Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Archive thread
[Consolidated] Chance of upgrade clearing on my flight {Archive}
Related thread -
Ways to search for upgrade space at booking?
Understanding the United Upgrade List Comprehensively
Decoding the alphabet soup - fare buckets for UA
Expert Mode Update: better upgrade visibility and opt-in to see fare bucket data.
[Consolidated] Chance of upgrade clearing on my flight {Archive}
Related thread -
Ways to search for upgrade space at booking?
Understanding the United Upgrade List Comprehensively
Decoding the alphabet soup - fare buckets for UA
Expert Mode Update: better upgrade visibility and opt-in to see fare bucket data.
[Consolidated] Chance of upgrade clearing on my flight
#587
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,370
Friday night is tougher but not impossible. I'm not making any guarantees -- just that you probably have a better chance, as no-status members, on that flight than on any other long-haul flight in the entire network.
The cash buy-up price may drop as departure approaches, also.
The cash buy-up price may drop as departure approaches, also.
#588
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 19
Just my imagination - hypothetical situation and won't actually consider doing given risk and ethics. Given how hard it is to clear Polaris upgrades these days, what if say you book a Y ticket and request the upgrade. You also 'block' 6-9 seats in J by booking fully refundable tickets using different names and hit cancel maybe 24-48 hrs before departure. Has anyone tried this? Based on trends, will the system release lots of PZ space or at least higher % of upgrades clearing (assuming those who were going to purchase the J seats would go to a different flight/airline). I'm guessing it's very high risk as if United denies the refund, you'll be on the hook for close to $50K in some instances. Also i'm sure it probably violates UA t&c but not sure if anyone has done research on this.
#589
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,395
Just my imagination - hypothetical situation and won't actually consider doing given risk and ethics. Given how hard it is to clear Polaris upgrades these days, what if say you book a Y ticket and request the upgrade. You also 'block' 6-9 seats in J by booking fully refundable tickets using different names and hit cancel maybe 24-48 hrs before departure. Has anyone tried this?
#590
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,783
First I heard about this was 30+ years ago and it was well worn by then. 20 years ago when I first joined FT, there was report of someone getting kicked out of MP for doing this and they only blocked a couple of seats.
Air carriers have long used big data mining and now AI to detect these well know anomalies.
Air carriers have long used big data mining and now AI to detect these well know anomalies.