Feb 12, 2019, 1:21 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is the archive thread, the active thread is Lufthansa GPUs Go Electronic (How to use, will it clear?, issues w/flight credit,...)
For general information on upgrading ANA or Lufthansa flights with a GPU, see Upgrading Flights Operated by ANA or Lufthansa. You actually request the upgrade through the online form, here: Request a GPU for a Select Partner Airline.
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 a GPU
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)
LH booking class P, Z upgreadable for miles and eVouchers
Appears this also applies to use of UA GPUs IF booked as native flight number on LH or UA ticket stock.
Presently UA is not converting codeshare to native flight numbers, as required for this process, if P or Z fare From April to September 2018 it was possible to confirm and waitlist P ,Z-class LH flights with a GPU. 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 N, 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 GPU
A single GPU can be used to only upgrade a single LH flight segment, And that GPU 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 GPU upgrades to reflect this change.
Archive Thread: Lufthansa GPUs Go Electronic {Archive}
Related Thread
How to upgrade with UA miles on Star Alliance carriers
For general information on upgrading ANA or Lufthansa flights with a GPU, see Upgrading Flights Operated by ANA or Lufthansa. You actually request the upgrade through the online form, here: Request a GPU for a Select Partner Airline.
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 a GPU
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. ... Just check the tables here: https://www.miles-and-more.com/onlin...l=en&cid=18002
Appears this also applies to use of UA GPUs IF booked as native flight number on LH or UA ticket stock.
Presently UA is not converting codeshare to native flight numbers, as required for this process, if P or Z fare
Checking for Upgrade Availability
Upgrades to E, C and F come from the N, 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 GPU
A single GPU can be used to only upgrade a single LH flight segment, And that GPU 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 GPU upgrades to reflect this change.
Archive Thread: Lufthansa GPUs Go Electronic {Archive}
Related Thread
How to upgrade with UA miles on Star Alliance carriers
Lufthansa GPUs Go Electronic {Archive}
Feb 11, 2019, 11:24 am
#1756
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: CLE
Programs: United, Hilton, Marriott, Hertz, National
Posts: 189
Hi all - I'm doing this GPU-on-Lufthansa for the first time and I wanted to make sure everything is okay after applying a GPU. The flight was originally booked as a codeshare flight number on 016 ticket stock. I called UA and they changed to a native LH flight number and issued a new ticket on 016 stock. I successfully applied a GPU and was waitlisted.
- When I view my reservation on UA, everything looks fine. When I view the reservation on LH, it's a disaster. It has the flight segment in question listed three times - the original codeshare flight number in D (with seat assignment), the new native flight number in D (without seat assignment), and the waitlisted F segment. Is this going to cause issues when checking in?
- Right after buying the ticket, I was able to make seat selections on LH.com. Now, I cannot. Before calling UA, I was able to select a seat on the upper-deck of the 748 and I'd like to keep it if my upgrade doesn't clear. I'm concerned because the seat assignment is on the original codeshare flight number and I can't seem to add it to the native flight number. Should I just call LH to have them straighten everything out?
- After changing everything, my projected MP accruals changed. I know there's reliability issues with the MP accruals presented on a reservation, but will be able to claim the original accruals?
Feb 11, 2019, 6:21 pm
#1757
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,055
Hi all - I'm doing this GPU-on-Lufthansa for the first time and I wanted to make sure everything is okay after applying a GPU. The flight was originally booked as a codeshare flight number on 016 ticket stock. I called UA and they changed to a native LH flight number and issued a new ticket on 016 stock. I successfully applied a GPU and was waitlisted.
- When I view my reservation on UA, everything looks fine. When I view the reservation on LH, it's a disaster. It has the flight segment in question listed three times - the original codeshare flight number in D (with seat assignment), the new native flight number in D (without seat assignment), and the waitlisted F segment. Is this going to cause issues when checking in?
- Right after buying the ticket, I was able to make seat selections on LH.com. Now, I cannot. Before calling UA, I was able to select a seat on the upper-deck of the 748 and I'd like to keep it if my upgrade doesn't clear. I'm concerned because the seat assignment is on the original codeshare flight number and I can't seem to add it to the native flight number. Should I just call LH to have them straighten everything out?
- After changing everything, my projected MP accruals changed. I know there's reliability issues with the MP accruals presented on a reservation, but will be able to claim the original accruals?
2) That is normal. Once an UG is waitlisted the online seat selection stops working. You can call to get a seat changed
3) That is also normal, It will credit correctly almost always. If not (and the LH segments shows PQD ineligible) then you Email MP and ask them to fix it. For D --> O I'd say 90% credit correctly for me and 10% do not.
