Feb 6, 2024, 11:37 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread, the active thread is Using PlusPoints on NH / ANA
Upgrading on flights operated by ANA
Multiple reports Z works also contrary to the above. Don't ask, just do it (for now), since at least 2022
Each NH/ANA segment requires an unique GPU. A a single GPU can not be used for two ANA segment nor for a connecting UA segment
Summary of Practical Advice from this thread:
* If you have bought a ticket from United (e.g., cause you want PQDs), you likely have UA codeshares of NH-operated flights. However, only NH-ticketed flights can have upgrades requested. When you have these flights, you need to call United (e.g., the 1K desk) and tell them you want to use GPUs on this itinerary. What they will do is modify your ticket so that the codeshares are replaced with the native flight numbers. This takes 10-15 minutes. You will still need to separately request the upgrades using the United GPU request form (link below) for LH/ANA flights.
* The web form will ask for information from your ticket. You will need to enter the NH flight numbers. Also it will ask for your confirmation code and can use the United-issued confirmation code (not the NH confirmation code)
* You should be able to verify in advance whether the upgrade is going to clear based on NH inventory. I class is for Y->J upgrades and O class is for J->F. These are also the business and first 'saver' award buckets, and can be estimated by doing phantom bookings of award travel for the same flights. If saver awards are showing up the classes should be available.Expertflyer and other sites can also show the availability.
* The T&Cs suggest that you cannot request upgrades until 8 weeks before the flight, but various flyertalkers have confirmed upgrades beyond the 8 week window.
* If your upgrade is not confirmed, you can keep trying before the flight. Waitlisting is now an option (for NH/ANA)
* There seems to be mixed opinion on whether O and I class inventory is put back into the system as the flight gets closer, but several have reported finding inventory show up 2-3 weeks before the flight.
* Fare mapping from ANA to UA:
J/C/D/Y/B = J/C/D/Y/B
G/E = O/A
Below are various T&Cs from United relevant to the applicability of fares, etc, copied from the website.
Upgrading on flights operated by ANA
PlusPoints can be used on flights operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA) for one-segment, one-cabin upgrades on any multi-cabin international flight operated by ANA and marketed by ANA or United. Upgrades are subject to availability and valid for paid, published fares only. The following ANA fare classes are eligible for PlusPoints upgrades: B, C, D, E, G, J, M, U and Y. PlusPoints can’t be used to upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy on ANA-operated flights. Please see the terms and conditions below for specific eligibility rules.
The PlusPoints upgrade system with NH/LH appears to be a slightly modified version of the star alliance upgrade award system (using PP instead of miles obviously). Given Z is a valid booking code on NH for a SAUA, not really surprising if there was an oversight in adapting the system to work for PlusPoints upgrades and someone forgot to either add Z-fare being allowed in the official T&C, or forgot to take Z-fares out when the upgrade request system validates the booking code.
Each NH/ANA segment requires an unique GPU. A a single GPU can not be used for two ANA segment nor for a connecting UA segment
Summary of Practical Advice from this thread:
* If you have bought a ticket from United (e.g., cause you want PQDs), you likely have UA codeshares of NH-operated flights. However, only NH-ticketed flights can have upgrades requested. When you have these flights, you need to call United (e.g., the 1K desk) and tell them you want to use GPUs on this itinerary. What they will do is modify your ticket so that the codeshares are replaced with the native flight numbers. This takes 10-15 minutes. You will still need to separately request the upgrades using the United GPU request form (link below) for LH/ANA flights.
* The web form will ask for information from your ticket. You will need to enter the NH flight numbers. Also it will ask for your confirmation code and can use the United-issued confirmation code (not the NH confirmation code)
* You should be able to verify in advance whether the upgrade is going to clear based on NH inventory. I class is for Y->J upgrades and O class is for J->F. These are also the business and first 'saver' award buckets, and can be estimated by doing phantom bookings of award travel for the same flights. If saver awards are showing up the classes should be available.
* The T&Cs suggest that you cannot request upgrades until 8 weeks before the flight, but various flyertalkers have confirmed upgrades beyond the 8 week window.
