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 31, 2013, 8:41 am
#91
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
General award waitlist question:
Can I waitlist an award for a UA metal flight, when confirmed on a partner flight on the same route? E.g. I have saver C on a LH flight IAD-FRA, but want saver C on UA?
I know you can't waitlist for partner flights, but what about waitlisting away from them?
I also know from experience (including this itin) that a lot of agents claim a single partner flight on an itin means you can't waitlist any of the segments, which is patently untrue ... but before I try the FT method of calling back repeatedly and making a nuisance of myself, I wanted to see if others agree that what I want to do is even possible.
.
Can I waitlist an award for a UA metal flight, when confirmed on a partner flight on the same route? E.g. I have saver C on a LH flight IAD-FRA, but want saver C on UA?
I know you can't waitlist for partner flights, but what about waitlisting away from them?
I also know from experience (including this itin) that a lot of agents claim a single partner flight on an itin means you can't waitlist any of the segments, which is patently untrue ... but before I try the FT method of calling back repeatedly and making a nuisance of myself, I wanted to see if others agree that what I want to do is even possible.
.
Mar 31, 2013, 9:54 am
#92
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York, London, Sydney
Programs: United GS/2MM, DL*P, VS*G, AA*EXP, Avis CHM, Hertz Platinum, Sixt*D, HH*D, HGP*P, Starwood*P
Posts: 9,847
Mar 31, 2013, 12:41 pm
#93
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,126
Thanks--will try again later today. Even with EF alerts set up, I want to have the waitlist in place in case something opens up when I'm not able to call it in (though IME clearing a waitlisted segment regularly requires calling in anyway).
May 10, 2013, 10:17 am
#94
Moderator, Omni, Omni/PR, Omni/Games, FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Between DCA and IAD
Programs: UA 1K MM; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 67,126
However, today I got an EF alert that one of my GPU-supported segments had cleared, and of course that necessitated calling in (and convincing the agent that indeed, the flight was RN8/R8; she kept claiming it wasn't available for upgrade).
While on the phone, she astutely noticed my wife is on a different flight entirely, and I told her that was all that was available at the time and that she's waitlisted for the same flight I'm on. I asked her about waitlisting the flight in both XY and IN (that leg is currently XY on a different flight), and she claimed it was impossible due to there being a LH flight on the itin.
I tried to educate her, saying that though it's not possible to waitlist for a partner flight, it's completely possible to waitlist from a partner flight to a UA flight. And that even that restriction didn't apply to this particular segment, which was a later FRA-IAD flight on UA metal which I wanted to waitlist to an earlier UA flight the same day.
Nope, she insisted that "whoever did this was misinformed" and claimed that it was probably why my (on a separate PNR altogether) GPU hadn't cleared automatically--that "these are manually-added waitlisted segments." She said, "I'll just leave this alone, but whoever did this, I don't know how the system let them do it. I recommend you keep watching it daily and call when you see the flight available." (That last line was the only thing right about anything she'd said.)
May 20, 2013, 12:27 pm
#95
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 923
Along the lines of finding a CS who knows what she is saying
I was at the ticket counter trying to do a SDC. The first UA agent told me I could not make the change and would have to pay $800. She brought her manager over, and he came to the same conclusion. I politely told them that they were both wrong (and without my asking), the manager told the other to call (I think) Chicago.
She did, gets off the phone, and in a not-so-professional manner, told me that I was right and executed the SDC. Frankly, it was reading FT that armed me with the information to have such aplomb.
As a coda, it never even occurred to me to direct an agent to call Chicago or Houston or something...
She did, gets off the phone, and in a not-so-professional manner, told me that I was right and executed the SDC. Frankly, it was reading FT that armed me with the information to have such aplomb.
As a coda, it never even occurred to me to direct an agent to call Chicago or Houston or something...
Jun 18, 2013, 9:09 am
#96
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,220
Award waitlisting - two different answers! Ugh...
I have two separate award itineraries aaaaaaaand... on one I was able to waitlist for a different flight with no issue.
Later, I realized that I also need to waitlist on a different reservation as well, called back and got the "you can only do it at the airport speech". My informal reseach of four calls says that US call center had no issues waitlisting me, but o'seas callcenter pushes the "only at the aiport" line.
What gives?
P.S. Just called back and got a US call center and was able to waitlist with no issues. Different training for different callcenters?!
Later, I realized that I also need to waitlist on a different reservation as well, called back and got the "you can only do it at the airport speech". My informal reseach of four calls says that US call center had no issues waitlisting me, but o'seas callcenter pushes the "only at the aiport" line.
What gives?
P.S. Just called back and got a US call center and was able to waitlist with no issues. Different training for different callcenters?!
Last edited by herzmeh; Jun 18, 2013 at 9:16 am
Jun 18, 2013, 9:24 am
#97
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
I have two separate award itineraries aaaaaaaand... on one I was able to waitlist for a different flight with no issue.
Later, I realized that I also need to waitlist on a different reservation as well, called back and got the "you can only do it at the airport speech". My informal reseach of four calls says that US call center had no issues waitlisting me, but o'seas call center pushes the "only at the aiport" line.
What gives?
P.S. Just called back and got a US call center and was able to waitlist with no issues. Different training for different callcenters?!
