After I wrote that, I realized II don't think it's actually possible to cancel online -- I think you need to call. (You can cancel PlusPoints requests online, but I don't think you can cancel miles+copay requests online). They shouldn't need to contact Carnival because Carnival doesn't have anything to do with the upgrade part of the ticket.

Ugh.. they said they can’t cancel those requests on phone either. Is that right?

It shouldn't be, unless there's some new policy that I haven't heard about. Here's the relevant thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...-united-2.html

I was able to as "recently" as 18 months ago. HUCA...

But only through talking with agent? Not online?

Mileage upgrade request can only be cancelled by an agent. And not if any segment has cleared

I agree with your sentiment but I don't think this part is strictly true. I've seen plenty of flights with PN<9 but PZ>0, whether it's day of departure, a few days to a few weeks in advance, or several months in advance.

I may be wrong, but I believe what may happen is that to begin with its PN9 and for example they decide to open PZ6, but as soon as passengers upgrade into PZ, these 2 numbers move down in tandem - meaning if 2 pax use points to upgrade into PZ afterwards it will show PN7 PZ4. I believe I've seen this happening when I myself have been upgraded to PZ but I'm not 100% sure. But this would explain how you can see PZ<9 but PZ >0.

You are all amazing!! Thank you for your help. I did it and it worked!

Yeah, this is definitely possible, but I don't think it's the only explanation for PN<9 and PZ>0. For example, when UA starts to level fare buckets close in (an increasingly rare practice), they can level to something as extreme as J1 ... P1 PN1 PZ1.

In other words, the difference between PN and PZ is not strictly 9+. It might start out that way but change over time.

Seeing that "phenomenon" today on UA880/UA5, IAH-LHR, J2 JN2 C2 D2 Z2 ZN2 P2 PN1 PZ1

Within T-24 h, this is typical for some flights, not for all flights. You won't see this before the clock hits T-24 h, however.

Hi everyone,

I confess my head is spinning trying to understand these upgrades and how they work. I could use some advice or thoughts on my odds of upgrading IAD to HND on March 21. I’m Gold Status and in Premium Plus. I applied for the upgrade to Polaris using miles and dollars, and this site someone else made shows I’m currently #9 and #10 on the waitlist. That same site says 38/50 Polaris seats have been booked, but the United flight map shows there are 18 open seats left. The fares are as follows:

• J9
• JN9
• C9
• D9
• Z9
• ZN9
• P9
• PN0
• PZ0
• IN0
• I0
• O0
• ON0
• A0
• R0
• RN0
• Y8
• YN8
• B8
• M8
• E8
• U8
• H8
• HN8
• Q8
• V4
• W1
• S0
• T0
• L0
• K0
• G0
• XN0
• X0

If PZ ever opens up (from monitoring this route over the last week for other days, it looks like PZ and PN open up the same time, and some flights that departed this week had PZ9 and PN9 a few days before departure), would it be safer to just cancel my upgrade request by phone and then try to instantly upgrade on the website using miles and dollars? Or is that too risky? I’m not even sure what my upgrade odds are, so it’s hard to know what my expectations and strategy, if any, should be. Any guidance would be super appreciated! Thank you!

1) seat maps do not always represent booked seats, as many tickets purchased outside of UA ticketing do not have seats selected by default.

2) yes, if PZ opens up, you can look to upgrade instantly. PN is for Global Services requests use.

At 9 and 10 with 12 seats remaining? There is still a chance but not good odds.

You can also look to see if you are being offered a buyup, which will move you into business class.

Thank you! Would I be able to upgrade instantly through PZ availability even if there are PNs still open? Or would the fact that PNs are open and prioritized because of GS mean that even if PZ opens and I reapply for an upgrade, I’d still be waitlisted?