* If your upgrade is not confirmed, you can keep trying before the flight. Waitlisting is now an option (for NH/ANA)
* There seems to be mixed opinion on whether O and I class inventory is put back into the system as the flight gets closer, but several have reported finding inventory show up 2-3 weeks before the flight.
* Fare mapping from ANA to UA:
J/C/D/Y/B = J/C/D/Y/B
G/E = O/A
Below are various T&Cs from United relevant to the applicability of fares, etc, copied from the website.
updated May 2023
- Upgrades are valid only on ANA.
- Requests for upgrades can be made after you have purchased your ticket. Upgrades can be requested until 24 hours prior to departure. Your MileagePlus account number and password are required to complete the request.
- PlusPoints upgrades may not be requested when you travel on industry discount, agency discount, deeply discounted promotional tickets, award tickets using miles, or tickets purchased on websites where you don’t know the exact flight itinerary or airline until after you’ve paid for the ticket.
- ANA may impose blackout periods where upgrades are not permitted.
- You may request PlusPoints upgrades for up to four people traveling on the same reservation. The amount of PlusPoints required is listed per passenger for each itinerary and deducted at time of request; to upgrade additional people, you’ll need to use additional PlusPoints. (If the reservation has more than four travelers, you will need to call the operating carrier.) You do not need to be traveling with the passengers to request the upgrades and you can request upgrades for travelers with a different last name than yours.
- While you can only request upgrades for one segment at a time, you may upgrade more than one eligible segment on the itinerary.
- Double upgrades from Economy to First are not permitted on three-cabin aircraft.
- Standby is not permitted, but waitlisting is permitted. Waitlisting is now an option (for NH/ANA)
- An upgrade may be confirmed within eight weeks of departure, if a seat is available.
- Mileage accrual is based on the original ticketed booking class, not the upgraded class of service.
- Requests for seat assignments, special meals and amenities should be made directly with the operating carrier.
- If you wish to make changes or cancel your PlusPoints upgrade request, please contact ANA.
- If an ANA segment of your itinerary is canceled, the upgrade request for that segment will also be automatically canceled. Your PlusPoints will be automatically redeposited 24 to 48 hours after the cancellation.
- PlusPoints upgrades are not available through general selling agents.
How to request
Once the ticket has been issued, requests can be made online through the Global Premier Upgrade on ANA or Lufthansa request page. You can make upgrade requests for ANA-operated flights beginning eight weeks before departure until up to 24 hours before departure. You can make upgrade requests for Lufthansa-operated flights beginning 331 days before departure until up to 10 hours before departure.
You may request Global Premier Upgrades for up to four people traveling on the same reservation. You will need one Global Premier Upgrade for each traveler. (If the reservation has more than four travelers, you will need to call ANA or Lufthansa.) You do not need to be traveling with the passengers to request the upgrades and you can request upgrades for travelers with a different last name than yours. While you can only request upgrades for one segment at a time, you may upgrade more than one eligible segment on the itinerary.
If upgrade space is available at the time of the request and the requester chooses to confirm the upgrade, United will automatically deduct Global Premier Upgrades from the requester's MileagePlus account.
How to request for codeshare flights
If you are traveling on an ANA- or Lufthansa-operated codeshare flight with a United flight number, upgrades may be available and can be requested by calling 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) within the U.S. and Canada, elsewhere call your local United Customer Contact Center.
Once the ticket has been issued, requests can be made online through the Global Premier Upgrade on ANA or Lufthansa request page. You can make upgrade requests for ANA-operated flights beginning eight weeks before departure until up to 24 hours before departure. You can make upgrade requests for Lufthansa-operated flights beginning 331 days before departure until up to 10 hours before departure.
You may request Global Premier Upgrades for up to four people traveling on the same reservation. You will need one Global Premier Upgrade for each traveler. (If the reservation has more than four travelers, you will need to call ANA or Lufthansa.) You do not need to be traveling with the passengers to request the upgrades and you can request upgrades for travelers with a different last name than yours. While you can only request upgrades for one segment at a time, you may upgrade more than one eligible segment on the itinerary.
