Jul 24, 2016, 4:23 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Operational Upgrades - Op-ups -- are upgrades that occur when there is a need by the airline to move passenger to the higher cabin: could be due to overbooking of the lower cabin, could be a weight and balance issue, could be a broken seat, ....... whatever the reason, it is an airline driven reason, not a customer request.
If the issue still exists after all upgrades have cleared, then the common approach is for passengers to be selected based on status or status/fare but the GA has discretion and may make a selection for other reasons.
Overbooking is the most common reason, as there is no available / allowed seat for all the passengers in the cabin. If the cabin has available seats, there will be no op-ups except for some special corner cases (such as weight & balance).
Asking for an upgrade because of a special occasion or you are dressed especially professional, or you have a suave manner does not work, those often repeated "upgrade secret hints" will just get you a chuckle or a "go away" look.
pmUA FT classic thread on Op-ups - Operational upgrades from a gate agent's perspective
Related threads:
2014 Thread - Are Discretionary Complimentary (Operational) Upgrade Common on UA?
Chances of Operational Upgrade on International Flights (Honeymoon)? ..
Consolidated United Operational Upgrade (OP-UPs) Experiences
If the issue still exists after all upgrades have cleared, then the common approach is for passengers to be selected based on status or status/fare but the GA has discretion and may make a selection for other reasons.
Overbooking is the most common reason, as there is no available / allowed seat for all the passengers in the cabin. If the cabin has available seats, there will be no op-ups except for some special corner cases (such as weight & balance).
Asking for an upgrade because of a special occasion or you are dressed especially professional, or you have a suave manner does not work, those often repeated "upgrade secret hints" will just get you a chuckle or a "go away" look.
pmUA FT classic thread on Op-ups - Operational upgrades from a gate agent's perspective
Related threads:
2014 Thread - Are Discretionary Complimentary (Operational) Upgrade Common on UA?
Chances of Operational Upgrade on International Flights (Honeymoon)? ..
Consolidated United Operational Upgrade (OP-UPs) Experiences
Consolidated - Chance of Operational Upgrade (Op-Up) on my flight?
Dec 28, 2018, 5:43 am
#406
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: BOS
Programs: UA 1K | Marriott Plat | IHG Plat | Hilton Diamond | Hertz Pres Circle | Global Entry / TSA Pre
Posts: 7
Flying PEK-EWR tomorrow and the app says Y is full with 19 J seats blocked. (See screenshot) How good are my chances as a Plat?
Dec 28, 2018, 6:42 am
#407
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: All of them, UA-Plat, 1MM*G
Posts: 881
I don't know why flight status is saying Y is full. If you go to Reservations, UA is willing to sell at least 9 seats in pretty much every Y fare class -- and at a fare as little as $792 ow. So I wouldn't get your hopes up too high.
Dec 28, 2018, 8:37 am
#408
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: BA Bronze, United 1K, HH Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,477
With an instrument it would have been an easy upgrade. They are willing to sell Economy tickets as there are so many business class seats not sold. It's only booked 15.
Dec 28, 2018, 1:16 pm
#409
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,410
Dec 28, 2018, 3:08 pm
#410
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,452
Blocked 17 (current status) strongly indicates an oversold scenario with multiple op-ups to occur. I'd say Plat certainly has a chance.
Jan 1, 2019, 4:23 pm
#411
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORF, RIC
Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum
Posts: 6,958
Op upgrade based upon fares paid, not status?
I was on ORD-PVG flight, with about 23 seats blocked in business and economy cabin was completely full when departed. I monitored seat map, especially the economy cabin, every few minutes. At about T-2.5 hour, some seats in E cabin became open for a few minutes and then filled. (A total count was about 15 but blocking number was not changed.) Those seats could be anywhere on the seat map. Some on E+ and P+ sections became open, but not my seat on P+ even though I have 1K status. When boarding started, the business cabin was changed to “full.” (A non rev was cleared and there was a couple of empty seats). I went to a gate agent to print out boarding pass and had the visa check stamp. This was about T-45 min. I went to a United Club for about 25 min and boarded the plane at T-20 min. I settled down on my seat for a minute or two before another passenger came with the same seat assignment. A FA took my boarding pass to a gate agent and came back with a business seat for me. She explicitly said that I was lucky and should not get an Op Up with my booking fare (G). So, I guess that Op Up is not solely based on status. According to what FA said and what I monitored from the seat map, fares paid are probably the most important factor in determining who gets the Op Up.
