You are correct. PN does not need to be available. Just book a W or better fare and they will force the UG as long as there is at least one revenue seat available.

So wxguy's post is incorrect? I wish some of this was in writing. How is a regular GS supposed to know any of this? All UA tells you officially is that you can upgrade award tix.

It feels like the top UA status is actually GS-FT.

As long as you book a paid J ticket in any of the J cabin fares (P, Z, D, C, J) for yourself (the GS), you can use any of the methods you listed to get your wife in the same cabin as you. I typically use the two saver award methods the most and find them exceptionally valuable. However, you must be flying United metal!

A note on the previous posters replies, neither IN nor PN need to be available for any of the methods you listed to work.

Forcing the upgrade requires an instrument?

Yes. Either GPU or RPU is still needed for the upgrade.

Companion Award Ticket Booking Status?
 

I just qualified for Global Services in 2107. We have booked my wife a flight using my award miles out of my account from SFO to LHR. Luckily, saver miles on Business/Polaris were available which was a nice surprise. I am not traveling on the outgoing flight, but we are returning together.

The question I have is when she travel herself outbound, what will her boarding pass say? Will it say Global Services sine the flight was booked using my miles? She is a general member with no status. Will she be able to get free bag check and, be able to check in at the GS line it the international SFO counter, or board with GS passengers? I know they extended benefits to companions before even when not traveling together, but I think it changed. Luckily she is in business class so she can board in Group 1 I think, but if we had her booked in economy, would she be in Boarding Group 5?

Thanks!

Members now travel on their own status. She will be treated as a GM, but as a Business Class passenger, will get many of the same benefits that status would normally confer (though no GS benefits).

Short answer is no to all (except if in economy the BG would be 3 or higher). The inheriting of the elites status on award bookings when away just under 2 years ago. I the privilege of GS members on non-accompanied travel to use the GS lounges is also a thing of the past.

The long term solution is once you are a MMers, you can then designate her as your MM companion and she will than have GS status.

Thanks for the clarification. We are lucky this time for getting into a confimed business class. This should give her BG 1 as well as two checked bags for free (even though she may not even check one). If it were economy, since she would fly on her own status, it would be just 1 checked back and the lower BG if I read the policy right. I'm not a MM yet, so I can't extend Gold to her yet unfortunately.

Great info all around. Thanks guys.
Dose a GS still need to purchase W and above fare to be able to apply GPU or RPU for himself?

GPU - yes (international only)
RPU - no

From my experience this is not entirely correct. Method one- the original post said if saver economy is not available a GS agent can open it. This is only true if T space is available. If not, there is no way to book a saver economy and upgrade. I've run into this a few times. However, as stated above, you can always book a companion into saver business. If that inventory is not available they will open it as long as there is at least one seat available for purchase.

It is confusing because a GS agent can always open up saver business for a companion but they cannot always open up saver economy. With the dearth of international FC now I am always seeking ways to use my GPUs before they expire so I an always trying saver Y first to then upgrade.

Waited on hold 10 minutes to speak to a GS agent for an issue I had today. That's the second time this week with a >5 min hold time. I realize this isn't a scientific honestly can't remember the last time I had to wait that long as a 1K.

i understand that the GS agents are specially trained and have special capabilities, but do they not roll over to other agents during peak loads?

Much IRROPS this weekend, due to big storms on both coasts. Plus, many new GSs trying out the service for the first time. An agent told me today that there's a "NEW GS" banner that appears when one calls. [I tied up a great agent for over an hour yesterday, with a very complicated set of award/upgrade tickets. Sorry!]

I figured that was the case but I guess that also means they do not put GS over to other agents if there's a peak load?