Jan 23, 2015, 7:28 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Upgrading Flights Operated by ANA , Lufthansa or COPA
Partner PlusPoints Upgrade Awards
For general information on upgrading ANA or Lufthansa flights with PlusPoints (note to use miles is a separate process) see Upgrading Flights Operated by ANA , Lufthansa or COPA You actually request the upgrade through the online form, here: Partner PlusPoints Upgrade Awards
Per United web support, you only need to fill in the required* info.
**The LH flight you are upgrading must be an LH flight, not a UA codeshare flight. If you have a UA codeshare flight, you can call websupport and they will (put you on hold and] change your itinerary to one with an LH flight#.
Note that UA websupport might give you a new ticket # when you do the above, but if the original ticket # was 016 UA stock, it will remain so, and thus you will still be earning RDMs at the UA rate (11x for a 1K), not the *A rate. In case of a $6000 biz fare for LAX-FRA that you are trying to upgrade to F for example, as a 1K you would earn 66,000 UA RDM if booked as a UA flight. And even though after booking you get them to change the UA flight # from a UA codeshare flight to an LH flight, the 016 ticket stock sticks, and you earn 66,000 RDMs.
(FYI, had the ticket stock been an LH stock, the RDM's earned would be 5790 miles x 150% = 8685 RDMs. Big difference)
Note that sometimes the online upgrading does not work, and you may get an error message to call an 877 number, which is now defunct but still resides on .bomb...Ignore it and just call web support. They might put you on hold while they call LH but they will get the job done.
Eligible Economy Fares to Apply PlusPounts
Upgradeable to business fares include U/H/Q the lowest eligible economy fares. G&E the two top premium economy fares and Y/B/M the most expensive economy fares. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/24219165-post205.html)While UA has not changed their T&Cs, LH appears to have expanded the potential fare classes
For C->F upgrade, J, D, C fares are eligible, Z and P fares are not
.
LH booking class P, Z upgreadable for miles and eVouchers
From April to September 2018 it was possible to confirm and waitlist P,Z-class LH flights with a PlusPoints. Confirming and waitlisting is no now longer possible, but previously waitlisted segments will continue to clear as/if available.
Checking for Upgrade Availability
Upgrades to E, C and F come from the R, I and O fare bucket, but its a subset, which theoretically is not the same as the award subset. If awards are available it is a strong indication the upgrade is available too. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/24861289-post342.html)
In case of upgrade clearing but eticket refresh problems:
Checking for availability prior to calling
Use ANA or even united.com to see availability.
To check if C/F upgrades may open up, ask in this thread: Determining LH Y/C/F loads? [the help me guesstimate loads thread]
Regarding ticket stock, Oliver reports:
Each LH flight segment requires a separate set of PlusPoints
A single set of PlusPoints can be used to only upgrade a single LH flight segment, And that PlusPoints cannot be extended to include another LH flight segment or another UA flight segment.
Problems getting mileage credit for upgraded LH segments
Numerous reports of denial of mileage credits (RDMs, PQMs, PQSs, PQDs) for upgraded tickets. This issue is probably due to LH uses the same fare bucket for mileage awards and upgrades. It seems patience, persistence, and documentation of the originally paid fare are needed to get credit.
You probably won't get credit by simply submitting the online form or asking a CSR to do so for you. A CSR needs to submit a System Issue Form, together with the mileage request, explaining that you flew in I class, but you paid for a mileage-earning booking class.
T-10
While the original system did not allow the upgrade waitlist to carry on past t-10 hours, the have been multiple reports that this is no longer the case. If not cleared in advance - the upgrade wait-list will last all the way until the door closing. UA has not updated the text on the LH upgrades to reflect this change.
Premium Eco To Biz Upgrade
Archive Thread: Lufthansa GPUs Go Electronic {Archive}
Related Thread
How to upgrade with UA miles on Star Alliance carriers
Partner PlusPoints Upgrade Awards
For general information on upgrading ANA or Lufthansa flights with PlusPoints (note to use miles is a separate process) see Upgrading Flights Operated by ANA , Lufthansa or COPA You actually request the upgrade through the online form, here: Partner PlusPoints Upgrade Awards
Per United web support, you only need to fill in the required* info.
**The LH flight you are upgrading must be an LH flight, not a UA codeshare flight. If you have a UA codeshare flight, you can call websupport and they will (put you on hold and] change your itinerary to one with an LH flight#.
Note that UA websupport might give you a new ticket # when you do the above, but if the original ticket # was 016 UA stock, it will remain so, and thus you will still be earning RDMs at the UA rate (11x for a 1K), not the *A rate. In case of a $6000 biz fare for LAX-FRA that you are trying to upgrade to F for example, as a 1K you would earn 66,000 UA RDM if booked as a UA flight. And even though after booking you get them to change the UA flight # from a UA codeshare flight to an LH flight, the 016 ticket stock sticks, and you earn 66,000 RDMs.
