Will Star Alliance Gold member get CPU upgrade? [ No ]
 

Hi I'll be flying from LAX-KOA next month. I bought M class ticket. As TG*G will I get a CPU upgrade? and between Star Alliance Gold members and MileagePlus Silver members which one does United give more priority on upgrade. Thanks

Non-UA *G are not eligible for CPUs. So, MileagePlus Silver will give you a better chance just by default -- but upgrades to Hawaii have gotten extremely scarce recently. Your chances are not good.

UA will give no priority (or even consideration) to a *A Gold. UA Silvers are best served by securing themselves good coach seats LAX-KOA because chances of upgrade on that route as a Silver are not much above zero nowadays. At least you get lounge access (at LAX).

You have the answer from others. Here is a description of the CPU program which is expressly for MP elites only. As others note, it is largely hypothetical on your route anyway.

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con.../upgrades.aspx

The only thing a *G would have consideration for for comp. upgrades on UA is for an op-up in the right situation. So rare, it's not really worth considering, though likely does happen on the very odd occasion of full flights with a lot of leisure traffic and low business traffic. Can't say for this route specifically, but most likely to happen around the heavy travel around Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years.

But if you want F, and you already have a Y ticket, your best option is probably to see what UA is offering a buy-up for. Assuming this is a UA M ticket (as opposed to codeshare that is M on the marketing carrier, translated to something lower on UA), a buy up from an M might not be too much, and you can look at your reservation on UA's website to see what the offer might be. These are typically offered even throughout the check in window, though the buy up price is likely to vary.

I haven't heard reports in a couple of years, but *Gs used to report that many agents might give them free E+ on the day of departure if you asked to be moved up closer to the front at the airport. YMMV, of course, and not sure if they are really doing it these days.

As a non UA *G I've had very good success doing this. I almost always combine this with offering to volunteer for a bump, which generally gets the interaction off on a favourable start.

I find it hard to get an upgrade anywhere as a United Gold. The upgrade is a bit of a joke.

Continuing the discussion, does *G improve chances (over General Member) of upgrading with borrowed RPU/GPU/Miles?

After all, *G does have some unpublished :D benefits on United par with Premier Gold.

Your priority is based on the membership level of the person sponsoring the upgrade instrument - your own personal status has no bearing.

That's not true, except inasmuch as GS instruments are ahead of non-GS instruments. (Even then, they'd still be prioritized against other GS instruments according to the status of the traveler).

Instruments do not inherit status. That ended several years ago.

Whoops, I guess I am behind the times - sorry about that.

So that would mean donated instruments or miles rely on the traveler's own status to prioritize? I guess that means the OP is really out of luck unless they pick a very quiet route/day/time.

Yes, based on traveler's status.

Still ahead of all CPUs (except GS).

btw, here's the verbiage:

There have been discussions whether this has been fully implemented and some believe instruments sometimes do still inherit status.

The original thread
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...-accounts.html

I strongly suspect the SSR tag (for visible waitlist position) uses the status of the instrument, but I think that the waitlist itself is status of the traveler.