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2 Class Flights with 3 Class Planes --- Who gets to sit in the 3-class F seats?

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Old Jun 9, 2018, 7:35 pm
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2 Class Flights with 3 Class Planes --- Who gets to sit in the 3-class F seats?

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Old Mar 25, 2018, 4:17 pm
  #1  
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2 Class Flights with 3 Class Planes --- Who gets to sit in the 3-class F seats?

I swear I’ve seen a thread on this but mobile isn’t helping me find it:

Taking the scenic route home Tuesday, in part to recover some PQM/PQS I dropped when my travel was limited to a health issue earlier this year.
IAH-ORD is a 3-cabin 763–plus I’d love to get my butt in a Global First seat before they all disappear; I’m currently in 7K and the F cabin is empty (0/6)—my PNR is showing “CPU Requested”

The website won’t quote me a price to buy up nor will it allow me to apply an instrument. A bored and very friendly/helpful agent at one of the CSCs on the outbound trip couldn’t figure out what was going on (or how with a H-fare basis I was already in the F cabin on the other segments... they showed me the fare ladder/calc showling the H......Y fare basis [but missing the /UPDI suffix], and I didn’t want to argue with him).

The same agent showed me that there are currently 0 names on the airport standby list for the cabin but I might be on the “reservations” standby list that they couldn’t see — which IIRC, is correct up until a few hours before departure.

Anything I can do to make sure I wind up in one of those?
My last attempt (pmUA 772) I was in that cabin from the time of booking, but wound up abandoning that flight for a 2-cabin bird due to weather delays.

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Old Mar 25, 2018, 4:30 pm
  #2  
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Is F is not for sale as a stand alone flight? What premium cabin fare classes show in Export Mode?

Basic issue, is this being sold as a 3-class flight or 2-class?
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 4:45 pm
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I flew on a 772 3 class ORD-EWR on an H fare. Did a buy up to J (P fare), then had the same goal the OP did. I kept checking the reservation and a 15,000 mile confirmable upgrade popped up and I grabbed it. Interesting, no RPU available. While the service was a little more prompt, the meal was identical to the J choices. Only worth it if you want to check the "sat in a GF seat for 2 hours" box.
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 4:52 pm
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Is F is not for sale as a stand alone flight? What premium cabin fare classes show in Export Mode?

Basic issue, is this being sold as a 3-class flight or 2-class?
Good question and I hadn’t checked before...certainly looks like it’s being sold as 2-classs:
  • Available fare classes: F0 FN0 A0 ON0 O0 J9 JN9 C9 D9 Z9 ZN9 P0 PN0 R0 RN0 IN0 I0 Y9 YN9 B9 M9 E6 U2 H1 HN1 Q0 V0 W0 S0 T0 L0 K0 G0 N9 XN0 X0
So it looks like they’ve 0-ed out all of the F cabin buckets (which also explains why this got ticketed in Z instead of my usual A/P)
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 5:03 pm
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Originally Posted by tarheelnj
While the service was a little more prompt, the meal was identical to the J choices.
Both premium cabins offer identical United First® domestic in-flight service.

Originally Posted by lincolnjkc
So it looks like they’ve 0-ed out all of the F cabin buckets (which also explains why this got ticketed in Z instead of my usual A/P)
CPU sweeping will start filling the seats as soon as space is opened (pretty weird that nothing is open right now). If I were you I'd call in and plead my case. Upfare to J if CPU remains your only option and you want to maximize your chances.
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 5:10 pm
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Looking at UA 977 EWR-ORD on 3/26/18. It is a 772 3 class. 10 have cleared into J, 79 on the waitlist for J and 18 on waitlist for F. By my count that 107 elites not to mention those who either haven’t checked in or purchased J. Wow! That’s nuts! Or is that normal?

Flying this flight Wednesday. Purchased J. Want to sit in F if possible, but no way to use RPU at this point.


