If you wanted an official reply, you could have PMed the Insider and requested permission to post the response.

Everything on FT is part fact, part speculation, part opinion. In aggregate, I think we do better collecting pieces of data rather than thwarting discussion. If we only worked off "official response," we wouldn't get very far. As you can see, there has been no official response as of yet.


Did you ask for auto-checkin for return? If so, then that could explain it if you weren't upgraded on the return.

Last week on EWR to MCO, my daughter(no status) and I (Premier Platinum) both got upgraded at T-72 on the same PNR. But I just found out that the PNR got split into two automatically when we check in the EWR to MCO flight. Now on the MCO to EWR flight, I got upgraded but my daughter didn't. She is not even on the upgrade list. UA agent told me that the only way to get her upgraded is to add her on the upgrade list at the airport.

This happened to me too except the companion was automatically added even after the split for the return. I wonder what would have happened if when you went to check in for the first flight when it asks you to 'split if you want to upgrade', you said 'no', since you were already upgraded. Would the return process at T-72 if available? Or what if the return was less than 48 hr after the departure, would that also run a T-72 since the reservation wouldn't be split at that point?

My understanding is that the PNR got split at the online check in. I couldn't remember if I said "yes" for if you want to upgrade for the return flight. UA agent told me "yes" would split the PNR. To me it's really confusing and put my companion's elite upgrade at risk.

So, what happens if you say "no" to the question - are both travelers then not on the UG list?

Companion Upgrade Policy Change?!?
 

I had this happen to me today. Both my wife and I got upgraded from mco to ewr on our flight up this past sunday. For the return trip next Monday I saw today that my ticket got upgraded but my wife's didn't bc it was split into 2 reservations.

When I called the global services desk they gave me the upgrade instrument speech about miles or certs.

I told them it was originally booked on the same ticket as one itinerary and the computer split it on the first segment bc the upgrades. . Agent looked it up as saw that I was I fact correct. She apologized and made the upgrade via a Manual process and included the facts in her notes for the reservation. The split issue is a computer issue because it can't split then rejoin the itinerary at a later point in time. The agent apologized because of the computer error and I told her that I understood.

Long story short ... Computers make mistakes. Humans can fix them... And they are honest to point out the flaws which I told her I understood and I wasn't too concerned worried about it cause its happened to me before.

Winning?????

That doesn't smell like a mistake. More like that the machine did exactly what it was instructed to do.

A few customers will complain and have the issue fixed the first few times, then the status quo sinks into oblivion and "has always been like that".

Customers can be as easily fixed as non-op software can.

Well it works for me each time it happens. The computer splits it out and can't reconnect it. It was all booked on the same itinerary using my mileage plus number. . I'm not sure why it would purposely do it nor so I really care. The agent saw it and noticed the fact that it upgraded her the first time and said it shouldn't not upgrade her the second time. If it is a computer mistake then they need to fix it. Otherwise I view my wife as my companion all the time.

From my point of view it is pretty black and white. If you upgrade one person...you upgrade the other.

Ok---having read through the posts in this thread it is clearly pretty screwed up with no consistency. I dunno what to expect other than the fact that me talking to the gs desk works for me.

Out of curiosity---was this brought up as the mega do in Chicago ? I don't have kids right now....but if I got separated from a minor because of it and something screwy happened to the minor in an inappropriate way ....it seems like a class action suit waiting to happen.

Not even thinking about my wife here....more the single parent with their child/children on a long flight with the child sitting next to a complete stranger.

Here's my situation. My daughter (no status) and myself (plat) were on the same pnr from lax to fll (via IAH). We both got an upgrade on the first leg via cpu but not the second leg. I think i must have clicked yes on the" add me to upgrade list" on check in which then split our pnrs. I kicked myself for making this mistake. On the way back I got upgraded on both legs via cpu. But to my surprise when I checked my daughter in she was added to the upgrade list! I'm confused...........!
I'm assuming that if I had clicked no then our pnr would be marked for "no upgrade" for the rest of our trip- I've had this happen before! But by clicking yes why didn't she get a cpu like I did? I think the only way to maximize the upgrade possibilities would be to book 2 one way tickets.

Well your wife got lucky and the res agent was WRONG! The way that it's supposed to work is that the companion can be added to the upgrade list 2 hours before the flight @ the airport. The companion is supposed to carry the same status as the person supporting the CPU, once that person gets added to the list, and this has always been the case with our son. Split records are only done because the person with the status got an upgrade and the other non-status person did not and MUST wait!

Additional --- There have been times when my non-status son did get upgraded at the same time as me 96 hours prior to departure, but if I am the only one that gets moved up he MUST wait until we get to the airport to even get his name on the list.

Anyway that's the way it's supposed to go down!!!

