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Premium Plus Fare in GDS (for sale starting 3 Dec 2018, travel after 30 March 2019)

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Old Nov 30, 2018, 9:19 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: DetroitFlyer
UA PP mini site online, thanks @coolbeans202
http://view.ceros.com/united/premiumplus/p/1
  • United® Premium Plus will be available for sale beginning December 3 for travel March 30 and beyond.
  • Long-haul flights that will offer United® Premium Plus include trans-Pacific flights, trans-Atlantic flights and flights from the U.S. to these South American destinations: Buenos Aires, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, São Paulo. For a complete list of planned PP markets, see the press release below.
  • Revenue Premium Plus fare codes are O, A, and R.
  • Award Premium Plus fare code is ON.
  • Upgrade Premium Plus fare code is RN.
  • Earn 150% Premier qualifying miles and 1.5 Premier qualifying segments when you purchase a fare in United® Premium Plus.
  • Upgrade instruments (GPU or miles+cash) can be used to upgrade to PE and/or J. There will be no fare class restriction for Y -> PE upgrades, and no fare class restriction for PE -> J upgrades.
  • If a pax requests an upgrade to either cabin, and clears into the PE cabin, they will remain waitlisted for the J cabin but the instrument will considered used for the PE upgrade (except miles+cash is expected to have a separate upgrade chart and a partial refund will be issued in this case).
  • PE fares will delegate to B (Economy) on UA domestic sectors and will allow free E+, and lowest available up to Y/U/Q on partner metal sectors with a UA code.


United Airlines Announces Sale Date for United® Premium Plus, Airline's Premium Economy Offering

CHICAGO, Nov. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, United Airlines announced that its newest premium seating, United® Premium Plus will be on sale beginning December 3, for travel on select international flights starting March 30, 2019. The new premium economy experience will be available on 21 routes by the end of May 2019.

"United® Premium Plus gives our customers more options so they can choose the best experience that fits their wants and needs when they travel," said Andrew Nocella, United's executive vice president and chief commercial officer. "United® Premium Plus includes some of our high-end amenities from United Polaris, and is the perfect option for someone who wants an upgraded experience in the Economy cabin."

Customers traveling in United® Premium Plus will enjoy an elevated travel experience before their flight even leaves the ground, receiving complimentary standard checked bags, as well as Premier Access check-in and priority boarding. United will also offer discounted entrance at United ClubSM locations for customers traveling in United® Premium Plus.



For more images visit United's media gallery on the United Hub.

Once on board, customers will enjoy a spacious seat with more legroom, elbow room and recline than a standard Economy Plus® or Economy seat, as well as a hearty welcome meal, mid-flight snacks and a pre-arrival dining service. In addition to beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages, liquor will also be complimentary in United® Premium Plus. Customers will also receive an amenity kit, a Saks Fifth Avenue blanket and plush pillow, as well as noise-reducing headphones, making it easier to enjoy hundreds of hours of entertainment on larger seatback entertainment screens. Seats will also be equipped with individual power and USB outlets, dedicated overhead bins and extra storage for customers to keep devices at hand throughout their entire flight.

United®Premium Plus Aircraft and Routes

The new premium economy seats debuted on select Boeing 777-200ER and 777-300ER aircraft earlier this summer, and United took delivery of its first 787-10 aircraft earlier this month with United Polaris business class and United® Premium Plus seats installed. All aircraft with United® Premium Plus seats also feature the airline's signature United Polaris business class direct-aisle-access seats. On average, United is adding one aircraft with United Polaris business class and United® Premium Plus seating every 10 days from now through 2020.



Awards and Upgrades
In addition to purchasing a United® Premium Plus seat, MileagePlus members will have the option to book award travel in United® Premium Plus by using their MileagePlus miles. For upgrades, either a single Global Premier Upgrade or a MileagePlus Upgrade Award can be used to move up to a United® Premium Plus seat or to United's Polaris business class cabin. For more information on United's premium economy experience visit united.com/PremiumPlus.
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Premium Plus Fare in GDS (for sale starting 3 Dec 2018, travel after 30 March 2019)

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Old Nov 30, 2018, 2:54 pm
  #61  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee
I think the concern is they will tweak the algorithm to reduce advance upgrade space, on the theory that will incent more P+ purchases. It's not inconceivable.
R/PZ seems to have been getting lower based on my limited sampling so if it gets lower, it will be impossible to know if it is due to P+ or just originally planned.

I'm assuming a P+ fare will typically cost more than a W fare. So it could be seen as an increase in "copay" to get J when using a GPU.

They could also create a new bucket specifically for J upgrades that only P+ is eligible to upgrade into and put a higher inventory in that bucket than Y to J to get people to buy more P+
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 2:58 pm
  #62  
 
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Ok so what I've missed on this is, these aircraft that have Premium Economy seats, do they ALSO have economy plus seats, or do those go away?