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Old Mar 25, 2018, 5:10 pm
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Originally Posted by mozilla
CPU sweeping will start filling the seats as soon as space is opened (pretty weird that nothing is open right now). If I were you I'd call in and plead my case. Upfare to J if CPU remains your only option and you want to maximize your chances.
I’m wondering if they’re holding it back in case there’s an equipment swap (either to a 2-cabin 763 or different equipment type alltogether) since it looks like the current ship is just killing time (arriving in ORD from LHR and then doing ORD-IAH-ORD) and could conceiveably be pulled for an international leg should the need arise.
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 5:21 pm
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Originally Posted by lincolnjkc


I’m wondering if they’re holding it back in case there’s an equipment swap




Possible. In that case I guess they will open the space when they're sure the plane will operate the flights, however, that could also result in an immediate CPU sweep and those 6 seats could be filled immediately, and you have no way of knowing right now how you will be ranked at that time. If the CPU sweep doesn't happen instantly after the space is released you could act quickly and snag a non-CPU upgrade, but you'd need to watch it like a hawk.
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 5:26 pm
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The thread you were remembering was likely Domestic 3-cabin flights (PS & others?) sold as 2-cabin flights; who gets up front?

Normally on non-"PS" routes, the 3-class aircraft were being sold as "3-class" but that does not appear what is happening in this case and the above thread may apply.
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 5:36 pm
  #10  
 
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Originally Posted by tarheelnj
I flew on a 772 3 class ORD-EWR on an H fare. Did a buy up to J (P fare), then had the same goal the OP did. I kept checking the reservation and a 15,000 mile confirmable upgrade popped up and I grabbed it. Interesting, no RPU available. While the service was a little more prompt, the meal was identical to the J choices. Only worth it if you want to check the "sat in a GF seat for 2 hours" box.
probably worth it in the 6 (or 5 during intl. runs) pax 3-class 767-300ER cabin. I don’t know if any other airline in the world with such a product on 767. 1-1-1 5F cabin. That just...cool.
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 5:42 pm
  #11  
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Originally Posted by mozilla
Possible. In that case I guess they will open the space when they're sure the plane will operate the flights, however, that could also result in an immediate CPU sweep and those 6 seats could be filled immediately, and you have no way of knowing right now how you will be ranked at that time. If the CPU sweep doesn't happen instantly after the space is released you could act quickly and snag a non-CPU upgrade, but you'd need to watch it like a hawk.
I just got the app to finally show me the UG list and counts for this flight. The J cabin is currently booked to 5 of 26 with 14 15 16 blocked(!) with one of those 5 being an already cleared upgrade... I may take my chances without upfareing. Though I might try calling when we land)

Last edited by lincolnjkc; Mar 25, 2018 at 5:58 pm
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 6:02 pm
  #12  
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Originally Posted by lincolnjkc
...So it looks like they’ve 0-ed out all of the F cabin buckets (which also explains why this got ticketed in Z instead of my usual A/P)
And allows a swap to a 2-class aircraft
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 8:20 pm
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They stopped selling F on this flight a little while ago. It’s a guaranteed upgrade for GS in J, as a result. My upgrades to F usually clear 3-4 days out, even though they won’t sell F.
NoLaGent likes this.
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Old Mar 25, 2018, 8:38 pm
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Originally Posted by cmhua777
They stopped selling F on this flight a little while ago. It’s a guaranteed upgrade for GS in J, as a result. My upgrades to F usually clear 3-4 days out, even though they won’t sell F.
^ This. Which is also what the thread quoted by WineCountry speaks to. GS get it, and then if room, a lucky 1K or two.

Not able to pre-assigned to others without an award or in some cases reported, an instrument. It seems like these have almost always gone to gate control, outside of GS assignment.
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Old Mar 26, 2018, 3:36 am
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Yes, seems to be the case. Checked some more dates and domestic routes which have the 3-cabin and they're all F0 A0.

Must be something pretty recent? UA was still happily offering me an "F" seat in exchange for 20.000 miles on my domestic "3-cabin" segments booked in P in January.
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