Some have reported they believe their calls have rolled to standard "Premier Desk" agents. However in hundreds of calls over my seven years of GS, I can't ever remember having an agent who didn't greet me as "Global Services, this is XXXX," nor provide good to excellent service. Some agents tend to be more stickler for the rules, and others just make it happen if they can.

I tried searching everywhere for this to no avail. What time do the GS lobbies at ORD, SFO, and EWR open?

I'm connecting through EWR after a flight from DEL in a couple weeks and am curious if it will be open that early (around 4:45am).

Depends on how good your travel agent is. We have in-house travel agents and I book my UA flights mostly through them primarily because we get a company-wide 5% discount on all UA fares so long as it is booked through our in-house travel dept. They are familiar with GS benefits, etc. and will typically call directly on my behalf to handle any particular issues like applying immediate upgrades, converting fare codes, etc. to finalize the reservation. I will explain what I need and 95% of the time they are able to handle it without my having to call the GS desk directly. But you have to entrust them with our PIN (they keep in my internal profile).

Don't know the answer to your general question, but as to the specific, the EWR lobby is open for the DEL onward connection. I connected on this route 40+ times over the past two years.

On day of departure of international flight, who has higher priority at airport?

GM waitlisted under GS GPU or

1K waitlisted under 1K GPU? :confused:

Assuming PN=0=R.

Question about EWR:

Have they realigned the TSA lanes outside of the GS entrance? Used to be that, after exiting GS space, you joined Premier line. Today it was clearly not Premier and I was handed one of those "You Do Not Have To Take Your Belt Off" cards. Crowd was right out of final scenes of The TITANIC!

They moved the Precheck lanes to C2 for the next few weeks. All GS with precheck can go right to C2 instead but they have that lame system where you queue on Level 2 first.

The new (temp) precheck lanes does utilize the new auto bin lanes though. Used one for the first time a few days ago and was actually pretty nice and pretty fast.

thanks

There were 16 GS on today's ORD-FRA 944. Was a bit surprised to not see any GS reps in sight considering the flight had a 2 hour delay and would have expected some to have missed connections. Maybe they were all tied up with the NRT flights mess.

That is stunning

I was wondering if anyone based out of SFO uses the GS Reception in Terminal 3 for international flights. Does this work efficiently to check in with baggage and then head over to the international terminal from 3? Or do you find it better to go directly to the international terminal to check in there?

I always check in at the Global Reception for International flights and walk to the G pier -- you never wait for an agent, get good predictable service, jump to the front of the security line, have a reliable PreCheck experience. It's hit or miss on all of the above at the Int'l Terminal, and given the size of Int'l Term the walk from domestic doesn't feel much farther.

GS Downgrades for 2017
 

I'd like to get everyone's input on the downgrades that are hitting the GS program. So far, It's:

1. Elimination of GS check-in lines
2. Elimination of GS/First Lounges and intro of the Polaris lounge
3. Potential elimination of GS pre-boarding (like other GS's on FT, I've been told this in GRU multiple times but the GS reps deny it will happen at the moment)
4. Significantly longer hold times (I waited 5-10 minutes yesterday to talk to a rep which is consistent with a few other posts. I'm hopeful that the grumpiness of her attitude was a one time event...but notably that was rare last year. The GS reps are almost universally fantastic.)

Please post any other changes that you are experiencing.

It's seems clear to me that this is all designed to placate the 1Ks. They make up the bulk of UA's revenue so they are getting bump in their benefits package at the expense of the GS's. Even GS signage is being wholesale eliminated with 1K is replacing it. Seems odd to have an airline downgrade it's most valuable fliers.

Hold times yesterday not surprising with weather issues, plus this is January, where there are some extra GS as it's the overlap month between program years. I called re wx reaccommodation, hold less than 30 seconds which was nice.

Regarding GRU, could this be because most often it's bus service to the plane or are you seeing this when/if a plane is on the jetway for boarding?