United has separated 6-yo girl from her parents based on a problem in the upgrade sys
Aug 31, 2018, 8:48 pm
#47
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,214
Before check-in, United has a very easy waitlist ordering when there are multiple family members on one reservation. They bypass you and upgrade passengers that are alone in their reservation (R=1). It's rare that they would open R=3.
And there's no difference if you pay for the waitlist with a GPU or miles + copay.
And there's no difference if you pay for the waitlist with a GPU or miles + copay.
These days I know if I absolutely, positively want to be in the next class of service I pay. With that said I am 7/8 for my GPUs this year - and very thankful. I also used miles and co-pay for another international flight this year.
Aug 31, 2018, 10:04 pm
#48
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: CO (now UA) 1K / Hyatt Platinum / UMPPPC / SLH Honoured
Posts: 108
I just know everyone is dying for an update. The good news is onboard WiFi is equally {poor} for all regardless of fare class!
Self-medicating in the cheap seats is working like a champ, and wife snuck a Polaris pillow and glass of port back to me. Oooh living on the edge.
Old news to the rest of you I'm sure, but the Polaris lounge at IAH is the real deal -- feels much more like a typical international lounge with real food, nice service, and not terribly crowded. I'd pay the difference for Business just to get in there nevermind the flight.
Self-medicating in the cheap seats is working like a champ, and wife snuck a Polaris pillow and glass of port back to me. Oooh living on the edge.
Old news to the rest of you I'm sure, but the Polaris lounge at IAH is the real deal -- feels much more like a typical international lounge with real food, nice service, and not terribly crowded. I'd pay the difference for Business just to get in there nevermind the flight.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Aug 31, 2018 at 10:20 pm Reason: FT Ruke 16 -Using symbols, spaces or other methods to mask vulgarities is not allowed.
Sep 21, 2018, 3:13 pm
#50
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: CO (now UA) 1K / Hyatt Platinum / UMPPPC / SLH Honoured
Posts: 108
Oh, and I just went through my United account and credit card charges. As I suspected, for this flight which was over 20 days ago, they did NOT refund the money for the MileagePlus upgrade waitlist request that didn't go through. I wonder how much money United clears a year by making people request refunds instead of automatically providing them. Their computer sure as heck knew not to issue a Business Class boarding pass, but can it kick off an automated refund? Not the last several times I've flown with them and had upgrades not go through.
Sep 21, 2018, 10:38 pm
#51
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Somewhere I've Driven To
Programs: HiltonHonors, IHG Hotels, DL Skymiles
Posts: 2,070
"Waitlist confirmation priority is based on the Premier status of the traveler. If the request includes multiple travelers, then priority is based on the highest Premier status on the reservation."
Great, so all three of us should have equal upgrade priority at my Platinum level, right?
Great, so all three of us should have equal upgrade priority at my Platinum level, right?
That's not what that is saying at all (that there should be equal upgrade priority due to YOUR being at platinum level) - Your status determines where (only) your name is on the list, not everyone in your party. If that were the case top members would be booking all relatives/friends on one PNR and monopolizing the cabin upgrade by the size of their group. Also gate agents don't determine seat inventory uses or changes when a flight is boarding or soon to board -- (that one of those seats might be for crew but because you have a six-year-old and it would be nice to put you all in the forward cabin that everything should be juggled around?). No gate agent would even dream of such a thing (unless, of course, they want to lose their job). It's on you to then decide to have one parent and the child sit together in the forward cabin and the other adult sits in coach. You don't get to choose how an airline uses or changes it's inventory and then go on about why they get "bad press".
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 22, 2018 at 10:50 am Reason: add quote attribution
Sep 22, 2018, 6:50 am
#52
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: CO hublette
Programs: UA AU MM,HH Diamond,Hyatt Globalist , Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,281
The angel in the seat in front of him was on her way to Houston to train as a FA and switched so he could have the seat with no seat next to him.
Sep 22, 2018, 7:08 am
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,353
That's not what that is saying at all (that there should be equal upgrade priority due to YOUR being at platinum level) - Your status determines where (only) your name is on the list, not everyone in your party. If that were the case top members would be booking all relatives/friends on one PNR and monopolizing the cabin upgrade by the size of their group.
It gets complicated / messy when the reservations are split, as Platinum companions sometimes seem to be at the bottom of the Platinum list (after Golds), which appears to be the published rule, and sometimes don't.
For CPUs, it's similar, except you only get one companion per Premier member.
Sep 22, 2018, 11:04 am
#54
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 11,468
