Feb 22, 2017, 12:57 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Active thread Consolidated "Waitlist for Award Seats Questions/Issues"
Waitilisting for awards
Click for the current rules from United
Member experiences:
At the airport if you have not yet cleared:
Note: The correct priority term here may in fact be a code that is one of WAI, WBI, WCI, or WDI depending on status. The is per GG ONESTANDBY lines 32-55.
Note: PR-1 status is given to those who "paid" the requisite miles for an upgraded seat (i.e. biz) when only the non-upgraded space (i.e. coach) was available. The PR-1 status is to clue the system (and agents) in so that it is clear that you have been "displaced." (NOTE: once you have obtained PR-1 status, should there be any change to your ticket, e.g., an involuntary reroute by UA due to missing a connection, the PR-1 status will most likely get dropped and you must have it reattached (esp. before any UGs are given to others).
Unfortunately at T-24, many GAs do not get this concept. Use the above to plead your case but be prepared to be unsatisfied. One method that can get you to a higher level of understanding is the UC. Their staff seem to not only have a better understanding of the issues, but they can contact the gate and exert some influence on the less informed GAs, AND they seem to have more of an interest in helping PAX. If you can get into the UC, it will be worth your while.
**Note: If you get the UG on the long haul, the higher level of award miles you are using (like with the GPU) are considered used up regardless of the short haul. You will not be charged the lower level # of miles (i.e. refunded the diff between the lower level and the higher level you paid in advance), rather the higher level award miles will be considered spent. That is the risk you take when you do Plan B.
Waitilisting for awards
Click for the current rules from United
From the above link:You may redeem miles for travel in United Global First, United First, United Business or United BusinessFirst, even if the space is not available. In these cases, United Economy in the same award type must be confirmed, and the front cabin will be waitlisted. If the courtesy waitlist does not clear, it will expire 24 hours before itinerary departure, and you will automatically be added to the airport upgrade standby list upon check-in. In these cases, you will be confirmed on a space-available basis by a United airport representative at the gate once the flight has closed for check-in. For United BusinessFirst and United Business travel awards, the difference in miles will be refunded when the United BusinessFirst or United Business class segment of the trip could not be confirmed. Waitlist requests may only be made over the phone with your local United Customer Contact Center.
- You must have a confirmed segment to wait list for different cabin and/or a different flight.
- Can only waitlist for UA/UX operated flight, cannot waitlist for partner flights. Can waitlist for UA/UX flights on a mixed itin.
- Maximum number of WL segments in a PNR is 2.
- When confirmed segment is on a partner, you can waitlist for UA operated alternative.A report of being refused waitlisting for Economy{mixed reports - need further confirmation/clarification}.
At the airport if you have not yet cleared:
Note: The correct priority term here may in fact be a code that is one of WAI, WBI, WCI, or WDI depending on status. The is per GG ONESTANDBY lines 32-55.
The agent should give you “PR-1 status” which gives you top-priority status and moves you to the very top of the upgrade standby list, ahead of employees and everyone else trying to upgrade with miles+cash. If one agent won’t put you on the list as a displaced Business class passenger with PR-1 status then find another one who will. With this status the odds of you getting a business class are very high if there are still open seats (or if anybody no-shows).
If the agents in the airport are all clueless you should direct them to look
up “gg onestandby” in their system (they’ll know exactly what this is)
and look around lines 85-89 which spell out the details of the procedure for
this award.
If the agents in the airport are all clueless you should direct them to look
up “gg onestandby” in their system (they’ll know exactly what this is)
and look around lines 85-89 which spell out the details of the procedure for
this award.
Unfortunately at T-24, many GAs do not get this concept. Use the above to plead your case but be prepared to be unsatisfied. One method that can get you to a higher level of understanding is the UC. Their staff seem to not only have a better understanding of the issues, but they can contact the gate and exert some influence on the less informed GAs, AND they seem to have more of an interest in helping PAX. If you can get into the UC, it will be worth your while.
**Note: If you get the UG on the long haul, the higher level of award miles you are using (like with the GPU) are considered used up regardless of the short haul. You will not be charged the lower level # of miles (i.e. refunded the diff between the lower level and the higher level you paid in advance), rather the higher level award miles will be considered spent. That is the risk you take when you do Plan B.
Consolidated "Waitlist for Award Seats Questions/Issues [ARCHIVE]
Mar 1, 2014, 9:56 am
#196
Join Date: Jul 2003
Programs: UA1K 3MM, AS MVP 75K Gold
Posts: 2,706
no, E+ is not a separate cabin / class. No refunds if voluntary change of mind. If you don't want to pay for E+ but E- is "booked", book the flight and wait for seat assignment -- you might even get E+ for free. Note some Silvers will move up from E- to E+ @ checkin but disconnects / change of plans will free up E- seats. Additionally UA blocks a few Y seats for disable and families -- so those may free up.
Note in economy --- blocked does not mean booked.
Note in economy --- blocked does not mean booked.
Mar 3, 2014, 9:02 pm
#197
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: JFK
Posts: 255
i'm booked iad-zrh on ua and zrh-tlv on lx in biz. would rather the biz ewr-tlv on ua, there seem to be some available seats but nothing for saver award.
could waitlisting for ewr-tlv work for me? If it opened up, could i then see what is available WAS-EWR or cancel the WAS part completely?
could waitlisting for ewr-tlv work for me? If it opened up, could i then see what is available WAS-EWR or cancel the WAS part completely?
Mar 7, 2014, 11:07 am
#198
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAX
Programs: UA MM | BA Silver
Posts: 7,192
Booked: LAX-ORD-GRU (IN)
Waitlist: LAX-IAH-GIG (IN)
Agent said I couldn't just waitlist for IAH-GIG, wasn't sure if that was true. She also said the waitlist doesn't ever clear and basically doesn't work.