If upgrade space is available at the time of the request and the requester chooses to confirm the upgrade, United will automatically deduct Global Premier Upgrades from the requester's MileagePlus account.
How to request for codeshare flights
If you are traveling on an ANA- or Lufthansa-operated codeshare flight with a United flight number, upgrades may be available and can be requested by calling 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) within the U.S. and Canada, elsewhere call your local United Customer Contact Center.
Using PlusPoints on NH / ANA {Archive}
May 21, 2018, 3:15 pm
#151
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
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Posts: 6,924
Now I hope I still get PQM/RDM crédit per the UA tables.
May 21, 2018, 8:02 pm
#152
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Jun 10, 2018, 6:13 am
#153
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
I know officially Z isn't an upgradable class, but I also know on the LH side, there's been some ... oddities of late. In that vein, has anyone been able to upgrade a Z fare with a GPU recently?
Jun 10, 2018, 7:23 am
#154
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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you can IME upgrade with miles but not with a GPU. The change with P/Z for LH came from the LH side, not from UA ... no impact in NH.
Jun 10, 2018, 7:28 am
#155
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Posts: 6,924
Jun 12, 2018, 9:44 pm
#156
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
Kind of following up on this - looking at another flight, this time NRT-LAX/SFO. Both LAX flights are F7, SFO is F6. No O space on either. Still a month out. Would either of the two have better chances of space opening (esp considering two flights to LAX), or coin toss at this point?
Jul 10, 2018, 5:10 am
#157
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
Ok, so bad lessons learned from an incompetent TA.
1) If you have outbound and return on NH, both confirmed with GPUs, and you need to make a change to your return ... you must cancel ALL GPUs and you’ll probably not get the space back. I cancelled only the return, changed the flight and now my outbound lost the upgrade and NH cancelled it and the GPU is stuck in limbo and there’s no more O space.
2) when this happens, your reservation is screwed. I have a return that has O space, but it won’t upgrade - gives “error 118” online. 1K desk can’t figure it out, bounces me to Web support, who also has no idea. C booking class, NH coded, theoretically no problems ...
3) therefore DO NOT TOUCH YOUR TICKET if you don’t want to lose your seat.
All in all, horrible experience. Really disappointed, though not sure in who (besides my stupid TA).
It’s also incredibly frustrating that nobody really cares outside of frequent flyer circles - “oh you can’t fly in first. umm ... so what’s the problem exactly?...”. Sigh.
1) If you have outbound and return on NH, both confirmed with GPUs, and you need to make a change to your return ... you must cancel ALL GPUs and you’ll probably not get the space back. I cancelled only the return, changed the flight and now my outbound lost the upgrade and NH cancelled it and the GPU is stuck in limbo and there’s no more O space.
2) when this happens, your reservation is screwed. I have a return that has O space, but it won’t upgrade - gives “error 118” online. 1K desk can’t figure it out, bounces me to Web support, who also has no idea. C booking class, NH coded, theoretically no problems ...
3) therefore DO NOT TOUCH YOUR TICKET if you don’t want to lose your seat.
All in all, horrible experience. Really disappointed, though not sure in who (besides my stupid TA).
It’s also incredibly frustrating that nobody really cares outside of frequent flyer circles - “oh you can’t fly in first. umm ... so what’s the problem exactly?...”. Sigh.
Aug 16, 2018, 12:57 pm
#158
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Chicago
Programs: UNITED 1K, THAI ROP GOLD, Marriott PLAT, Hilton Gold
Posts: 95
GPU UPGRADE ON UA to ANA
I read somewhere that we can use a GPU on partner airlines. I planning a ORD-IAH-NRT-BKK with NRT-BKK on NH. I remember reading somewhere that there was a way to get the NH portion upgradable using the GPU. Whats the procedure to do this?