(FYI, had the ticket stock been an LH stock, the RDM's earned would be 5790 miles x 150% = 8685 RDMs. Big difference)
Note that sometimes the online upgrading does not work, and you may get an error message to call an 877 number, which is now defunct but still resides on .bomb...Ignore it and just call web support. They might put you on hold while they call LH but they will get the job done.
Eligible Economy Fares to Apply PlusPounts
Upgradeable to business fares include U/H/Q the lowest eligible economy fares. G&E the two top premium economy fares and Y/B/M the most expensive economy fares. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/24219165-post205.html)While UA has not changed their T&Cs, LH appears to have expanded the potential fare classes
... Just check the tables here: https://www.miles-and-more.com/onlin...l=en&cid=18002
.
From April to September 2018 it was possible to confirm and waitlist P,Z-class LH flights with a PlusPoints. Confirming and waitlisting is no now longer possible, but previously waitlisted segments will continue to clear as/if available.
Checking for Upgrade Availability
Upgrades to E, C and F come from the R, I and O fare bucket, but its a subset, which theoretically is not the same as the award subset. If awards are available it is a strong indication the upgrade is available too. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/24861289-post342.html)
In case of upgrade clearing but eticket refresh problems:
Originally Posted by oliver2002
Both longhaul LH segments cleared into I after being on waitlist. The first didnt get stickered, so the DCS (amadeus altea) rejected online and agent checkin. The eticket helpdesk had to manually update the first coupon for the DCS to accept the coupon. My seat in C was safe, since the PNR was updated correctly, just the ticket was not updated completely to the satisfaction of the DCS. Everyone looking at the booking agreed the upgrade was legit, so you will not be denied boarding or downgraded, just budget enough time
Originally Posted by oliver2002
The LH GA must have called the eticket helpdesk and pointed out the * SSR remark in your reservation that shows an upgrade was applied and the e-ticket just needed a fix/sticker. See my experience above.
To check if C/F upgrades may open up, ask in this thread: Determining LH Y/C/F loads? [the help me guesstimate loads thread]
Regarding ticket stock, Oliver reports:
Each LH flight segment requires a separate set of PlusPoints
A single set of PlusPoints can be used to only upgrade a single LH flight segment, And that PlusPoints cannot be extended to include another LH flight segment or another UA flight segment.
Problems getting mileage credit for upgraded LH segments
Numerous reports of denial of mileage credits (RDMs, PQMs, PQSs, PQDs) for upgraded tickets. This issue is probably due to LH uses the same fare bucket for mileage awards and upgrades. It seems patience, persistence, and documentation of the originally paid fare are needed to get credit.
You probably won't get credit by simply submitting the online form or asking a CSR to do so for you. A CSR needs to submit a System Issue Form, together with the mileage request, explaining that you flew in I class, but you paid for a mileage-earning booking class.
T-10
While the original system did not allow the upgrade waitlist to carry on past t-10 hours, the have been multiple reports that this is no longer the case. If not cleared in advance - the upgrade wait-list will last all the way until the door closing. UA has not updated the text on the LH upgrades to reflect this change.
Premium Eco To Biz Upgrade
Related Thread
How to upgrade with UA miles on Star Alliance carriers
LH Electronic PlusPts Upgrades -How to use, will it clear?, issues w/flight credit,..
Dec 1, 2023, 10:21 am
#392
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,048
Strange. This is a problem on the LH side and usually there is something unusual with flights where that happens. Can't see anything here, looks pretty empty right now. No 'I' available. but I don't see why they would have closed the WL for that flight 
Dec 2, 2023, 7:31 am
#394
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Here, there, everywhere
Programs: UA 1K, Marriot Gold
Posts: 44
Started of with a "Multiple reservations found" followed by the dreaded technical error (turns out I forgot to remove the dash from the ticket number) but got rewarded with an instant upgrade on my LH segment 🙌
Dec 2, 2023, 4:58 pm
#395
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,048
Dec 11, 2023, 4:55 am
#396
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: Former UA1K transitioning to WFBF mentality
Posts: 779
I thought I was being so smart. (Germany)-MUC-IAH, LH delay + bus gate led to me missing UA MUC-IAH. (Didn’t help that UA closed doors early, and then pushed back late - would have made it!)
Anyways, rebooked into full J on LH ticket, LH flight numbers. (Original ticket UA P). O space available. All good?
NOPE. The 10-hour rule bites. What a bummer, I had hoped to go out of 1K in style with my last 40 PP…
Anyways, rebooked into full J on LH ticket, LH flight numbers. (Original ticket UA P). O space available. All good?
NOPE. The 10-hour rule bites. What a bummer, I had hoped to go out of 1K in style with my last 40 PP…
Dec 11, 2023, 6:19 am
#397
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,048
I thought I was being so smart. (Germany)-MUC-IAH, LH delay + bus gate led to me missing UA MUC-IAH. (Didn’t help that UA closed doors early, and then pushed back late - would have made it!)
Anyways, rebooked into full J on LH ticket, LH flight numbers. (Original ticket UA P). O space available. All good?