From UA https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con.../upgrades.aspx

Companion policy

One companion traveling on a paid ticket on the same reservation as a Premier member is eligible for Complimentary Premier Upgrades on select flights, and may be confirmed with the same priority as the Premier member, even on the day of departure. If the companion is a Premier member, the upgrade will be processed according to the highest Premier status level in the reservation.

If a reservation includes three or more travelers, and only one is not a Premier member, the Complimentary Premier Upgrades will be processed according to the lowest Premier status level in the reservation. If two or more travelers on the reservation are not Premier members, it will not be processed automatically. In these cases, Premier members should call the Premier Priority Desk to request a separate reservation for themselves and the eligible companion.

The was the PMCO approach -- as others have posted the stated policy now is different but as others have related the state policy does not seem to be fully implemented.

So back to my original point in case......the tickets were originally on one itinerary. If it was not split by a computer, it would remain on the same itinerary.

"I told them it was originally booked on the same ticket as one itinerary and the computer split it on the first segment bc the upgrades. Agent looked it up as saw that I was I fact correct. She apologized and made the upgrade via a Manual process and included the facts in her notes for the reservation. The split issue is a computer issue because it can't split then rejoin the itinerary at a later point in time. The agent apologized because of the computer error and I told her that I understood. "


The old PMCO companion policy was complete BS and made it very difficult if you had a companion because you literally had to be at the airport if the upgrade certificate or miles didn't clear. Imagine husband and wife that are delayed on a connection because of weather or mechanical and only make it to the connecting gate right at the time of departure. You're automatically SOL if they make you add the companion at the departure gate where the updgrade would be used because you would be the last one there...and then be put to the bottom of the list and/or upgrades would have already cleared at boarding.

Companion Upgrade Policy Change?!?
 

The splits make me very unhappy and annoyed that every UA rep. GA, 1K, or CS at the airport gives a different answer/excuse in why it's out of their control and that my companion is out of luck.

Former CO Platinum. I thought I knew what I was doing!
 

I have the flip side of this. I followed the old CO formula and made separate PNRs. I made one for myself, and then I put my sister and brother on a separate PNR. They don't have Elite Status. Now it looks like I should've had one separate PNR for my brother and one for my sister and me on the other PNR.

I am flying to MCO from EWR this Saturday. Should I ask to change the PNRs to reflect 2 people on mine and 1 person flying separately?

I am completely confused. I am 2P and traveling with a MP (no status) friend on the same PNR. It's a one way ticket, so in this instance I am not worried about return. What do I want to select when I check us in via OLCI?

[QUOTE=ROBEAR;19733151]So back to my original point in case......the tickets were originally on one itinerary. If it was not split by a computer, it would remain on the same itinerary.
[QUOTE]

But that's the way it works and upon the return, the companion is a few people behind you, because they (rightly so) are behind others in the same Premier level. On the outbound, they're (not as rightly so) right behind you.

Yes, the policy isn't clear on the website, and it makes no sense to split the itinerary, but it does, and the upgrades still do process as I noted above.

Don't bother - can't be done.

In the future, always book together (E+ seating, baggage, etc) and split yourself and one person off the original reservation.

On my single experience of clicking no and the records stay together, the do not upgrade notation affects the airport waitlist only, not CPU. In my case, wife and I were upgraded on the first return together when we selected no on the outbound. For the connection, there were no R seats available in our window, and were not added to the standby list, and it took an airport CS agent 15 minutes and a call to the help desk to actually get us on the list.

Thanks for the clarification. It's backwards. No it's upside down and backwards. Next time I'll follow your advice.

Book One-way reservations and the split problem may be avoided?

How to Split an Award Reservation
 

>>In the future, always book together (E+ seating, baggage, etc) and split yourself and one person off the original reservation.<<

Regarding the above advice, I assume this applies to paid tickets -- my question, which I didn't find via search, is how I should split an existing award reservation with three passengers -- me (1K), spouse (GM), and son (GM)? I also have the United Explorer card, and have received upgrades this year on other award reservations, which is specifically why I'm asking the question.

Thanks in advance.

I've got a little more experience with this under my belt, and if you book 1-way trips the system works pretty well with companions (if you're willing to split up if necessary). As I've travelled with my family (2 1Ks and 2 silvers, with the record split in 2 with 1 1K and 1 silver on each), it does seem like if there aren't enough seats to process both of you, you are not passed over. For instance, I've had 1 rez clear in advance, and the other rez become 1 and 2 on the 24-hour standby list. Within the 24 hour window, I've also had pax 3 (the second 1K member) clear without pax 4 clearing.

By the rules: You by yourself. That is because companions on award tickets are not CPU eligible.

In reality: You and either the son or wife. The system isn't good enough to catch this yet.

In true reality: Getting CPUs on award tickets is normally a very futile approach.