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Aug 16, 2018 at 1:23 pm Reason: merged into master thread
Aug 16, 2018, 1:22 pm
#159
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Posts: 66,856
the upgrade link and there is no waitlisting. See the wiki for more details
Aug 23, 2018, 8:05 pm
#160
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Boston
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, United Global Services/1MM
Posts: 630
Hi All-
I'm hoping that someone can provide some insight or advice on this fairly soon as I have to make a ticketing decision in the next day or so. I've done a number of LH GPU upgrades over the years, but have never done one on NH. I need to decide if I should roll the dice on the GPUs clearing, or booking on UA flights in the Polaris seats.
The situation is that I am doing a BOS-HKG/PEK-BOS roundtrip in a couple of weeks and I'm looking to use GPU's to upgrade C->F on the long haul segments. I've tried calling the 1k line as well as NH's US customer service line and neither could give me any useful info, and I have read the entire thread.
I don't have EF, so I can't see the exact fare buckets, and all NH can tell me is that the flights don't have mileage upgrade space available. My plan is to book the NH ticket in a combination of C & D fares and apply GPUs for the long segments.
The fundamental question is assuming that the GPUs won't clear immediately, what's the likelihood of them opening up additional space before the flight. Or, will NH fly the cabin partially full instead?
The best, but flawed, view that I have at this point is that both the IAD-NRT (NH1 9/13) and NRT-JFK (NH10 9/21) have 2 of 8 seats booked according the seat selection page. If anyone has EF and can lend more detail that would be great, but ultimately, I'm looking for any perspective or advice on if you think this has a shot of working or if it likely a no-go.
Thanks!
I'm hoping that someone can provide some insight or advice on this fairly soon as I have to make a ticketing decision in the next day or so. I've done a number of LH GPU upgrades over the years, but have never done one on NH. I need to decide if I should roll the dice on the GPUs clearing, or booking on UA flights in the Polaris seats.
The situation is that I am doing a BOS-HKG/PEK-BOS roundtrip in a couple of weeks and I'm looking to use GPU's to upgrade C->F on the long haul segments. I've tried calling the 1k line as well as NH's US customer service line and neither could give me any useful info, and I have read the entire thread.
I don't have EF, so I can't see the exact fare buckets, and all NH can tell me is that the flights don't have mileage upgrade space available. My plan is to book the NH ticket in a combination of C & D fares and apply GPUs for the long segments.
The fundamental question is assuming that the GPUs won't clear immediately, what's the likelihood of them opening up additional space before the flight. Or, will NH fly the cabin partially full instead?
The best, but flawed, view that I have at this point is that both the IAD-NRT (NH1 9/13) and NRT-JFK (NH10 9/21) have 2 of 8 seats booked according the seat selection page. If anyone has EF and can lend more detail that would be great, but ultimately, I'm looking for any perspective or advice on if you think this has a shot of working or if it likely a no-go.
Thanks!
Aug 23, 2018, 8:14 pm
#161
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
Hi All-
I'm hoping that someone can provide some insight or advice on this fairly soon as I have to make a ticketing decision in the next day or so. I've done a number of LH GPU upgrades over the years, but have never done one on NH. I need to decide if I should roll the dice on the GPUs clearing, or booking on UA flights in the Polaris seats.
The situation is that I am doing a BOS-HKG/PEK-BOS roundtrip in a couple of weeks and I'm looking to use GPU's to upgrade C->F on the long haul segments. I've tried calling the 1k line as well as NH's US customer service line and neither could give me any useful info, and I have read the entire thread.
I don't have EF, so I can't see the exact fare buckets, and all NH can tell me is that the flights don't have mileage upgrade space available. My plan is to book the NH ticket in a combination of C & D fares and apply GPUs for the long segments.
The fundamental question is assuming that the GPUs won't clear immediately, what's the likelihood of them opening up additional space before the flight. Or, will NH fly the cabin partially full instead?
The best, but flawed, view that I have at this point is that both the IAD-NRT (NH1 9/13) and NRT-JFK (NH10 9/21) have 2 of 8 seats booked according the seat selection page. If anyone has EF and can lend more detail that would be great, but ultimately, I'm looking for any perspective or advice on if you think this has a shot of working or if it likely a no-go.
Thanks!
I'm hoping that someone can provide some insight or advice on this fairly soon as I have to make a ticketing decision in the next day or so. I've done a number of LH GPU upgrades over the years, but have never done one on NH. I need to decide if I should roll the dice on the GPUs clearing, or booking on UA flights in the Polaris seats.