Later, I realized that I also need to waitlist on a different reservation as well, called back and got the "you can only do it at the airport speech". My informal reseach of four calls says that US call center had no issues waitlisting me, but o'seas call center pushes the "only at the aiport" line.
What gives?
P.S. Just called back and got a US call center and was able to waitlist with no issues. Different training for different callcenters?!
Jun 18, 2013, 9:40 am
#98
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,220
Probably. What is interesting is that I haven't been an elite for a number of years now, but the system randomly transfered me to an overseas center three times and to the elite desk twice (the ones who waitlisted me without issues).
Jun 21, 2013, 2:48 pm
#99
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SXSW
Programs: DL Plat; HH Diamond; SPG & Hyatt Plat
Posts: 996
I am on an AC award itinerary and would like to standby for a same-day earlier or more direct flight (preferably the latter) - is it possible for me to do this? If so, how?
Jun 21, 2013, 4:13 pm
#100
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
What's the itinerary? (Makes a difference if there are layovers, international segments, etc).
Jun 21, 2013, 4:26 pm
#101
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: CLE
Programs: CO Gold - 1MM, IC Plat, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,644
Waitlist from J to F on a partner airline UA Award Ticket? Is it possible?
Hi,
Last night I booked award travel via UA CLE/JFK/ICN Destination ICN/BKK stopover BKK/NRT/ORD/CLE
I was able to snag seats on all segments in F except for ICN/BKK BKK/NRT only showing J as available on Thai Airways. I do understand that Thai is tight on releasing F seats up until T-24-72.
2 Questions...
1. Since the entire ticket is F, except those two segments can I call UA and be waitlisted for F on those two Thai flights on an Award Ticket? I called and was told I cannot waitlist on non-UA metal for awards. Is this correct? I am also watching the inventory via SBM12's tool and ANA so I should be able to spot it if it opens up, but I think that I should be able to WL for J>F. The other kicker is those flights are in the middle of my journey and even if they opened up I doubt i could get this changed during my stay in ICN or BKK.
2. Off topic, but I also asked for the e-ticket/record locator numbers for my NH/OZ/TG flights and the UA Award desk told me that the Eticket is the same for all of the flights, the 016 UA stock....I think that is wrong since 1. these are not code shares, 2. Its a ticket with stopovers that wont all be printed on day one of my journey, and 3. I have different Confirmation #'s from each individual airline...I want the eticket number in order to select my seats on each carriers www. Should I also call back for another agent willing to dig those e-ticket numbers out for me?
Thank You in Advance of any input,
Kindest Regards,
CLEHillBilly
Last night I booked award travel via UA CLE/JFK/ICN Destination ICN/BKK stopover BKK/NRT/ORD/CLE
I was able to snag seats on all segments in F except for ICN/BKK BKK/NRT only showing J as available on Thai Airways. I do understand that Thai is tight on releasing F seats up until T-24-72.
2 Questions...
1. Since the entire ticket is F, except those two segments can I call UA and be waitlisted for F on those two Thai flights on an Award Ticket? I called and was told I cannot waitlist on non-UA metal for awards. Is this correct? I am also watching the inventory via SBM12's tool and ANA so I should be able to spot it if it opens up, but I think that I should be able to WL for J>F. The other kicker is those flights are in the middle of my journey and even if they opened up I doubt i could get this changed during my stay in ICN or BKK.
2. Off topic, but I also asked for the e-ticket/record locator numbers for my NH/OZ/TG flights and the UA Award desk told me that the Eticket is the same for all of the flights, the 016 UA stock....I think that is wrong since 1. these are not code shares, 2. Its a ticket with stopovers that wont all be printed on day one of my journey, and 3. I have different Confirmation #'s from each individual airline...I want the eticket number in order to select my seats on each carriers www. Should I also call back for another agent willing to dig those e-ticket numbers out for me?
Thank You in Advance of any input,
Kindest Regards,
CLEHillBilly
Jun 21, 2013, 5:18 pm
#102
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,920
I don't think you'll find precise rules and online/check-in machines will likely try to charge you, but an agent is empowered to do a lot...
Jun 21, 2013, 5:33 pm
#103
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SXSW
Programs: DL Plat; HH Diamond; SPG & Hyatt Plat
Posts: 996
Thank you for offering to assist!
Jun 21, 2013, 8:42 pm
#104
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,920
In fact, I would even ask at LHR about flying to IAH direct--UA operates three-cabin service and from there you could fly direct to PHX same-day.
Jun 21, 2013, 9:41 pm
#105
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Jersey Shore/YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hertz PC
Posts: 12,521
In ORD, you'll clear customs. At the baggage re-check desk, ask about a direct flight. If they say no, take the train to check-in and ask someone in the Premier Check-in. If they so no, head to the club and ask there or perhaps at a customer service desk first. Keep trying...same routine in IAH and God forbid DEN. You will get home early, particularly if you are willing to sacrifice your (I) seats for (X).
In fact, I would even ask at LHR about flying to IAH direct--UA operates three-cabin service and from there you could fly direct to PHX same-day.
In fact, I would even ask at LHR about flying to IAH direct--UA operates three-cabin service and from there you could fly direct to PHX same-day.