Feb 11, 2019, 6:59 pm
#1758
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: CLE
Programs: United, Hilton, Marriott, Hertz, National
Posts: 189
1) That's not right. It should no longer show the codeshare flight on lufthansa.com just the native flight confirmed in D and the waitlist for O. Whether it will cause issues down the road ... hard to tell. Call Lufthansa to ask them how they feel about it. Really strange if the ticket has been updated and now shows the LH flight number ... where is the UA codeshare coming from on the LH side ... perplexing
2) That is normal. Once an UG is waitlisted the online seat selection stops working. You can call to get a seat changed
3) That is also normal, It will credit correctly almost always. If not (and the LH segments shows PQD ineligible) then you Email MP and ask them to fix it. For D --> O I'd say 90% credit correctly for me and 10% do not.
2) That is normal. Once an UG is waitlisted the online seat selection stops working. You can call to get a seat changed
3) That is also normal, It will credit correctly almost always. If not (and the LH segments shows PQD ineligible) then you Email MP and ask them to fix it. For D --> O I'd say 90% credit correctly for me and 10% do not.
Feb 18, 2019, 10:00 am
#1759
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 33
A data point:
I have been applying GPUs successfully on LH flights in the past using I class availability as indicator for space with 100% success.
Today, I was about to do the same and... the upgrade did not clear and I was added to the WL.
I then checked overall inventory for the flight and was surprised that UA.com showed I available when there was no P class availability.
Apparently upgrades *do* clear into a subset of I.
I have been applying GPUs successfully on LH flights in the past using I class availability as indicator for space with 100% success.
Today, I was about to do the same and... the upgrade did not clear and I was added to the WL.
I then checked overall inventory for the flight and was surprised that UA.com showed I available when there was no P class availability.
Apparently upgrades *do* clear into a subset of I.
Feb 18, 2019, 10:28 am
#1760
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,055
A data point:
I have been applying GPUs successfully on LH flights in the past using I class availability as indicator for space with 100% success.
Today, I was about to do the same and... the upgrade did not clear and I was added to the WL.
I then checked overall inventory for the flight and was surprised that UA.com showed I available when there was no P class availability.
Apparently upgrades *do* clear into a subset of I.
I have been applying GPUs successfully on LH flights in the past using I class availability as indicator for space with 100% success.
Today, I was about to do the same and... the upgrade did not clear and I was added to the WL.
I then checked overall inventory for the flight and was surprised that UA.com showed I available when there was no P class availability.
Apparently upgrades *do* clear into a subset of I.
Feb 18, 2019, 10:44 am
#1761
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 33
I did check the native flight availability.
The I space seemed to be real as I was able to grab it and get all the way to the payout stage on UA.com if I wanted to (even with my UG pending).
For now I have cancelled the ticket (under 24h) and am considering my next steps. If I have to WL - I may WL on a flight departing in a timing which works better for me.
Feb 18, 2019, 12:36 pm
#1762
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,055
Feb 18, 2019, 1:07 pm
#1763
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DCA
Programs: UA 1K; *G and *A Top 1000; HHonors Diamond; *$ Gold; Global Entry
Posts: 2,272
Probably not the right thread for this; but, last week, a mech cancellation on a Lufthansa flight was going to lead me to miss an upgraded United TATL flight (had cleared with GPU at booking).
As service recovery, Lufthansa placed me on one of their TATL flights in Business Class.
As service recovery, Lufthansa placed me on one of their TATL flights in Business Class.
Feb 18, 2019, 1:09 pm
#1764
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,416
LH blocks P and Z space close to departure, but continues to let I float according to load.
It is not a subset either, as it is possible to clear a GPU immediately when I0. However, I space remains a reasonably accurate proxy.. I would surprised if your GPU does not eventually clear.
It is not a subset either, as it is possible to clear a GPU immediately when I0. However, I space remains a reasonably accurate proxy.. I would surprised if your GPU does not eventually clear.
Feb 18, 2019, 3:56 pm
#1765
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SFO
Posts: 4,914
How long should one wait for an uncleared upgrade GPU to get redeposited? (Not in an hurry to get it back but it has been 5 days)
Feb 18, 2019, 4:09 pm
#1766
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
LH blocks P and Z space close to departure, but continues to let I float according to load.
It is not a subset either, as it is possible to clear a GPU immediately when I0. However, I space remains a reasonably accurate proxy.. I would surprised if your GPU does not eventually clear.
It is not a subset either, as it is possible to clear a GPU immediately when I0. However, I space remains a reasonably accurate proxy.. I would surprised if your GPU does not eventually clear.
Feb 18, 2019, 7:09 pm
#1768
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 32,055
it's either immediate or you have to call to get it back. Once you get the confirmation that your UG did not go through it should come back to your account, at least on a 016 ticket.
Feb 20, 2019, 9:29 pm
#1769
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: UA 1K 1MM / AA PP, Marriott Lifetime Gold
Posts: 949
Looks like the wiki needs to be updated to show that Business to First upgrades on LH book into A, not O.
Feb 20, 2019, 9:31 pm
#1770
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924