Flight is 8 months away. Fingers crossed.
Waitlist: LAX-IAH-GIG (IN)
Agent said I couldn't just waitlist for IAH-GIG, wasn't sure if that was true. She also said the waitlist doesn't ever clear and basically doesn't work.
Flight is 8 months away. Fingers crossed.
Mar 8, 2014, 5:10 pm
#199
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: ALB
Posts: 41
Devaluation strikes again... almost...
I saw today that one of the domestic segments on an international business award that I had booked (pre-devaluation) in "X" but wait-listed for "I" (no "I" availability at the time) had "I" inventory open up. Not trusting the system to automatically clear them (as it says they will on my reservation on .bomb), I call in to check.
I explain the situation. After a few minutes on hold, I hear the same refrain that I'm getting used to: that this change requires an an additional 40k miles. All the usual arguments (I booked this last year... It's a BF itinerary and I kind of expect BF seats if they are available... You want to charge me a *A penalty for a UA metal flight...) fall on deaf ears. I feign having to go deal with a crying baby to end the call - I don't want to give them the chance to remove the wait-list off the record, in case I get a more sympathetic agent on my next call.
15 minutes later I get an email from United that my wait-listed change has automatically cleared. Double-checked on .bomb - yup, all good.
Usually you need to call an agent to talk your way around restrictions set up in automatic systems. In this case, the agent got torpedoed by the computer. Thanks .bomb!
I saw today that one of the domestic segments on an international business award that I had booked (pre-devaluation) in "X" but wait-listed for "I" (no "I" availability at the time) had "I" inventory open up. Not trusting the system to automatically clear them (as it says they will on my reservation on .bomb), I call in to check.
I explain the situation. After a few minutes on hold, I hear the same refrain that I'm getting used to: that this change requires an an additional 40k miles. All the usual arguments (I booked this last year... It's a BF itinerary and I kind of expect BF seats if they are available... You want to charge me a *A penalty for a UA metal flight...) fall on deaf ears. I feign having to go deal with a crying baby to end the call - I don't want to give them the chance to remove the wait-list off the record, in case I get a more sympathetic agent on my next call.
15 minutes later I get an email from United that my wait-listed change has automatically cleared. Double-checked on .bomb - yup, all good.
Usually you need to call an agent to talk your way around restrictions set up in automatic systems. In this case, the agent got torpedoed by the computer. Thanks .bomb!
Mar 15, 2014, 11:43 pm
#200
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: DCA
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, United Silver
Posts: 575
1) Few weeks back my waitlist (Platinum) and girlfriend's (Silver) cleared on a HNL-ORD flight, changing from a connection to non-stop.
2) Any ability to waitlist on Copa?
2) Any ability to waitlist on Copa?
Mar 26, 2014, 8:10 pm
#201
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Platinum, UA Gold; Marriott Platinum
Posts: 31
I know this was 2 years ago, but did this work?
Mar 31, 2014, 3:43 pm
#202
Join Date: Jul 2003
Programs: UA1K 3MM, AS MVP 75K Gold
Posts: 2,706
Don't know if this has been answered. If I book a standard award, can I be waitlisted for a saver award on the same flights?
Mar 31, 2014, 3:50 pm
#203
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,783
Confirming a Standard Award and waitlisting for a Saver Award is not permitted.
Apr 9, 2014, 4:40 pm
#204
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,629
I thought I remembered reading somewhere that it was not possible to waitlist for I/IN from X/XN if there were partner metal segments on the itinerary...is that true?
Would like to switch an itinerary that has some partner metal and waitlist from XN on p.s. to IN on p.s. in doing so.
Would like to switch an itinerary that has some partner metal and waitlist from XN on p.s. to IN on p.s. in doing so.
Apr 9, 2014, 9:38 pm
#205
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,783
no but would not be surprised if some agent claims that (years ago on PMUA this was a limitation).
Apr 9, 2014, 9:52 pm
#206
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,424
I thought I remembered reading somewhere that it was not possible to waitlist for I/IN from X/XN if there were partner metal segments on the itinerary...is that true?
Would like to switch an itinerary that has some partner metal and waitlist from XN on p.s. to IN on p.s. in doing so.
Would like to switch an itinerary that has some partner metal and waitlist from XN on p.s. to IN on p.s. in doing so.
btw, probably your only hope of clearing one of these is off the gate list within T-24, since UA is not opening IN on ps.
Apr 10, 2014, 8:58 am
#207
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,629
You can definitely do it. I'm currently waitlisted for IN on a ps flight which includes TK segments. (My waitlist is from one flight to another, rather than XN to IN, but same basic concept.)
btw, probably your only hope of clearing one of these is off the gate list within T-24, since UA is not opening IN on ps.
btw, probably your only hope of clearing one of these is off the gate list within T-24, since UA is not opening IN on ps.
Apr 13, 2014, 11:10 am
#208
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,965
This probably should go into the Wiki once we have an answer....the term "how many" is too common to find...google turned up this thread.
How many UA waitlist segments can I have in an award PNR? I was told at one point "as many as you want" but was just told by an agent that maximum is 2. It is a one way domestic trip cofirmed in X and requesting WL in XN.
Thanks.
How many UA waitlist segments can I have in an award PNR? I was told at one point "as many as you want" but was just told by an agent that maximum is 2. It is a one way domestic trip cofirmed in X and requesting WL in XN.
Thanks.
Apr 13, 2014, 11:26 am
#209
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,783
Have done this multiple times --- confirmed in XN and waitlist for IN on same flight and waitlisted for IN on another flight same day. It was explicitly stated 2 was the max.