Next week, I am heading to Asia, the miles for which will put me over the edge for hitting Premier Silver. Has anyone had luck getting upgraded to Economy + when they are presently not elite, but have outstanding reservations that will put them over the edge?

Thanks!

Welcome to FT, ss279577!

It's extremely rare for United to advance status to someone, particularly when it's only the entry-level status.

Welcome to Flyertalk ss279577 ^. You have almost no chance of E+ on the way there but hopefully you are there long enough for the miles to clear, so you can enjoy the legroom on the way home

For silvers (like me), the only way to upgrade to E+ is T-24 at check-in. So you should be golden coming back (pending availability) but for your outbound trip you'll need a sympathetic friendly ground agent.

Yes. Call the MPSC a few days before the trip and ask if they'll advance you the status because you're about to qualify and want to get some of the benefits on that trip. I've had success with this in the past.

OP should be very aware, however, that while I'm sure it has happened to someone or maybe a few before, this is far from SOP and is more of a longshot than a sure thing. In other words, calling and asking certainly doesn't hurt, but a yes answer is a bonus and not an entitlement, and expect to be told no and not to be disappointed with that answer.

This is best done in person or at the gate. All it takes is a "no" from a phone agent and a note in the PNR and that's the end of it for OP.

Me? On a long flight, I would pay for the seat I want rather than risking the discomfort of steerage.

It was prob 3 years ago, but i had luck calling up to get E+ for my wife and i on our flight from hnl-ord that got us back to silver after a few years of little travel. one thing I've learned (especially involving travel) is that it doesn't hurt to ask, and you would sometimes be surprised how people are willing to help you out if you just ask nicely. Not necessarily related, because it doesn't really work over the phone, but a genuine smile can go a long way.

Also, Silver can pick E+ seat only at 24 hours prior to departure time. Less desirable E+ seats (middle seats) may be the only ones available by then.

IMO this isn't the best way if early status is what the OP is asking for. GA or agent at check in very likely won't have the data that the OP wants to use - they will be able to see their status (GM) but I'm guessing not how close they are to silver. Sure, they might have the ability to give out an E+ seat for free, or waive a bag fee. But my guess is they've heard every excuse in the book from people trying to get these kinds of benefits unwarranted, and so they're used to saying no.

As noted, a ground/gate agent is your best chance because these are the folks that assign passengers without seat assignments or status to the remaining open E+ seats at departure. It's not a stretch for them.

Because of the unpredictable nature of gate agents, I would try calling after you check in online. The phone agent can see your MP status/progress and may make an exception because they can override the seat selection.

In either case, I recommend starting the conversation by asking how their day is going or how they are doing today. Showing a bit of care is sometimes the only social engineering needed to achieve your objective.

Attempting to get silver status granted in advance so you can select the seat yourself at checkin is much less likely to succeed because overriding status is a much bigger deal. Your RDM multiplier is different as a non-Silver so they would effectively be granting additional mileage earning if they up the status in advance of the flight. A simple seat change is more likely to succeed, but in order to increase your chances you probably need to deal with someone after T-24 just as if you were a Silver.

Please let us know how it turns out.

This is much worse now than it has been in years past. I doubt Gold and up have noticed but as Silver there are some flights that have Zero E+ at 24 hours.

There are also some flights, especially hub-hub, that don't have E+ seats for days, sometimes even a couple of weeks or more in advance, no matter your status.

This is going to be very route/time dependent.

True... which is why it doesn't hurt to check in at T-24, and then check again before you head to the airport, and then at the airport if you're still SOL. Seats open up due to upgrade activity, connection issues for fellow pax, etc.

Snagged an exit row window on a flight that wound up taking volunteers this morning this way, and have done this on a few other flights this year.

0/12 on FC upgrades though, and I don't expect this to change!

Personally, I'd take an E- aisle seat over E+ middle.

By the way OP, E+ is not considered an upgrade.