Jan 1, 2019, 4:56 pm
#412
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: BA Bronze, United 1K, HH Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,477
I was on ORD-PVG flight, with about 23 seats blocked in business and economy cabin was completely full when departed. I monitored seat map, especially the economy cabin, every few minutes. At about T-2.5 hour, some seats in E cabin became open for a few minutes and then filled. (A total count was about 15 but blocking number was not changed.) Those seats could be anywhere on the seat map. Some on E+ and P+ sections became open, but not my seat on P+ even though I have 1K status. When boarding started, the business cabin was changed to “full.” (A non rev was cleared and there was a couple of empty seats). I went to a gate agent to print out boarding pass and had the visa check stamp. This was about T-45 min. I went to a United Club for about 25 min and boarded the plane at T-20 min. I settled down on my seat for a minute or two before another passenger came with the same seat assignment. A FA took my boarding pass to a gate agent and came back with a business seat for me. She explicitly said that I was lucky and should not get an Op Up with my booking fare (G). So, I guess that Op Up is not solely based on status. According to what FA said and what I monitored from the seat map, fares paid are probably the most important factor in determining who gets the Op Up.
Jan 1, 2019, 9:49 pm
#413
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,400
I was on ORD-PVG flight, with about 23 seats blocked in business and economy cabin was completely full when departed. I monitored seat map, especially the economy cabin, every few minutes. At about T-2.5 hour, some seats in E cabin became open for a few minutes and then filled. (A total count was about 15 but blocking number was not changed.) Those seats could be anywhere on the seat map. Some on E+ and P+ sections became open, but not my seat on P+ even though I have 1K status. When boarding started, the business cabin was changed to “full.” (A non rev was cleared and there was a couple of empty seats). I went to a gate agent to print out boarding pass and had the visa check stamp. This was about T-45 min. I went to a United Club for about 25 min and boarded the plane at T-20 min. I settled down on my seat for a minute or two before another passenger came with the same seat assignment. A FA took my boarding pass to a gate agent and came back with a business seat for me. She explicitly said that I was lucky and should not get an Op Up with my booking fare (G). So, I guess that Op Up is not solely based on status. According to what FA said and what I monitored from the seat map, fares paid are probably the most important factor in determining who gets the Op Up.
By boarding at T-20, you risked losing your seat, BTW. The cutoff is T-30 for international flights.
Jan 1, 2019, 10:10 pm
#414
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,005
Looks like my inbound aircraft for my NRT-EWR flight today (SFO-NRT) has north of 15 op-ups (or maybe lots of NRSAs) - was showing with 16 blocked out in J when I looked earlier today.
Jan 1, 2019, 11:20 pm
#415
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,452
Many of the Tokyo flights this week are op-up city. 838's going to have a bunch today and tomorrow.
Jan 2, 2019, 12:29 am
#416
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORF, RIC
Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum
Posts: 6,958
The FA was making stuff up. The priority for op-ups isn’t published, but it isn’t fare class first — there’s no way everyone in Y was also flying on a G fare. It’s likely status, then fare class, just like the CPU list would be. What you saw prior to departure may have been instruments clearing, or GS members (and companions) on any fare or 1K members (and companions) on higher fares. It’s possible that they’d clear more companions on an op-up than a CPU would, since they might not want to split families without giving people an option to decline.
By boarding at T-20, you risked losing your seat, BTW. The cutoff is T-30 for international flights.
It was a New Year Eve flight. There were not many GSs traveling to China at this time of year. The appearance/disappearance of E cabin seats (a few E+ seats, too) supported the fare-based Op-Up guess. I know that FA sometimes made things up. In my case, GA might ask the FA to tell me that I did not deserve it. I was hoping that I would get the upgrade earlier so that I would have a few minutes to visit the Polaris Lounge nearby.
Jan 2, 2019, 2:04 am
#417
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,452
Jan 2, 2019, 5:39 am
#418
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,400
It was a New Year Eve flight. There were not many GSs traveling to China at this time of year. The appearance/disappearance of E cabin seats (a few E+ seats, too) supported the fare-based Op-Up guess. I know that FA sometimes made things up. In my case, GA might ask the FA to tell me that I did not deserve it. I was hoping that I would get the upgrade earlier so that I would have a few minutes to visit the Polaris Lounge nearby.
True, but the OP said they got to the lounge at T-45 and stayed 25 minutes. I didn’t take it to mean there was some waiting involved at the gate.
Jan 7, 2019, 9:22 pm
#419
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,218
Anyone able to provide insight into op-ups? How are they determined?
I have a flight tomorrow that is oversold in Y but J is only about half full. I am on a K fare. I had an op-up in July with a T fare (much to my surprise). Yes I realize there may be GPUs to be processed and TODs (I will not be paying the TOD since it does not qualify for PQD).
MODs - Could not find a thread for op-ups so please move if there is one.
I have a flight tomorrow that is oversold in Y but J is only about half full. I am on a K fare. I had an op-up in July with a T fare (much to my surprise). Yes I realize there may be GPUs to be processed and TODs (I will not be paying the TOD since it does not qualify for PQD).
MODs - Could not find a thread for op-ups so please move if there is one.
Jan 7, 2019, 9:34 pm
#420
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,139
I've also found that many flights that are "oversold" go out with empty seats, so don't count on anything.