mh3265a - thanks for pointing out this change! ^

I frequently book last minute Y/B/M fares and had no idea about this change to full-fare instant upgrades. One flight I was looking at next week was 75% empty in F (albeit a A319, but showing F6 and only 2 occupied F seats) yet didn't have any PN inventory. To be fair, JN never matched F perfectly (sometimes I've seen F1 JN0) but this change is certainly going to drive even more of my business away from UA.

-FlyerBeek

Ditto. Booked a flight three weeks out, seat map shows 8/12 available in F, fare class info shows F5, A2, JN6, Z1, ZN1, P/PN 0, R/RN 0, I/IN 0, Y/YN/B all 9. I can't remember the last time I didn't get the B->PN bump at that window. Last time it happened at all was on a next-day booking. Even 4-5 day windows hadn't been a problem for me in 2012 & 2013, especially with that many seats available on the map. If this is going to become common, it's one more thing on the growing list of things that no longer encourage me to patronize United over American.

Also interesting is that when I booked the flight, it showed the Instant Upgrade option. 11 minutes later when the eticket issued (needed it to show the B fare for reimbursement purposes), I went into the reservation to accept the upgrade, and PN=0. I suppose it's possible I was just unlucky and someone else snapped up the last PN in those 11 minutes, but is it also possible that it's a glitch of SHARES where it removes a PN on booking of an eligible ticket even if you don't accept the upgrade at that time?

It was removed from inventory, either through a purchase by someone else or by IM.

They mess with inventory frequently. Last week I watched my HNL flight go R6 -> R2 -> R0 -> R2 -> R5 over about an 18 hour period.

No problem! This is a change that really annoyed me. I also was displeased how quietly the change was rolled out. It seems contrary to United's overall strategy of trying to get people to book refundable higher fares. As others have pointed out in other forums, often the Y/B fare are much higher than a P/Z fare or A fare for that matter.

Right. In essence someone on a "Y-up" fare would have gone onto the UA website and selected "GF/BF." Their receipt would list F, A, J, C, D, Z, or P, yet on the actual fare rules and fare basis it would be a Y-up fare so in the event of IRROPs the passenger would be treated as a Y passenger (and this is where people have come and complained on FT because this information is often buried and they don't know they're actually on an economy ticket until IRROPs occur and they get rebooked on a Y seat instead of an F seat).

The Y upgrade here means for whatever reason you (either on the UA website or via your TA) requested a Y fare. As an elite a true Y fare then is eligible on CPU-eligible routes for an instant upgrade which then goes into the booking code of PN (or until recently JN).

Copa Instant Upgrade on H is gone also
 

Thought I'd mention that UA elites used to be eligible for an "instant upgrade" from Copa when traveling on Y, B, M, and H fares, but today I noticed H is no longer eligible. It was still listed as eligible when I last checked a few days ago.

I recently tried my hand at full Y for the first time in years and at some point during the booking I was shown the thing about "this fare is eligible for an instant upgrade, click here to confirm." When I did so, however, I was placed into a waitlist in spite of F being practically wide open (not just seats but fare buckets as well). It was hub-to-hub on a Saturday. Called and was told that it must be a glitch, was put on hold, was then told it was subject to capacity control. Rep said something to the effect of "I guess I'm still learning too." Approaching departure, with my confidence up the trip would go, I just went ahead and bought the whole itinerary up to Z. Guess that's rewarding bad behavior come to think of it but I hardly bat an eye at such deception and devaluation anymore.

Sadly, though, it's still the better choice in my particular circumstance. Had I booked LH (the only other viable alternative to this particular routing), I wouldn't be returning home tonight (pilot strikes). And the Z buy-up would likely have cost quite a bit more (have done some random sampling from time to time, always surprised at the cost), in spite of the inferior C product on offer. So I will suck it up and enjoy my lie-flat in C tonight. Looking forward to that gin tonic and a nice long sleep afterwards...

okay, maybe this is a dumb question, but what's a Y-UP? i know about CPU's on any Y fare, the YBM instant upgrade, but i have no clue what Y-UP is.

Believe this is the growing phenomenon whereby you are duped into thinking you are booking into paid C/F but in the event of IRROPs or a customer-initiated change you learn that in fact you were deceptively sold Y and "upgraded" into a premium cabin. Without a whole lot of squeaking your wheel and often accepting less than desirable routing/connect times, etc, you wind up flying in the back of the bus -- fuming all the while.

Edit: Oh, and the whole point of this thread is that the "on any Y fare" no longer holds true; only if capacity management deems it so, subjectively, and at a time of their choosing.

'Y-up' and 'Y instant upgrade' are interchangeable terms.

I believe that some of the fare codes, at least used to actually have the term Y-UP in the string of code. For example, "Fare Code: Y14UPR".

No they are not the same thing at all.

I don't even know why we're talking about a Y-UP, you are hardly ever going to see that fare. But if you do, it will book directly into a front cabin fare code, either P, Z, D, C, J, A, or F. That is not an upgrade, it is an attribute of the fare such that it books directly into a premium cabin.

A Y fare, on the other hand, books into economy unless there is PN availability. If, and only if PN is available, the Y will book into PN. That's the so-called "instant upgrade."

This is quite confusing. I tried the matrix airfare search after reading the business insider article about how to get an upgrade ticket very inexpensively and it mentioned the up-y fare and somewhere else about the up-K fare. the up-Y fare cost the same as Business in AA.com the up-K cost roughly $900.00 than economy on the same. So I am understanding that the up-Y or YUP fares are the same as Business class cost anymore? What about the UP-K fares? Do i have o have mileage to upgrade? I found tix to japan on Delta for like $2200.00 with the K . can someone explain to me please? every body seem to know so much and throw some terms I have no idea what they are ;-'( Please help. this is for travel in September. I also found similar slightly higher than economy using the UP-W fare code for United. Thanks

None of this really matters if you just want a cheap international business class fare. Search for lowest available business class fare on your routing and that's what it will return for you. There is no need to search for a specific fare.

Yep. For example, search for LAX-GIG in August. One way in Domestic first and Int'l Business returns a $1113 (P) fare. However, when you look at the fare details, it's actually a V-up

And to the thread at hand about capacity controlled Y upgrades - very disappointing. I would understand if the capacity constraints were somehow tied to pricing (such that no PN was available when the Y fare was cheaper than the least expensive F fare, but I'm sure that won't be the case). Otherwise makes no sense. Y/B instant upgrades are a great way to entice corporate flyers who have to fly the cheapest coach to choose UA (like myself, who usually books less than 24 hours in advance).

hmmm but what does it mean UP-W or UP-K ? Would appreciate it if someone could kindly explain ;-)
Thanks