I think this may be my strategy going forward.

My latest data point for the thread:

Myself (Gold) and my wife (Silver) on a YYT-EWR-IAH-DFW R/T. Checked in online at T-24, declined the split.

No CPUs for the outbound; did not appear on any upgrade lists since I declined the split.

Received one CPU for the return (DFW-IAH at T-24); did not appear on any upgrade lists since I declined the split. The computer remembered that I had declined on the outbound leg and did not ask me again when I checked in for the return.

This was our first trip together with both of us having status. For those that have done this before, does the computer split your reservation even if you are both eligible for the CPU waitlist at the airport, or is it capable of leaving you both on the same PNR and adding you to the upgrade list correctly?

Wife (silver) and I (platinum) got CPU cleared at T-48 on IAH-LAS. Declined split at check in. At T-24 on return flight, since CPU wasn't cleared until auto check in was kicked in, we were not even added onto standby upgrade list. I somehow thought we should have been added automatically but this must be the outcome of not splitting.

Changed strategy on our next trip, IAH-MSY, First was full anyway on the outbound so i decided to split at check in, which got my CPU cleared on the return flight at T-48 but wife's CPU was never cleared. Called premier line at T-24 to SDC both of us to an earlier flight, the agent was so kind to go ahead and secure the upgrade (R=1) for me which i don't think this is allowed per the policy as I was supposed to go back to the standby upgrade list, and even though our PNR was already split, she was able to allow both of us to SDC without fee (using my status).

Companion Upgrade Policy Change?!?
 

To clarify, there is no CPU list at the airport. That is the upgrade standby waitlist, and how you would clear if it goes to the gate. CPU is the automated upgrade system that works automatically and is independent of the airport waitlist. CPU works up until ~3 hours prior to flight, and if you check in prior to this time and add yourself to the airport list, you can still be cleared from CPU - happened to me quite a few times.

To respond to the saying no to splitting at check in, it's my experience that if you say no to the outbound, you will not be asked again for the return check in and will not be added to the airport waitlist without a very good agent doing it for you. However, you will still be cleared beforehand as CPU if available at the window or on a later sweep.

So, even if my wife and I clear before the outbound flight - by checking "do not split" there is no chance for us clearing on the return flight? How goofy.

Is there a way to check-in (perhaps at the airport using an agent) to keep us both on the same PNR and eligible for CPUs?

my experience has been that companion upgrades occur more often if we split.

From memory I have not had a companion since 3/3 and wondering if this is typical..
Flying SJC-IAH and at T-96 its R9 and shortly after its R5 and from the seatmaps it appears quite a few people went from Y to F
Is this companion preventing us from being upgraded?

IME, if you click no on the outbound, you can still be upgraded together via CPU on the return, but will not be added to the airport upgrade list automatically. Getting them to force you on it could take a while, and IME, can only be done at the origin of the specific segment - I.e. for a connection, can only be done at connecting point.

I'd like to know the answer to your second question in regards to the airport upgrade standby list.

I read on another post which claimed that splitting the PNR when asked will enable both passengers (elite and general member) to be wait listed at the elite member's status. Apparently this can be done by getting the GA to attach the elite status to the general member.

Does this sound correct? Do I just ask the GA at check-in to do it? I don't mind having the PNR split if my companion gets my status.

My wife & I are both 1K's and Lil-Lil Abner gets added w/i the T-2 window in the Club! He appears on the list where either of us would normally appear. (pretty high up)!

Split PNR Question
 

So I generally fly alone but tomorrow my wife and I are headed off on a trip.

When I had requested the companion upgrade I didn't realize that it would split the PNR, even though she was my companion.

Why would it need to do that? Now I'm 1 on the list and she's 4.

Sorry if this one's been asked and I missed it. What happens if mr. eerickso and I are on the same PNR and I say no to splitting, and there are sufficient seats in F but there are not two seats together. Will the seats go to the solo travelers (or those with split PNRs) on the list and skip us even if we're higher on the list? TIA.

If your CPU (for you and your companion) has not been cleared prior to check in and you say NO to split at check in, you automatically waive your chance to be added to airport standby upgrade list as far as I understand how this works. If there are a few F seats left at check in and you are high up on the list, you and your comapnion will pretty stay close together on top, thus increase the chance of getting the seats. On the return flight, your CPU will likely be cleared and he will be added to standby upgrade list as your companion (thus your status) at check in.

Wow! That's directly opposite to what the phone agent told me when I asked. :td: (Why doesn't that surprise me?)

Thanks for the info.

How can I get the phone number auto recognition to work?

I'd be interested if there's a trick to this, too. PMUA it recognized me, and also post merger for a week or two. But not since then.

Don't want to hijack this thread so I'm starting a new one. :)