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]
Sep 18, 2017, 12:53 am
#1936
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,414
Sep 18, 2017, 11:36 pm
#1938
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,414
Sep 19, 2017, 5:00 pm
#1939
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: DL PM, MR Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,130
No issue waitlisting for F on the tail end of a J TATL segment took about 3 minutes on the phone. Shows up as "I Class Requested" on .bomb
Hoping it will clear but if it doesn't I'll live since it's just EWR - RDU on a 737-700 and hopefully at least an E+ seat will open at T-24.
Hoping it will clear but if it doesn't I'll live since it's just EWR - RDU on a 737-700 and hopefully at least an E+ seat will open at T-24.
Sep 23, 2017, 5:22 pm
#1940
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 116
Correct - you want to ask to be waitlisted for the premium cabin on PDX-SFO. It's not an entitlement, but you should be able to waitlist for available first class space and potentially be added to the gate upgrade list (this is a mess, see linked thread).
The correct code is 'I' unless the source of the miles is a Plat/1K/GS account, in which case the code is 'IN'. A successful waitlist attempt should then show the class of service on the reservation as United Economy (XN) - (I class requested). Example:
Attachment 37894
The correct code is 'I' unless the source of the miles is a Plat/1K/GS account, in which case the code is 'IN'. A successful waitlist attempt should then show the class of service on the reservation as United Economy (XN) - (I class requested). Example:
Attachment 37894
Sep 23, 2017, 6:53 pm
#1941
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 116
I booked 2 Biz saver seats (only 2 class Economy / Biz available - not F class) using Plan B trick.
Call #1 (overseas CSR) - I told rep what i wanted to do, she was not aware but she said will check and get back. Comes back, we proceed with reservation - she books 2 seats using Economy saver miles and waitlist me. I keep telling her she needs to charge me for Biz saver instead. Since, it was first time for me too - I confirmed I was waitlisted, so I let it go.
In meantime, she offered me Economy Plus seats on all legs as inconvenience (cost $300+) etc.
-----
After doing further research/ talking to friends, I knew it did not seem right, as I was only charged for Economy Saver seats.
-----
Call #2 (overseas CSR) - I tell rep previous CSR did mistake and charged me wrong miles. She keeps arguing I'm already on waitlist and can't charge Biz saver miles. I knew there was no point in talking with Overseas Rep unaware of this process.
-----
Call #3 (US Rep from Hawaii) - I explains her situation, she checks my reservation and confirms previous Rep did book it wrong way and not charged Biz miles. She re-books me and charged Biz saver seat instead.
Now my question is : Should I separate 2 seats into 2 separate itinerary - so atleast one clears but I'm afraid one partner will end up in Biz class and another in Economy.
Call #1 (overseas CSR) - I told rep what i wanted to do, she was not aware but she said will check and get back. Comes back, we proceed with reservation - she books 2 seats using Economy saver miles and waitlist me. I keep telling her she needs to charge me for Biz saver instead. Since, it was first time for me too - I confirmed I was waitlisted, so I let it go.
In meantime, she offered me Economy Plus seats on all legs as inconvenience (cost $300+) etc.
-----
After doing further research/ talking to friends, I knew it did not seem right, as I was only charged for Economy Saver seats.
-----
Call #2 (overseas CSR) - I tell rep previous CSR did mistake and charged me wrong miles. She keeps arguing I'm already on waitlist and can't charge Biz saver miles. I knew there was no point in talking with Overseas Rep unaware of this process.
-----
Call #3 (US Rep from Hawaii) - I explains her situation, she checks my reservation and confirms previous Rep did book it wrong way and not charged Biz miles. She re-books me and charged Biz saver seat instead.
Now my question is : Should I separate 2 seats into 2 separate itinerary - so atleast one clears but I'm afraid one partner will end up in Biz class and another in Economy.
Sep 23, 2017, 10:09 pm
#1942
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,406
Curious, what happens if there is only 1 Biz seat available before boarding and someone with "IN" is also wait listed but booked ticket after who is wait listed under "I" (regular code for account without status). Who will get priority (considering account with no status booked before).
Prior to departure, if IN opens and I does not, the person listed for IN should get the seat. If both open, I would expect that the higher status passenger would get the seat regardless of whether they were listed for I or IN, but I could be talked out of that position.
In no case would a passenger with an I request go ahead of a higher-status passenger, regardless of time of booking. Status is the first tiebreaker.
Sep 24, 2017, 7:51 am
#1943
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,414
At the gate, I vs. IN doesn't matter; the person with higher status would get the seat.
Prior to departure, if IN opens and I does not, the person listed for IN should get the seat. If both open, I would expect that the higher status passenger would get the seat regardless of whether they were listed for I or IN, but I could be talked out of that position.
In no case would a passenger with an I request go ahead of a higher-status passenger, regardless of time of booking. Status is the first tiebreaker.
Prior to departure, if IN opens and I does not, the person listed for IN should get the seat. If both open, I would expect that the higher status passenger would get the seat regardless of whether they were listed for I or IN, but I could be talked out of that position.
In no case would a passenger with an I request go ahead of a higher-status passenger, regardless of time of booking. Status is the first tiebreaker.
Sep 25, 2017, 1:39 am
#1944
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,141
There is really no need to separate the Itin now. If you don't clear T-24, at checkin you will be offered the opportunity to separate the record locators.
Sep 25, 2017, 4:15 am
#1945
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 110
I booked a 'mixed' saver award (AKL > SFO > LAS for 70K miles), with the international leg in I but the domestic leg in X as no I availability. I forgot to ask if I could waitlist for an upgrade on the domestic. I should be able to call in to do this, right?
Sep 25, 2017, 4:18 am
#1946
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,414
Yes, just ask to waitlist for I class.
Sep 25, 2017, 11:50 am
#1947
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 518
Why is it important to have Biz Saver miles deducted while confirmed in X/XN and waitlisted for I/IN? What will happen if only Eco Saver miles are deducted and the reservation shows "I/IN Class Requested"?
Sep 25, 2017, 12:20 pm
#1948
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: CHS
Programs: UA GS, Bonvoy Amabassador, Hertz PC
Posts: 2,589
If the miles are taken up front, everything is seamless and you just select new seats
Sep 25, 2017, 12:33 pm
#1949
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: New York NY
Programs: UA Gold, CO Plat, CO Million Miler
Posts: 2,617
Then when/if you get the upgrade you will get the notice, but you can't select seats. When you call in to figure out why, they have to re ticket you anyway and if the miles aren't available, then they take them then.
If the miles are taken up front, everything is seamless and you just select new seats
If the miles are taken up front, everything is seamless and you just select new seats
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 25, 2017 at 12:48 pm Reason: repaired quote
Sep 25, 2017, 12:37 pm
#1950
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 518
^ Will this (not deducting Biz Saver miles) affect getting on the proper upgrade list within T-24?