Jan 3, 2016, 12:15 pm
Last edit by: wxguy
GS/Global Services is the highest tier of elite status. It is by invitation -- the invite criteria is not public but seems to require substantial annual spending with UA both in terms of absolute dollar amounts and purchasing higher fare classes (higher cpm - cents per mile). There are also reports of GS status being comped by UA Marketing to VIPs in companies who sign corporate travel deals with UA. The sole published way to qualify is to become a 4MM, having flown 4 million BIS miles on UA metal (plus additional grandfathered credits at the time of the UA/CO merger).
GS have significantly enhanced services / benefits over 1Ks. There is little said publicly by UA on GS benefits and/or qualification.
Last years's thread, Consolidated Global Services Thread - Qualifications, Benefits and Q & A [2015]
Thread on qualifying for 2016, Global Services 2016 Notifications (ONLY)
Known facts from United:
Global Services recognizes the extraordinary dedication of our top flyers. We consider a number of factors beyond the usual Premier-qualifying criteria.
We look at your travel spend on United-operated flights relative to that of other top Premier flyers over recent consecutive years.
Usually, members invited to Global Services tend to consistently purchase premium cabins or fully refundable tickets.
Known Award and Upgrade Benefits:
All benefits noted below require calling a GS agent:
GS have significantly enhanced services / benefits over 1Ks. There is little said publicly by UA on GS benefits and/or qualification.
Last years's thread, Consolidated Global Services Thread - Qualifications, Benefits and Q & A [2015]
Thread on qualifying for 2016, Global Services 2016 Notifications (ONLY)
Known facts from United:
Global Services recognizes the extraordinary dedication of our top flyers. We consider a number of factors beyond the usual Premier-qualifying criteria.
We look at your travel spend on United-operated flights relative to that of other top Premier flyers over recent consecutive years.
Usually, members invited to Global Services tend to consistently purchase premium cabins or fully refundable tickets.
Known Award and Upgrade Benefits:
All benefits noted below require calling a GS agent:
- GS can create saver economy award space (XN) if T inventory is available.
- GS can create saver business award space (IN) if R inventory is available.
- GS can upgrade economy awards (XN or YN) into Business First with a GPU if PN inventory is available.
- GS can upgrade business awards (IN or JN) into Global First with a GPU if ON inventory is available.
- GS are entitled to one saver award seat in the same class of service with their purchase of any premium fare. GS agents can open space if it is not available.
- GS can upgrade a companion from coach to biz when flying on a paid biz fare, even if R or PN is not available.
- GS cannot double upgrade. Economy -> PN -> ON is not allowed. *Some reports of TOD being offered at OLCI.
Consolidated Global Services Thread: Benefits, Questions 2016
Oct 7, 2016, 3:58 pm
#751
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, SPG Plat, National EC Executive (Replaced Hertz), Hertz PC (Retired)
Posts: 724
HUCA. Did it yesterday.
Guaranteed you got rolled to a 'green' 1K agent.
Guaranteed you got rolled to a 'green' 1K agent.
Oct 7, 2016, 4:00 pm
#752
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: SEA
Programs: UA AS DL Hyatt SPG/Bonvoy HHonors
Posts: 2,008
Hmmmmmm. I really hope it is not part of the "unanounced" changes that have been identified in other threads (e.g.award space not visible to cc holders). This t>xn benefit has been great. I'm scared to try one of the other GS benefits for fear of the same answer. Anyone seeing issues or is this an uninformed agent?
There has been a system change for pricing award tickets (presumably related to the new restrictive rules) and with the new system the agents are not able to issue tickets at saver prices if the inventory isn't available in the system.
The first agent said she checked with her supervisor and told me the supe said this benefit has ended.
The second agent told me that the system no longer lets her issue saver tickets when she wants to convert T space. But she says that she had a workaround: She would look for a different date when X inventory is available, book that and issue the ticket, and then after it is issued, change the ticket to the date/flight I want. And that is what she did. It resulted in 2 emails, one for the wrong date, and then one for the right date.
It sounds like a bit of a cluster*** and like we will be needing HUCA to get this benefit. Or maybe this will be shortlived, and the benefit really will disappear. Hard to know which it will be.
Oct 7, 2016, 5:55 pm
#753
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,455
I did HUCA and here is what I learned:
There has been a system change for pricing award tickets (presumably related to the new restrictive rules) and with the new system the agents are not able to issue tickets at saver prices if the inventory isn't available in the system.