The situation is that I am doing a BOS-HKG/PEK-BOS roundtrip in a couple of weeks and I'm looking to use GPU's to upgrade C->F on the long haul segments. I've tried calling the 1k line as well as NH's US customer service line and neither could give me any useful info, and I have read the entire thread.
I don't have EF, so I can't see the exact fare buckets, and all NH can tell me is that the flights don't have mileage upgrade space available. My plan is to book the NH ticket in a combination of C & D fares and apply GPUs for the long segments.
The fundamental question is assuming that the GPUs won't clear immediately, what's the likelihood of them opening up additional space before the flight. Or, will NH fly the cabin partially full instead?
The best, but flawed, view that I have at this point is that both the IAD-NRT (NH1 9/13) and NRT-JFK (NH10 9/21) have 2 of 8 seats booked according the seat selection page. If anyone has EF and can lend more detail that would be great, but ultimately, I'm looking for any perspective or advice on if you think this has a shot of working or if it likely a no-go.
Thanks!
1. The first check you should do is standard O space (i.e. go to United, run a search for First award availability). If available, you're good to go, it WILL clear. (must be booked as a NH flight #, so if it's a 016 ticket with a UA codeshare, you need to call 1K and they will flip it to an NH flight after ticketing).
2. If no O space, then it gets more complicated. An F8 flight may never open space because they seem to not want to carry a single award passenger. F7->F5 has a fairly decent chance at opening about 2 weeks before flight. If you do not see space 2 weeks prior, I'd start writing that route off.
3. The more popular routes tend to a bit less likely to have space. The morning LAX-NRT flights, the afternoon ORD-NRT flight are a bit more popular for revenue, so I've seen them come up a bit less often. SFO, the midnight LAX flight, JFK, IAH flights are quite frequently there.
4. Ultimately, the best indicator is space. If the flight is currently F3 and it's a month out, don't book on it, I'd say chances are VERY low. If it's F5, it could literally go either way. If it's F6-F7, I'd probably tend to book on it as I would feel somewhat comfortable rolling the dice.
Be careful though! Once you have applied a GPU, you CANNOT MAKE CHANGES TO THE TICKET. You WILL lose all confirmed onwards GPUs (so, return flight, in this case), and since O space never returns, you will NOT be able to get it back. Trust my experience on this. Lol.
How close in can you book? If you're able to, wait until about the 3 or 2-week window, because you can always route through one of the gateways if you see space, rather than committing to one and having no way to change if you're on the losing end of the bet.
[edit] the flights you mention are F5 for IAD-NRT and F3 for NRT-JFK. I'd feel comfortable with the former, but not so good with the latter. That day's HND-JFK is F6 so it _might_ be a better option, and NRT-IAH is F5, so seem like better options.
Btw, ultimately, the NH J seat is still worlds beyond Polaris, so I wouldn't feel too bad if it didn't clear.
Aug 23, 2018, 8:28 pm
#162
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Boston
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, United Global Services/1MM
Posts: 630
Here's my non-scientific research on the subject based on a few NH GPUs I've been applying over the last few months.
1. The first check you should do is standard O space (i.e. go to United, run a search for First award availability). If available, you're good to go, it WILL clear. (must be booked as a NH flight #, so if it's a 016 ticket with a UA codeshare, you need to call 1K and they will flip it to an NH flight after ticketing).
2. If no O space, then it gets more complicated. An F8 flight may never open space because they seem to not want to carry a single award passenger. F7->F5 has a fairly decent chance at opening about 2 weeks before flight. If you do not see space 2 weeks prior, I'd start writing that route off.
3. The more popular routes tend to a bit less likely to have space. The morning LAX-NRT flights, the afternoon ORD-NRT flight are a bit more popular for revenue, so I've seen them come up a bit less often. SFO, the midnight LAX flight, JFK, IAH flights are quite frequently there.
