Last edit by: drewguy
There are no complimentary upgrades on "Polaris" or premium transcon service or Hawaii (to/from ORD/EWR/IAD/IAH) flights for elites. Elites need to support their upgrades with Plus Points or miles+copay. A complete table is here
Some international flights are CPU eligible (mainly North American)
On very rare occasions if a lower cabin is overbooked, some passengers (usually by elite status) will be operational upgraded (op-up'ed)
Consolidated - Chance of Operational Upgrade (Op-Up) on my flight?
did united ever offer complimentary upgrades on international routes?
Some international flights are CPU eligible (mainly North American)
On very rare occasions if a lower cabin is overbooked, some passengers (usually by elite status) will be operational upgraded (op-up'ed)
Consolidated - Chance of Operational Upgrade (Op-Up) on my flight?
did united ever offer complimentary upgrades on international routes?
Complimentary upgrades when UA's PremPlus / Polaris cabin(s) are open? (No)
#76
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 211
What's the route? There's no automatic upgrades other than in the regions covered by https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con.../upgrades.aspx
Premier Gold....not exec....sorry about that - I used to fly United a lot but shifted to other carriers for international trips so out of synch with the new UA....
Thanks for the link - answers my questions....
#77
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: TPA
Programs: UA GS, 1MM
Posts: 96
No, there is no automatic upgrade to first on an international route. If you booked J,C or D fare class then the GPU will clear in order of status (GS, 1K, P, G, S) if there is a seat available. The seat map is not a good indicator of whether there are seats available. Tickets can be sold without seats being selected. If you bought a Z or P class then a GPU will not help, it's miles and money for the upgrade. Good luck.
#78
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 1
Upgrades on trans-Pacific flights
I will soon have gold status on UA. I mainly take UA between HKG and EWR in economy. I will likely do this trip or a similar flight like HKG to ORD at least 3 times in the coming 12 months. Is it possible I will be upgraded on this route? Any way to make it more likely?
#79
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,106
I will soon have gold status on UA. I mainly take UA between HKG and EWR in economy. I will likely do this trip or a similar flight like HKG to ORD at least 3 times in the coming 12 months. Is it possible I will be upgraded on this route? Any way to make it more likely?
There are no complimentary upgrades on trans-Pacific routes for anybody unless coach is oversold, in which case they will upgrade by status -- and there will be a lot of passengers with higher status than gold on most of those flights.
You can use miles plus a copay to upgrade, but the cost is steep -- as high as $600 plus 30K miles each way, and even then you may not clear (but you'd get the miles and copay back).
#80
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 14,879
I will soon have gold status on UA. I mainly take UA between HKG and EWR in economy. I will likely do this trip or a similar flight like HKG to ORD at least 3 times in the coming 12 months. Is it possible I will be upgraded on this route? Any way to make it more likely?
#81
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,223
That said, I agree generally that the odds of an op-up overall are so low it's not really even worth discussing. I've never gotten one in over 1MM on UA.
#82
Join Date: Jul 2019
Programs: United
Posts: 2
Chance of upgrade
Hi - it's my brothers birthday in a few weeks and we are traveling on the same reservation from SFO-ICN. I am a 1k and he has no status. We are on the same reservation in W class. I only have 2 GPUs for the rest of the year and have a ton of long-haul flights ahead so I am debating using one on this route because there might be a chance we clear regardless of using the GPU... I am curious what everyone thinks I should do as I would love to save the GPUs if I can.
When I booked the flight it asked me to upgrade for 2k and I can upgrade with 30k miles....so this tells me that they have space.
Thu, Jul 18, 2019
10:35 AM
SFO
Wed 7/24 UA806
ICN-SFO
What do you all think my chances are of clearing for the upgrade without using a GPU?
When I booked the flight it asked me to upgrade for 2k and I can upgrade with 30k miles....so this tells me that they have space.
- Available fare classes:
- J9
- JN9
- C9
- D9
- Z9
- ZN9
- P9
- PN9
- PZ9
- IN9
- I9
- Y9
- YN9
- B9
- M9
- E9
- U9
- H9
- HN9
- Q9
- V9
- W9
- S9
- T9
- L9
- K9
- G9
- N9
- XN9
- X9
Thu, Jul 18, 2019
10:35 AM
SFO
Wed 7/24 UA806
ICN-SFO
- Available fare classes:
- J9
- JN9
- C9
- D9
- Z9
- ZN9
- P9
- PN9
- PZ4
- IN0
- I0
- O9
- ON9
- A9
- R9
- RN9
- Y9
- YN9
- B9
- M9
- E9
- U9
- H9
- HN9
- Q7
- V2
- W0
- S0
- T0
- L0
- K0
- G0
- N9
- XN0
- X0
What do you all think my chances are of clearing for the upgrade without using a GPU?
#83
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 31,789
#84
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: SBA
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat, Hertz PC
Posts: 939
Hi - it's my brothers birthday in a few weeks and we are traveling on the same reservation from SFO-ICN. I am a 1k and he has no status. We are on the same reservation in W class. I only have 2 GPUs for the rest of the year and have a ton of long-haul flights ahead so I am debating using one on this route because there might be a chance we clear regardless of using the GPU... I am curious what everyone thinks I should do as I would love to save the GPUs if I can.
When I booked the flight it asked me to upgrade for 2k and I can upgrade with 30k miles....so this tells me that they have space.
Thu, Jul 18, 2019
10:35 AM
SFO
Wed 7/24 UA806
ICN-SFO
What do you all think my chances are of clearing for the upgrade without using a GPU?
When I booked the flight it asked me to upgrade for 2k and I can upgrade with 30k miles....so this tells me that they have space.
- Available fare classes:
- J9
- JN9
- C9
- D9
- Z9
- ZN9
- P9
- PN9
- PZ9
- IN9
- I9
- Y9
- YN9
- B9
- M9
- E9
- U9
- H9
- HN9
- Q9
- V9
- W9
- S9
- T9
- L9
- K9
- G9
- N9
- XN9
- X9
Thu, Jul 18, 2019
10:35 AM
SFO
Wed 7/24 UA806
ICN-SFO
- Available fare classes:
- J9
- JN9
- C9
- D9
- Z9
- ZN9
- P9
- PN9
- PZ4
- IN0
- I0
- O9
- ON9
- A9
- R9
- RN9
- Y9
- YN9
- B9
- M9
- E9
- U9
- H9
- HN9
- Q7
- V2
- W0
- S0
- T0
- L0
- K0
- G0
- N9
- XN0
- X0
What do you all think my chances are of clearing for the upgrade without using a GPU?
#85
Join Date: Jul 2019
Programs: United
Posts: 2
I thought as a 1k you could clear complimentary 4 days before?
Okay, so 1ks dont ever clear without using an instrument (. Gpu or miles) ?
Okay, so 1ks dont ever clear without using an instrument (. Gpu or miles) ?
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jul 3, 2019 at 6:37 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
#86
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 31,789
#87
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,284
#88
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,223
#89
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,106
And there’s no particular reason to think this flight is.
Use the GPUs. You can always use the miles later, but GPUs expire and miles don’t (assuming you keep flying).