The first agent said she checked with her supervisor and told me the supe said this benefit has ended.
The second agent told me that the system no longer lets her issue saver tickets when she wants to convert T space. But she says that she had a workaround: She would look for a different date when X inventory is available, book that and issue the ticket, and then after it is issued, change the ticket to the date/flight I want. And that is what she did. It resulted in 2 emails, one for the wrong date, and then one for the right date.
It sounds like a bit of a cluster*** and like we will be needing HUCA to get this benefit. Or maybe this will be shortlived, and the benefit really will disappear. Hard to know which it will be.
There has been a system change for pricing award tickets (presumably related to the new restrictive rules) and with the new system the agents are not able to issue tickets at saver prices if the inventory isn't available in the system.
The first agent said she checked with her supervisor and told me the supe said this benefit has ended.
The second agent told me that the system no longer lets her issue saver tickets when she wants to convert T space. But she says that she had a workaround: She would look for a different date when X inventory is available, book that and issue the ticket, and then after it is issued, change the ticket to the date/flight I want. And that is what she did. It resulted in 2 emails, one for the wrong date, and then one for the right date.
It sounds like a bit of a cluster*** and like we will be needing HUCA to get this benefit. Or maybe this will be shortlived, and the benefit really will disappear. Hard to know which it will be.
Sounds to me like it's on its way out... I think in the last 72 hours i've opened up saver business space, used upgrade certs on multiple award tickets, used the companion saver biz benefit... was starting to think that even at my spend levels the GS bennies have gotten extremely rich. *ducks*
Oct 7, 2016, 6:21 pm
#754
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: ORD
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 659
Sounds to me like it's on its way out... I think in the last 72 hours i've opened up saver business space, used upgrade certs on multiple award tickets, used the companion saver biz benefit... was starting to think that even at my spend levels the GS bennies have gotten extremely rich. *ducks*
Oct 9, 2016, 10:24 am
#755
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 302
Will be extremely pissed if t>xn and r> saver business goes away.
Oct 11, 2016, 3:44 pm
#756
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, SPG Plat, National EC Executive (Replaced Hertz), Hertz PC (Retired)
Posts: 724
Oct 11, 2016, 3:46 pm
#757
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,455
Oct 11, 2016, 4:33 pm
#758
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Lahaina, HI & Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 2,403
Oct 11, 2016, 5:04 pm
#759
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: SEA
Programs: UA AS DL Hyatt SPG/Bonvoy HHonors
Posts: 2,008
Oct 11, 2016, 6:20 pm
#760
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Lahaina, HI & Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 2,403
The new process of converting T>XN is lengthy and extremely time consuming. It took almost 30 minutes. The new procedure requires the GS agent to contact a supervisor and then on to ticketing. Once that was completed, it was an immediate upgrade with GPU to R.
Oct 11, 2016, 7:29 pm
#761
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, SPG Plat, National EC Executive (Replaced Hertz), Hertz PC (Retired)
Posts: 724
It took nearly 30 minutes to apply a GPU to an award ticket today. Seriously painful.
Oct 11, 2016, 8:06 pm
#762
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,264
Oct 11, 2016, 10:28 pm
#763
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Coast USA
Programs: UA GS/4 MM, AA Exec Plat, Lifetime Hilton D, Hyatt G, Marriott Titanium earned Ambassador
Posts: 7,553
I saw N9 inventory and tried to add award leg LAX to SFO on existing ticketed itin. I waited nearly 30 minutes and had to hang up. Two hours later the agent called me from ORD apologizing and adding the segment for 25k points plus $5.60. I passed. 
Oct 11, 2016, 10:55 pm
#764
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,546
N is not active or bookable inventory right now. It's believed that N will be the new "basic economy" fare bucket, but that's not for sale yet. It seems to track to YN, which explains why they were willing to book you an award at the standard (YN) price.
Oct 11, 2016, 10:59 pm
#765
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Northern California
Programs: I want to be free! Free!
Posts: 3,455
Agreed - have applied many upgrades to award tickets and it is not an easy process for the agents. I'd advocate for investing the the united.com functionality to accommodate this (how card can it be given it should really just be customer specific logic?), but I'm worried in doing the math on call center time saved vs site engineering time United would simply decide to save both costs and eliminate the benefit altogether.