4. Ultimately, the best indicator is space. If the flight is currently F3 and it's a month out, don't book on it, I'd say chances are VERY low. If it's F5, it could literally go either way. If it's F6-F7, I'd probably tend to book on it as I would feel somewhat comfortable rolling the dice.
Be careful though! Once you have applied a GPU, you CANNOT MAKE CHANGES TO THE TICKET. You WILL lose all confirmed onwards GPUs (so, return flight, in this case), and since O space never returns, you will NOT be able to get it back. Trust my experience on this. Lol.
How close in can you book? If you're able to, wait until about the 3 or 2-week window, because you can always route through one of the gateways if you see space, rather than committing to one and having no way to change if you're on the losing end of the bet.
[edit] the flights you mention are F5 for IAD-NRT and F3 for NRT-JFK. I'd feel comfortable with the former, but not so good with the latter. That day's HND-JFK is F6 so it _might_ be a better option, and NRT-IAH is F5, so seem like better options.
Btw, ultimately, the NH J seat is still worlds beyond Polaris, so I wouldn't feel too bad if it didn't clear.
1. The first check you should do is standard O space (i.e. go to United, run a search for First award availability). If available, you're good to go, it WILL clear. (must be booked as a NH flight #, so if it's a 016 ticket with a UA codeshare, you need to call 1K and they will flip it to an NH flight after ticketing).
2. If no O space, then it gets more complicated. An F8 flight may never open space because they seem to not want to carry a single award passenger. F7->F5 has a fairly decent chance at opening about 2 weeks before flight. If you do not see space 2 weeks prior, I'd start writing that route off.
3. The more popular routes tend to a bit less likely to have space. The morning LAX-NRT flights, the afternoon ORD-NRT flight are a bit more popular for revenue, so I've seen them come up a bit less often. SFO, the midnight LAX flight, JFK, IAH flights are quite frequently there.
4. Ultimately, the best indicator is space. If the flight is currently F3 and it's a month out, don't book on it, I'd say chances are VERY low. If it's F5, it could literally go either way. If it's F6-F7, I'd probably tend to book on it as I would feel somewhat comfortable rolling the dice.
Be careful though! Once you have applied a GPU, you CANNOT MAKE CHANGES TO THE TICKET. You WILL lose all confirmed onwards GPUs (so, return flight, in this case), and since O space never returns, you will NOT be able to get it back. Trust my experience on this. Lol.
How close in can you book? If you're able to, wait until about the 3 or 2-week window, because you can always route through one of the gateways if you see space, rather than committing to one and having no way to change if you're on the losing end of the bet.
[edit] the flights you mention are F5 for IAD-NRT and F3 for NRT-JFK. I'd feel comfortable with the former, but not so good with the latter. That day's HND-JFK is F6 so it _might_ be a better option, and NRT-IAH is F5, so seem like better options.
Btw, ultimately, the NH J seat is still worlds beyond Polaris, so I wouldn't feel too bad if it didn't clear.
I agree that the J seat is good. But, I have to decide if the extra connection and the super late (1am) arrival into Boston makes it worth it via UA....
Aug 23, 2018, 8:39 pm
#163
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
I appreciate the quick reply. It would definitely be booked via NH not UA, so that shouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, since I will be leaving from either PVG or PEK, I can't make the HND or IAH connections, so I'm pretty much stuck with JFK. Sounds like its unlikely on that one and a maybe on IAD.
I agree that the J seat is good. But, I have to decide if the extra connection and the super late (1am) arrival into Boston makes it worth it via UA....
I agree that the J seat is good. But, I have to decide if the extra connection and the super late (1am) arrival into Boston makes it worth it via UA....
Aug 23, 2018, 10:37 pm
#164
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: United 1K
Posts: 131
On 2 occasions this year, I tried to apply a GPU for J to F at T-24h, but there was no availability. In both bases, the flight left with empty F seats.
Aug 23, 2018, 10:43 pm
#165
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
There's almost zero chance of a 24h upgrade. You need to book a week or two out, and hope you don't have to make changes, cause you won't be able to as no other space will be available.
There's a reason why NH is a very premium product - they're protective of it, and though it's pretty annoying, I can't say I completely hate the concept.