cbourl

I always choose flights where I can see O space avalable Ive always been very lucky

weero

O or ON (should be nearly the same though for elites) ?

You book it as a saver award or a D/C/J=>F upgrade award?

I could imaging that C=>F is a lot easier these days than Y=>C but I had to WL even those.

cbourl

Always as a D to ON with a GPU - this wont be possible any longer since soon no F to/from Australia

teeceedee

I mean I just tell them to book whatever flight they want, then I call in and apply a GPU (waitlist be damned). So far only one hasn't cleared - although after applying, I do watch it diligently.

Very possible that they're just flying vacation off hours

CIT85

I have never had GPU clear at time of booking. All my GPUs were waitlisted since I cannot book flights more than 2 months in advance and every time it's been R0. If GPU clears, 50% it's at the gate.

Since my TPACs are usually Z or P, I cannot use GPUs on those flights.

weero

And of course the Y=>C buckets look bleak .
And willing to pay the premium?

Not too bad, I have to concede.

cbourl

No mt holidays are always Northern Hemisphere High Season! Havent had a GPU not clear on LH to First, nor Evouchers not clear to F on LX, nor a SAUA from C to F not clear using MileagePlus miles on LX
Just have to rethink the no more F on UA from AU to/from SFO Who scllepps through LAX unless I have to because I want to try the new LX F
Edited - Typos Big Fingers

teeceedee

Yeah, the "W" fare is the only thing I have to explain. It sucks, but they usually just bite the bullet.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to travel and use one myself this year so I can understand everyone else's pain ^

eng3

I've managed to clear all my GPU's in the past because my intl travel is not mostly for leisure so I am very flexible on dates and even destination. Back when I use to travel intl for work, I can understand not being able to clear. It's a shame UA makes is so difficult for their "top customers" to use this benefit.

fgirard

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 9_2_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/601.1.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/9.0 Mobile/13D15 Safari/601.1)

I didn't clear yesterday on LHR-IAH-LAX, even though I was originally booked into H class, and upfared to M (might as well get the PQD requirement out of the way). In fact, I probably would not have cleared while trying a 1K upgrade on IAH-LAX (into PN) because it went from 15/20 to 19/20 before I left LHR and then went to 20/20 on arrival. It probably has to do with the fact that I was offered a $199 TOD offer.

SS255

The biggest sting is that they force you to buy a higher fare just to be able to waitlist. The second biggest sting is that you cannot use GPU's on discounted business class. One of the GPU's that I lost due to failure to clear Y-->J could have been used to clear J-->F on a Z fare on another flight. Instead, a non-rev got to enjoy 1A on a 747.

weero

Hmm those would be #2 and #3 ... the biggest insult to me is that they make you buy a high fare bucket to be waitlisted and then do not honour the waitlist but hawk your upgrade off to someone on a K fare who is willing to pay a few bucks.

Kacee

If UA can get $199 for the upgrade to F on a 737 IAH-LAX, more power to them.

cbourl

Or you can be sitting in C on a longhaul from SFO-SYD in Row 6 on UA Youve checked in that morning at JFK (no longer eeek Newark eeek) all the way to A, with a nice day in SF Downtown at Union Sq and in the Castro at Harveys or somesuch then you board late nite SFO-SYD or MEL via SYD And someone says you are sittting in their seat on the long haul - UA forgot to tell you when you boarded you were upgraded to F on the longhaul at UA's discretion without even needing to use an upgrade instrument - Gotta love UA! But no longer !!! All the nasty BF to AU Its ok on your JFK (or now EWR) - SFO jaunt but seriously its sooooooooooooooooooooo Continental now It seems even worse since Smisek left! And on a recent flight from SIN-HKG in UA GlobalFirst which was a fun flight with fun flight attendants (mostly SF based, staff commented how ashamed they were of UA and the demise of GlobalFirst to AU !!!

So my RTW regular LH/LX fare will probbaly utilise AC or CX so I can travel to EU/IL on the new LX F And my travel to a NY conference in Dec 2016 has been booked with AA miles AU-JFK on Eithad First/Apaprtments from MEL On the way back please pray AA release some F award seats on the day I want to leave NYC (already got a back up F award a day earlier JFK-MIA-LAX-SYD all in F on 777W except JFK-MIA) Seems AA have more award seats for lowly frequent flyers than the new UA does for its Premeier 1Ks

weero

While nice, I don't need F cabins or upgrades to F. Actually, even Premium Economy is good enough for me.
So I and UA are more and more misaligned ......