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3-class F seat now sold as Domestic F/Polaris Bus,GS or J/C/D 1K? may select pre-OLCI

Old Feb 5, 2019, 6:20 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Ari
As of Feb. 5, only Global Services are able to select FC seats. The ability for 1K to reserve seats was removed. Existing 1K seat selections appear to be kept. In June 2019, the advance access for 1Ks on J/C/D fares was restored. [It appears this is not the case.]

Ex-GlobalFirst seats are selectable for all confirmed business class passengers at check in, even if >24 hrs from flight with GF seats (in the case of positioning flights).

Everything You Wanted to Know About Where to Sit on a pmUA 3-Cabin 777 Version 2
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3-class F seat now sold as Domestic F/Polaris Bus,GS or J/C/D 1K? may select pre-OLCI

Old Jun 9, 2019, 1:40 pm
  #601  
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Originally Posted by UA_Flyer
I booked my partner and I into the F cabin of the 3-cabin 772 (on separate PNR), and I could see the plane coming in has reconfigured cabin, but our flight still shows the three-cabin. We are about 60 hours prior departure and want to make sure we sit in the odd middle seats together. We are now in Row 2 center two seats in the three class cabin.

When does seat map gets updated so we can grab the preferred seats?
Are you leaving from the US or from abroad? Usually, it's in the last 72 to 60 hours. But if you are leaving from the US, the plane coming in can change until the day of departure. Maybe that's why they have not changed yet the seat configuration. On our last trip to PVG, we had three plane swaps in the last 60 hours and ended up on a pmCO 772 (flying ORD to PVG). Had to happen when my wife and I had seats in the former First Class area........

Coming back from PVG, I noticed something that I had never noticed before: we got an assigned plane number (by this, I mean the tail number) on a Thursday for a Wednesday flight. I thought that they were tentatively assigning a plane number 72 to 60 hours before the flight but this was way earlier and on the day of the flight it was that same plane number.
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Old Jun 9, 2019, 2:10 pm
  #602  
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
Seems around mid-night Chicago time (give or take an hour or so)
Thanks. I will check midnight Chicago time, but is it 24 hours or 48 hours in advance or the day of departure?
​​​​​​
Originally Posted by StuckinITH
Are you leaving from the US or from abroad? Usually, it's in the last 72 to 60 hours. But if you are leaving from the US, the plane coming in can change until the day of departure. Maybe that's why they have not changed yet the seat configuration. On our last trip to PVG, we had three plane swaps in the last 60 hours and ended up on a pmCO 772 (flying ORD to PVG). Had to happen when my wife and I had seats in the former First Class area........

Coming back from PVG, I noticed something that I had never noticed before: we got an assigned plane number (by this, I mean the tail number) on a Thursday for a Wednesday flight. I thought that they were tentatively assigning a plane number 72 to 60 hours before the flight but this was way earlier and on the day of the flight it was that same plane number.
It is out of NRT. The routes (inbound and outbound) have always been flown on PMUA planes. Inbound is HNL-NRT and outbound is NRT-IAD.


Last edited by UA_Flyer; Jun 9, 2019 at 2:24 pm
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Old Jun 9, 2019, 2:18 pm
  #603  
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Originally Posted by UA_Flyer
Thanks. I will check midnight Chicago time, but it is 24 hours or 48 hours in advance of the day of departure?....
yeah, the would have helped
48-60 hours out is want others have reported
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Old Jun 9, 2019, 3:14 pm
  #604  
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Originally Posted by UA_Flyer
It is out of NRT. The routes (inbound and outbound) have always been flown on PMUA planes. Inbound is HNL-NRT and outbound is NRT-IAD.

Out of ORD and into ORD international long hauls for my destinations have always been served by a pmUA 772. Except that time in May with the pmCO 772 and then two days later they repeated that. I have not checked what happened after that but I guess I should start checking again as we have a trip to PVG in 20 days.

Example: for a flight out of the US on a Tuesday I saw that the plane was changed when I woke up on Sunday at 6:30 AM. Then it changed back on that Sunday at 9:30 AM, then it changed to the pmCO 772 at 5:00 AM on the day of departure.

I guess that your flight is on 6/12. The plane assigned at this time is 2792 (N792UA) which is a reconfigured one.

Last edited by StuckinITH; Jun 9, 2019 at 3:35 pm
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Old Jun 11, 2019, 7:23 pm
  #605  
 
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Help Polaris Seats Showing Available but Unbookable

I have a connection red eye flight from LAX to ORD and I specfically booked it in first (Z Fare). While I was booking I clicked preview seats and I can see available seats in row 1 and 2 with 5/8 available seats and row 3-10 in first with lots of open seats but during seat selection they are grayed out. Its a 700-200 Version 1.
I called the united helpdesk and they see them grayed out as well. Any ideas? Are they held back?

