Sigh - How much is the W Upgrade Lottery worth?
Jan 4, 2018, 2:16 am
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,413
Has anyone tried booking a lower fare class ticket and then within a few days of flight upfaring to W or V if seat availability in J still looks good? Also, within 24hr if your place on the upgrade list on a W fare is not looking good, can you have them upfare to V to see how it changes your place in the upgrade list? Not sure how upfaring within T-24 impacts a reservation with a GPU already applied (i.e. does the limitation of not being apply GPUs within 24 hours restrict ability to do this if the GPU has already been applied earlier on a W fare?)
And, if you're trying to jump up the visible list -- if there's a fare available for purchase in V or Q or whatever, a good agent should be able to preserve your GPU waitlist request when you re-fare. However, since people don't appear on the visible list until they check in, it may be an exercise in futility -- you might still end up behind 20 people that don't check in until the airport, and now you've paid extra money and you're still sitting in Y.
It's far better to do what's been discussed in this thread -- search for the international flights by looking just at R inventory for UA gateway cities, and then do an origin-destination (e.g., YYZ-LHR) search on UA in the appropriate fare class to buy the ticket. (Note that while multi-city search should work, it's not necessary, and it doesn't matter at all whether or not you see R space available when you're doing this origin-destination search. As long as you select the overwater flights that had R availability in your initial searches, those upgrades will clear immediately when the GPU is applied.
Jan 4, 2018, 5:23 am
#62
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,613
This. Did it last September returning from Europe, and while I got the change fee waived, I had to pay the fare differential.
Jan 4, 2018, 7:28 am
#63
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Kitchener, ON, Canada
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,266
So from what I'm learning... the key is to search for W, make sure Advanced Mode is on, and then just manually peg through all the options until I find one that has a "R" fare availability?
Jan 4, 2018, 8:07 am
#64
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 215
Members also use the chrome script that sbm12 created, with expert mode turned on, it puts the key inventory fare classes in red/green like R and PN without having to click the uncollapse button on each potential flight. This way you do a search and you'll be able to quickly scan through the list and see where there's R
Jan 4, 2018, 8:12 am
#65
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,413
1 - search transoceanic legs, looking for R space using Advanced Mode. You don't need to worry about searching for a particular fare class -- just search ORD-LHR, EWR-LHR, IAD-LHR, etc...
2 - Once you've identified the long flights you want to take in step 1, search your actual flight path using W,V,Q,H,U,E,M,B,Y. (If you just put "W," you won't get a result when the cheapest upgradeable fare is a V, for example. If you search for all upgradeable classes this way, the system will return the price for the cheapest out of all of the fares you select). Then, go ahead and make your purchase from the "Selected Fare Class" column, being sure that the overwater flights are the ones that you want.
Jan 5, 2018, 2:42 pm
#66
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: United Global Services, Amtrak Select Executive
Posts: 4,098
I had this same debate with myself earlier this year for travel LAX/SYD/LAX (for my current trip). The UG was not coming through so I changed to PE on NZ. So much better than E+ on UA. If in doubt that the GPU will come through and the flight is long enough I will take the true PE every time. NZ PE provides the amenity kit and PE meal, but their new PE seats are not nearly as nice as the old space saver seats but leaps and bounds better than E+ on UA.
I also flew NZ LAX-LHR in July in PE (and had the space saver seats). So much better, and less expensive than E+ on UA.
As it relates to UA fares: "W" vs "K" - If the fare differential is more than $550 I take the K fare and apply the miles and the co-pay. That way if the UG does not come through I keep my money for the E+ travel.
Full disclosure: I was able to use all my GPUs in 2017.
I also flew NZ LAX-LHR in July in PE (and had the space saver seats). So much better, and less expensive than E+ on UA.
As it relates to UA fares: "W" vs "K" - If the fare differential is more than $550 I take the K fare and apply the miles and the co-pay. That way if the UG does not come through I keep my money for the E+ travel.
Full disclosure: I was able to use all my GPUs in 2017.
Jan 5, 2018, 2:58 pm
#67
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
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Jan 5, 2018, 4:30 pm
#69
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,115
Two searches:
1 - search transoceanic legs, looking for R space using Advanced Mode. You don't need to worry about searching for a particular fare class -- just search ORD-LHR, EWR-LHR, IAD-LHR, etc...
2 - Once you've identified the long flights you want to take in step 1, search your actual flight path using W,V,Q,H,U,E,M,B,Y. (If you just put "W," you won't get a result when the cheapest upgradeable fare is a V, for example. If you search for all upgradeable classes this way, the system will return the price for the cheapest out of all of the fares you select). Then, go ahead and make your purchase from the "Selected Fare Class" column, being sure that the overwater flights are the ones that you want.
1 - search transoceanic legs, looking for R space using Advanced Mode. You don't need to worry about searching for a particular fare class -- just search ORD-LHR, EWR-LHR, IAD-LHR, etc...
2 - Once you've identified the long flights you want to take in step 1, search your actual flight path using W,V,Q,H,U,E,M,B,Y. (If you just put "W," you won't get a result when the cheapest upgradeable fare is a V, for example. If you search for all upgradeable classes this way, the system will return the price for the cheapest out of all of the fares you select). Then, go ahead and make your purchase from the "Selected Fare Class" column, being sure that the overwater flights are the ones that you want.
Jan 6, 2018, 3:27 am
#70
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,219
Plane I caught yesterday: https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Ai...777-300_V2.php
Pitch of 41 vs 31/33, width of 20 vs 17.1
Jan 10, 2018, 11:02 am
#72
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA MM Plat, UA 1MM, Hilton Lifetime Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold, CLEAR, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 3,621
Members also use the chrome script that sbm12 created, with expert mode turned on, it puts the key inventory fare classes in red/green like R and PN without having to click the uncollapse button on each potential flight. This way you do a search and you'll be able to quickly scan through the list and see where there's R
Jan 10, 2018, 11:12 am
#73
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Location: DTW, but drive to/from YYZ/ORD
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Jan 10, 2018, 12:22 pm
#74
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: UA 1K 1.45MM, Marriott+SPG Plat, Clear, Nexus, Global Entry and MEX Viajero Confiable
Posts: 1,777
Jan 10, 2018, 12:55 pm
#75
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA MM Plat, UA 1MM, Hilton Lifetime Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold, CLEAR, AS MVP Gold
Posts: 3,621