runner450

UA562, right? you cleared eventually. sent you a PM

bocastephen

Did you challenge the GA about this and say you need to be cleared into that seat?

Sorry, but folks need to be aggressive with this sort of thing - please make sure you send all details to 1Kvoice for review.

itsMoe

Yes, I did clear after the one person who tried to buy up was rejected by the GA because "your fare type doesn't allow an upgrade", followed by "maybe it's because you paid in Canadian dollars" . She then bought an E+ seat for $59.

I did challenge the GA, she remained firm. I will definitely send all pertinent details to 1kvoice.

lhrsfo

Clearly the GA is ignorant as well as rogue.

zrs70

Question… What is meant by challenging the GA? Is there a policy against selling upgrades at the gate when there are people on the list? I don't like it either, but I don't know what the proper procedure is.

bocastephen

Per the CO policy we were told, in the absence that something new was never communicated to the customer community, no segment fee upgrades shall be sold while any upgrade-eligible Elite or companion is waiting for an upgrade.

Fare difference buy-ups - yes, can be sold any time. Segment fee upgrades? No. Of course we know the 'system' is doing this incorrectly during check-in, but that's another thread and another problem now into it's 8th or 9th year.

And given DEN is the only station where most of us have seen this behavior occurring, and given the sporadic nature, probably just a few GAs actually do it, then no, it is not policy otherwise it would be common with a set of consistent rules that everyone can understand.

Making a stink with the GA can't hurt, but going through 1K voice and requesting clear clarification of the policy would be a helpful exercise.

MSPeconomist

OP was not only on the upgrade list, but also he/she was attempting to use a RPU. This wasn't even a request for a free upgrade.

itsMoe

Correct. I threw an RPU on my itinerary pretty much 10 minutes after I booked it, so I'd been sitting on the waitlist for a while.

fumje

Actually I wonder if that was the GA's face-saving method of acknowledging to your objection and preserving the upgrade for you.

Or maybe that's too optimistic.

kmersh

I experienced something similar, I was waiting to fly DEN-EWR and the Gate Agent announced that she had two First Class seats for sale and to approach the podium if interested.

I and another gentleman approached the Podium, he got there first and after running his credit card she asked if he wanted a window in row 2 or an aisle in row 1. He choose the window and while I was waiting another Gentleman got in-line behind me and he seemed perturbed.

She called me up, I handed over my Credit Card and the gate agent said you got the last seat, enjoy and swipes my card, The Gentleman behind me says hey I am a 1K and I was number one on the upgrade list. I respond that i had no idea and he should really have the seat. The Gate Agent doesn't skip a beat and said he could have paid for the seat if he wants it, upgrades are a benefit not a guarantee.

I was floored and I went over to the guy and apologized to to him for buying the seat from under him. He was good about it and said thanks for the concern, but I will take it up with corporate. I have no idea if he did or didn't as it has been a little less than a year now, but it didn't leave a good impression of UNITED in my mind.

emcampbe

ive never been aware of this. Anyone calling the agent 'rogue' because they aren't allowed to do this surely should come up with evidence supporting it. The environment today of the truth is what I say it is, even in the absence of actual evidence (or some cases, directly contradicting evidence) is still not a fact. I don't know if there is a policy disallowing it, to be clear.

If we can agree on one thing ever in this forum, can it not be that no one flys CO anymore - it doesn't exist - and realize that, like it or not, it's UA now.

Id be interested to see the supposed policy you note above on a currently available source - is it somewhere on the website, in a customer commitment, or any place accessible to the public? Certainly not that I've seen.

I'm not saying that I agree that GAs should be selling them at boarding with elites on the list. I'm simply saying that the 'policy' you list above may have been the case at one time, but again, without evidence to show, this may not be what it is today, in fact, IME, there's a good chance it isn't. Particularly with airlines (not just UA...all of them) doing everything they can to earn abcilliary revenue, including upsales.

cesco.g

Noticing, that a "few" GA are mentioned, I am wondering if this are former CO folks, who never "got the message".

Miles Ahead

We were told lots of things.

rickg523

"We value your repeated patronage and offer you this benefit as a token of our appreciation.
However if we can sell it to someone - anyone - else instead of giving it to you....hey we're a business trying to make money.
So thank you...if it's convenient for us."

bocastephen

By people we had a good relationship with and could trust....at that time.