One of the primary drivers for my United loyalty is being able to select economy plus seats when I'm not able to fly/upgrade to business.

It would be a big loss for me if this change means I'm stuck in a basic economy seat without burning hundreds of dollars or an instrument.
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 2:59 pm
  #63  
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Originally Posted by raehl311
Ok so what I've missed on this is, these aircraft that have Premium Economy seats, do they ALSO have economy plus seats, or do those go away?
Yes, they also have E+.
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 3:00 pm
  #64  
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Originally Posted by raehl311
Ok so what I've missed on this is, these aircraft that have Premium Economy seats, do they ALSO have economy plus seats, or do those go away?
Yes, aircraft have both PE and E+. They tend to have proportionally smaller E+ cabins than before, although that trend was in the making before PE was announced.
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 3:08 pm
  #65  
 
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As a Chicago based flyer I find it hugely disappointing that it looks like Chicago is once again going to have the worst product until the very end! The lack of 777-300 and 787-10 service already limits our chance of getting true Polaris or Premium Plus and we had the retched three class 767-300's right until the very end (still do, the one lone soldier is still dedicated to ORD-LHR). Just as the 777-200 reconfigurations were hitting a critical mass and you had an okay chance of getting one, it looks like they are soon to be cycled out of ORD as well! I made quite a few Busines bookings this summer knowing there was a chance of getting the old product but figuring by then chances of getting a reconfigured 777 would be pretty high. Guess not, time to make some flight changes!
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 3:10 pm
  #66  
 
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Originally Posted by findark
Yes, aircraft have both PE and E+. They tend to have proportionally smaller E+ cabins than before, although that trend was in the making before PE was announced.
True, although it appears that PE seats are coming out of the E+ seat numbers. The 772 was about 1:1 ratio, the current v5 (which doesn't actually exist) has a 1:2 ratio, and the incoming 772 with PE is about 1:3 (although also with PE seats). The 77W is currently 1:2 but will drop to about 1:3 when the front E+ section is converted to PE.

United is going to face a challenge on long haul flights accommodating most/all elites in E+ seats once these conversions are completed. I.e., you'll be in E- if you didn't buy early. (Obviously this is route and day dependent)
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 3:46 pm
  #67  
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Originally Posted by twindocstravel
As a Chicago based flyer I find it hugely disappointing that it looks like Chicago is once again going to have the worst product until the very end! The lack of 777-300 and 787-10 service already limits our chance of getting true Polaris or Premium Plus and we had the retched three class 767-300's right until the very end (still do, the one lone soldier is still dedicated to ORD-LHR). Just as the 777-200 reconfigurations were hitting a critical mass and you had an okay chance of getting one, it looks like they are soon to be cycled out of ORD as well! I made quite a few Busines bookings this summer knowing there was a chance of getting the old product but figuring by then chances of getting a reconfigured 777 would be pretty high. Guess not, time to make some flight changes!
The last tape loop IFE Y aircraft in the fleet is being used to/from LHR? Gadzooks. But comfy seats back there!
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 4:42 pm
  #68  
 
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So, by upgrading all waitlisted passengers seated in paid PE to Polaris before those seated in E+/E it appears UA is elevating the importance of fare over status. GS/1Ks seated in E+ will get upgraded to Polaris AFTER lower status members already seated in PE. Am I reading this correctly? I can imagine in some cases the GS/1k could even be on a more expensive ticket and still lose out if PE was sold out when they booked.

edit: on reflection, GS may not be harmed since they clear into PN, assuming they clear PN before PZ when both simultaneously go >1. 1Ks get shafted as UA will upgrade lower level premiers seated in PE before them when PZ >1.

Need a P.hD to follow the new upgrading process.

Last edited by dkc715; Nov 30, 2018 at 4:51 pm
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 4:44 pm
  #69  
 
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Originally Posted by uastarflyer


The last tape loop IFE Y aircraft in the fleet is being used to/from LHR? Gadzooks. But comfy seats back there!
LOL, yup N660UA is flying as UA958 from ORD-LHR as we speak. Totally agree about the Y-seats. Flying up front I would obviously want the new Polaris seats but flying in the back, give me the old 767 seats any day (even if I have to suffer through the tiny, fuzzy IFE screen with the looping videos).
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 5:08 pm
  #70  
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Originally Posted by findark

For codeshares (UA code, partner metal), an R fare will delegate to the lowest available or Q, whichever is lower. Q space is required.
For UA/UA flights, and R fare will delegate to B.
Does this mean that partner PE fares won't be available from UA?
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 5:32 pm
  #71  
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Originally Posted by dkc715
So, by upgrading all waitlisted passengers seated in paid PE to Polaris before those seated in E+/E it appears UA is elevating the importance of fare over status. GS/1Ks seated in E+ will get upgraded to Polaris AFTER lower status members already seated in PE. Am I reading this correctly? I can imagine in some cases the GS/1k could even be on a more expensive ticket and still lose out if PE was sold out when they booked.