I tried making a booking with only LAX to ORD and requested a J fare to see if it's blocked off for J and it shows up as available but during booking row 1&2 are grayed out ... Any ideas?
  • Available fare classes:
  • J9
  • JN9
  • C9
  • D9
  • Z9
  • ZN9
  • P9
  • PN2
  • PZ0
  • IN0
  • I0
  • Y9
  • YN9
  • B9
  • M9
  • E9
  • U9
  • H9
  • HN9
  • Q9
  • V9
  • W9
  • S2
  • T0
  • L0
  • K0
  • G0
  • N9
  • XN0
  • X0
Update: When I use Expert Flyer to look up the flight I see available seats in the preview as blocked...

Last edited by tilhas; Jun 11, 2019 at 7:28 pm
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Old Jun 11, 2019, 7:35 pm
  #606  
 
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They might be blocked for crew rest? Or maybe theyre the seats reserved for GS/1K?
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Old Jun 11, 2019, 7:35 pm
  #607  
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May swap to something smaller.
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Old Jun 11, 2019, 7:42 pm
  #608  
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Originally Posted by tilhas
I have a connection red eye flight from LAX to ORD and I specfically booked it in first (Z Fare). While I was booking I clicked preview seats and I can see available seats in row 1 and 2 with 5/8 available seats and row 3-10 in first with lots of open seats but during seat selection they are grayed out. Its a 700-200 Version 1..
The old international first seats on the pmUA772s are blocked for GS only until check-in, additionally, there are frequent swaps to the newer version of 772 seating
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Old Jun 11, 2019, 7:52 pm
  #609  
 
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
The old international first seats on the pmUA772s are blocked for GS only until check-in, additionally, there are frequent swaps to the newer version of 772 seating
Thank you for the quick response.

Bummer i booked that flight trying to get the best seats. What are the new 772 seating? I do not want to be seating facing backwards. Anyway for me to figure out what are the safe seats?
Also at checkin will I be able to grab those seats? and when would I know if they do a swap?
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Old Jun 11, 2019, 7:58 pm
  #610  
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Originally Posted by tilhas
Thank you for the quick response.

Bummer i booked that flight trying to get the best seats. What are the new 772 seating? I do not want to be seating facing backwards. Anyway for me to figure out what are the safe seats?
Also at checkin will I be able to grab those seats? and when would I know if they do a swap?
If you look at the seat map it's quite clear which ones are facing backwards. But backwards seats are not really bad. After the first time that I had to sit in one, I realized that fact. At check-in you should be able to get a seat in the former First Class area if they are still available but lately they have been gone on my flights before check-in. Swaps can happen until the time you board your flight so you need to keep monitoring the App.
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Old Jun 11, 2019, 8:35 pm
  #611  
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Originally Posted by tilhas
Thank you for the quick response.

Bummer i booked that flight trying to get the best seats. What are the new 772 seating? I do not want to be seating facing backwards. Anyway for me to figure out what are the safe seats?
Also at checkin will I be able to grab those seats? and when would I know if they do a swap?
There is no guarantee seat mapping on swaps
Non-Polaris swap to/from Polaris seat re-assignment process?

for seating opinions see
Everything You Wanted to Know About Where to Sit on a pmUA 3-Cabin 777 Version 2
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...seats-77j.html

And to opine on rear facing seats, I find them fine.
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Old Jun 12, 2019, 9:36 pm
  #612  
 
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I just want to confirm what the wiki says. My flight on the 777-200 is the third of three legs and I will be checking in about 42 hours before the flight. Currently there are three seats available and we are three weeks out from the flight so do realize a GS may snag them.

I am concerned if I choose one of the old GF seats that I may get bumped back to a seat that is less desirable than my current seat.

Has anyone (non GS) been bumped from their GF seat after checkin?
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Old Jun 12, 2019, 9:48 pm
  #613  
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By far the overshadowing risk is one or more Polaris swaps. It's very rare to get bumped now that they have sorted out the process, but several frame swaps can land you literally anywhere in the J cabin.
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Old Jun 12, 2019, 10:31 pm
  #614  
Ari
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Originally Posted by Aussienarelle
I am concerned if I choose one of the old GF seats that I may get bumped back to a seat that is less desirable than my current seat.
Why? That would only happen in the case of a plane swap.
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Old Jun 13, 2019, 1:07 am
  #615  
 
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Originally Posted by Ari
Why? That would only happen in the case of a plane swap.
That was what I was wanting to confirm, that i would not lose the seat after check in since I would be checking in so much earlier than other pax.
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