to check he took it immediately while I will be left in coach. Had I been offered the same $29, I would have purchased that in a heartbeat.

More proof that UA is not the airline once you are elite as they most for sure allow non elites to jump the upgrade list and book into first class for as many say on here "tens of dollars"

megalab

Since 2010 I've spent around $17,000/yr on airfare, but went from spending around 95% of that money on UA as a 1K to spending less than 50% on UA as I drop to Silver, because the value of being elite on UA is just not worth the higher prices, poor reliability and mediocre service. (Still need UA; ORD hub-captive and FRA and SFO are my two most common destinations.)

Posts like this make the decision even easier, and even support the growing idea of not even putting your MP number on your reservation if the goal is a cheap buy-up to F.

UA-NYC

Amazing how quickly TODs have come back with a vengeance

At least "we're" not getting shouted down anymore about TODs being the equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster...

IADFlyer123

Dunno if this has been noticed on partner (*A) airlines when fare is booked via UA. My SO is traveling to VIE on OS and she has been offered a chance to "upgrade". Currently on U fares on inbound and outbound, her offers are $3600 each way to upgrade to D on Austrian. Did not know that we were offered upgrades on a *A airline via UA.

bluedemon211

I think there is definitely enough evidence that TOD's and "Nessie" are not the same any more. TOD's exist, they happen, and the result is elites fail to get a CPU (or even RPU/GPU) to clear as often as they have in the past. That said, I think we all understand why this happens. Whether we like it or not, UA is trying to supplement revenue and induce some general members to experience an upgraded class of service they otherwise would not have seen. This will (hopefully in UA's mind) lead to more revenue on a given flight and a chance the general member likes what he or she sees and throws more business toward UA. Frankly, for a "for profit" company, I have no problem with the approach.

However, this is where I would change the approach...............If, for example at T-24 there are 4 seats remaining in F, then no more than 2 seats can be sold as TOD and 2 must be given to UG. I don't know if 50% is the right balance, but some balance must be given otherwise you gut your current elites on the "hope" that they are replaced with others wiling to spend as much or more with you.

One final thought...........some of us need to stop talking out of both sides of our mouth's when it comes to F or J service. If we blast UA for poor hard and soft product in these cabins, then we can't turn around and complain that our UG didn't clear into that sub-standard UG cabin. Fair?

Kacee

That's not UA's motivation. It has nothing to do with giving the masses a "taste" of F. UA simply wants the revenue. It doesn't give the cheap offers to elites exactly because they are viewed as repeat customers, and it doesn't want to train them to expect cheap buy-ups. Rather, it wants them to pay up for F at purchase (which they are more likely to do when they know their upgrades won't clear and they won't get cheap offers at check-in). GMs on the other hand are viewed as one-time revenue opportunities.

btw, neither AA nor DL does this to their elites.

There is no such inconsistency. We like the extra space in F, both at the seat and in the overhead bin. That is for me (and I believe most of us here) the only meaningful reason to care about a domestic upgrade on a non lie-flat aircraft.

bluedemon211

Kacee, your points are well taken (as always ). In your opinion, is there anything we as Elites can do to try to turn the tide?

CLEHillbilly

With the bag check that was a $4 upgrade. WOW