The wording is suggestive of this, but I don't think it's immediately clear whether a non-status pax in paid PE is ahead of a 1K in Y, both w/l for J. Still, I don't think it's crazy to reward people who pay for the higher cabin.
Originally Posted by TomMM
Does this mean that partner PE fares won't be available from UA?
I doubt it - I assume the status quo will continue. It will, however, mean that you can book partner PE on the UA codeshare without having to call. Right now there are no rules for non-UA coded flights, but I assume they'll update that eventually.
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 5:35 pm
  #72  
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Originally Posted by findark
I don't think it's crazy to reward people who pay for the higher cabin.
Except a discount P+ fare will cost considerably less than a Y, B, or M.

Buying R will be a nice way to cut the upgrade queue. As I previously mentioned, this will really benefit those whose employers will pay for P+.
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 5:41 pm
  #73  
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Except a discount P+ fare will cost considerably less than a Y, B, or M.

Buying R will be a nice way to cut the upgrade queue. As I previously mentioned, this will really benefit those whose employers will pay for P+.
There are definitely arguments to both sides. As someone who is much more likely to buy R than M, I am clearly biased, but I think it's loosely analogous to why someone on a $300 P fare shouldn't be evicted to make room for a GS on a $900 B fare. Obviously, not the same situation, but there is supposed to be some benefit carried from the higher class of service.

I kind of suspect LH prioritizes PE upgrades over Y too, but since they don't publish their order it's hard to tell
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 5:45 pm
  #74  
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Originally Posted by dkc715
So, by upgrading all waitlisted passengers seated in paid PE to Polaris before those seated in E+/E it appears UA is elevating the importance of fare over status. GS/1Ks seated in E+ will get upgraded to Polaris AFTER lower status members already seated in PE. Am I reading this correctly? I can imagine in some cases the GS/1k could even be on a more expensive ticket and still lose out if PE was sold out when they booked.

Yes, that's correct.

PE doesn't even have to be sold out -- it could be wide open, and a GS / 1K whose travel policy prohibits PE (but allows flexible tickets, perhaps) would still be lower on the list than a non-status passenger who purchased PE and used an instrument to upgrade.

That said, at the prices I'm seeing, I don't anticipate that "buy PE and upgrade" is going to be a popular approach for most non-status travelers anyway.

For example, for May travel, AUS-SIN with a one-week stay is currently pricing at $880 RT in L, $1187 in W, and $3279 in PE (NH E). (UA has a $2675 base fare filed but it's not eligible for sale yet so I don't know the all-in price -- call it $2800). You're looking at about 2.5x the W fare and 3-4x the cheapest fare. By comparison, there's a roundtrip Z/P fare that's pricing out at $4869 for similar dates.

Each market is going to be different, but I've spot-checked a few and I think it's much more likely you'll have no-status passengers using miles + copay to go from K to P+ than you will from P+ to J. I think the majority of travelers buying P+ will be business travelers, many of whom will have status, since it won't take many of these trips to qualify for silver, at least.

Originally Posted by findark
I doubt it - I assume the status quo will continue. It will, however, mean that you can book partner PE on the UA codeshare without having to call. Right now there are no rules for non-UA coded flights, but I assume they'll update that eventually.
(I deleted an earlier, incorrect reply; I didn't notice the R -> R line on the codeshares).

It will depend upon UA gaining PE inventory, but I have to assume that's basically a formality at this point. They may not get access on all carriers right away, but I imagine they'll have access to the JV partners at or near launch.

I love the CHI-DEC addendum to the routing table, BTW. For anybody who wants to route their SFO-HKG trip through Decatur, IL, here's how.
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Old Nov 30, 2018, 5:54 pm
  #75  
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Originally Posted by jsloan
For example, for May travel, AUS-SIN with a one-week stay is currently pricing at $880 RT in L, $1187 in W, and $3279 in PE (NH E). (UA has a $2675 base fare filed but it's not eligible for sale yet so I don't know the all-in price -- call it $2800). You're looking at about 2.5x the W fare and 3-4x the cheapest fare. By comparison, there's a roundtrip Z/P fare that's pricing out at $4869 for similar dates.

Each market is going to be different, but I've spot-checked a few and I think it's much more likely you'll have no-status passengers using miles + copay to go from K to P+ than you will from P+ to J. I think the majority of travelers buying P+ will be business travelers, many of whom will have status, since it won't take many of these trips to qualify for silver, at least.
TATL and TPAC have a really strange divergence here -- going TATL the W fare is usually around $2,000 r/t and PE is not much more. (The ca. $2,700 3-day AP 3-day stay LH E fare is a favorite of mine for business travel.) Regardless though, nobody outside of a few FTers are going to be buying PE to get better upgrade odds. They will buy it for the cabin, and I do agree many of them will have status for that reason.
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