NOPE. The 10-hour rule bites. What a bummer, I had hoped to go out of 1K in style with my last 40 PP…
Anyways, rebooked into full J on LH ticket, LH flight numbers. (Original ticket UA P). O space available. All good?
NOPE. The 10-hour rule bites. What a bummer, I had hoped to go out of 1K in style with my last 40 PP…
I always wondered if they had that rule exactly for that reason ...
Dec 11, 2023, 8:47 am
#398
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: Former UA1K transitioning to WFBF mentality
Posts: 779
PS DId try to game the UA website by re-setting the dates on my devices. No dice.
PPS UA site did say that upgrades were not allowed within 24hrs whereas T&C say 10hrs for LH. If I didn't have to be home, I would've tried for sure within the 10-24hr window (following day).
Last edited by marks88; Dec 11, 2023 at 8:57 am
Dec 11, 2023, 12:03 pm
#399
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,048
Right. It is outside the rules and what I have been able to get through w/ last-minute re-routes. Not sure where the true cut-off is these days.
Dec 14, 2023, 11:48 pm
#400
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: Free checked in bag on UA & DL. Free icecream at Marriott checkin.
Posts: 2,862
Originally Posted by TravellingMan;[url=tel:35786834
35786834[/url]]
PlusPoints Upgrade Awards
We cannot process your request.
Inventory not available and no waitlist existsEdit: It worked today. I got it confirmed and successfully used all my plus points for the year.
Getting to use these points are more difficult than anything. I will not aspire for 1K anymore.
Last edited by TravellingMan; Dec 17, 2023 at 12:19 pm
Dec 18, 2023, 10:05 am
#401
Join Date: Jun 2023
Location: ZRH
Programs: UA: 1K
Posts: 20
Waitlisted for F on LH402 on Jan 3rd
given we are approaching 2 week mark on Wednesday and this current load:F4 A3 J9 C9 D9 ZO PO G9 E9 NO Y9 B9
M9 U2 HO QO VO WO SO TO LO KO
what do you think are the odds for clearing F with waitlisted plus points?
any reference points much appreciated
given we are approaching 2 week mark on Wednesday and this current load:F4 A3 J9 C9 D9 ZO PO G9 E9 NO Y9 B9
M9 U2 HO QO VO WO SO TO LO KO
what do you think are the odds for clearing F with waitlisted plus points?
any reference points much appreciated
Dec 19, 2023, 10:50 am
#402
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,048
Waitlisted for F on LH402 on Jan 3rd
given we are approaching 2 week mark on Wednesday and this current load:F4 A3 J9 C9 D9 ZO PO G9 E9 NO Y9 B9
M9 U2 HO QO VO WO SO TO LO KO
what do you think are the odds for clearing F with waitlisted plus points?
any reference points much appreciated
given we are approaching 2 week mark on Wednesday and this current load:F4 A3 J9 C9 D9 ZO PO G9 E9 NO Y9 B9
M9 U2 HO QO VO WO SO TO LO KO
what do you think are the odds for clearing F with waitlisted plus points?
any reference points much appreciated
Dec 29, 2023, 6:00 am
#403
Join Date: Jun 2023
Location: ZRH
Programs: UA: 1K
Posts: 20
Last I saw was F3A0 and now is at F2A0
Possibly A opened up plus award space and was immediately taken by my waitlist but just as reference for others when gauging upgrade chances (tbh I was surprised it cleared given the F load)
Dec 30, 2023, 8:48 am
#404
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,048
Point of reference: cleared today Dec29 for flight on Jan3
Last I saw was F3A0 and now is at F2A0
Possibly A opened up plus award space and was immediately taken by my waitlist but just as reference for others when gauging upgrade chances (tbh I was surprised it cleared given the F load)
Last I saw was F3A0 and now is at F2A0
Possibly A opened up plus award space and was immediately taken by my waitlist but just as reference for others when gauging upgrade chances (tbh I was surprised it cleared given the F load)
Jan 8, 2024, 1:58 pm
#405
Join Date: Oct 2022
Location: NYC/SEA
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 84
Has anyone run into the problem of applying PP, changing flights, reapplying PP, but then still seeing the original LH flight when checking the LH systems:
Double Waitlist
I confirmed that UA has pulled and redeposited the original PP so I am a bit confused. I called LH and they told me the second waitlisted upgrade must be removed for the first to be able to clear. The problem there being it has been removed and that flight is no longer even on my ticket. Of course, LH told me to call UA who of course can always mess with this a bit too much or just tell me to call LH. I think I am stuck calling UA but anyone have any experience here or know if I am ok leaving as is?
Double Waitlist
I confirmed that UA has pulled and redeposited the original PP so I am a bit confused. I called LH and they told me the second waitlisted upgrade must be removed for the first to be able to clear. The problem there being it has been removed and that flight is no longer even on my ticket. Of course, LH told me to call UA who of course can always mess with this a bit too much or just tell me to call LH. I think I am stuck calling UA but anyone have any experience here or know if I am ok leaving as is?