sfo789

On SFO-BOS I don't think it's implausible that there would be ~10 GS in Y on a flight, particularly a redeye. I've seen more on PS before…

On BOS-LAX, your GS GPU would have waitlisted you for PN with 1K status and whatever fare class you were in. Of course, however, since BOS-LAX isn't PS, YB(M)-fared pax are also waitlisted for PN, and (since you needed the RPU in the first place) presumably you were on a lower fare class than them. So you were all WLd for the same inventory but they had a higher fare class, breaking the 1K-status tie in their favour.

Obviously also possible you were mistakenly WLd for R or FT is wrong about the fare class GS instruments WL non-GS pax for, but this result is explainable even if you were WLd for PN.

osotoc

With some searching and lots of patience, I used four GPUs (2 of mine; 2 of spouse's) for LHR-SFO and LAX-LHR for November 2018.
Both cleared at purchase, which is what I wanted. Won't make 1K again as I'm focusing on Alaska partners for 2018 when I have the choice.

Kacee

Agreed.

Also, GS GPU wouldn't matter on the visible gate standby list, since that's sorted purely by status and fare class, and you're just listing for a seat, not a particular fare class. The GS GPU advantage applies only to the unpublished list which processes down to about T-1.5.

laxmillenial

I can't believe that "no-proof" constitutes that your position is right. Find some proof before you run out there and say "contradicts that GS instruments should put you ahead of 1Ks" and that you "know better". We'll believe you when you have proof!

cfischer

Flight is R2 now

Aussienarelle

Impressed as my November 2018 flights SAN-SFO-LHR and LHR-SFO-SAN are all still waitlisted. However, patience is the name of the game these days with GPUs. Not one of my GPUs take at booking and I have eight (8) to use this year, but I did end up with all my GPUs taking in 2017. I have applied all my RPUs for 2018 and all are waitlisted. None of my RPUs expired in 2017 so I am assuming the same thing in 2018. I did have a number that did not take and I then used them on subsequent flights.

I suspect UA is trying to limit access to the Polaris lounges and GPUs are more likely to take on the day of travel, in addition to UA trying to get TOD UG revenue. I have no inside knowledge for this viewpoint but the fact that so few GPUs take at time of booking but I ended up using them all has shaped this view.

cfischer

DUE, M.4A

nomad420

Believe it.... I do the SFO-BOS fairly often (less now) but have posted about this run many times over the past 18 months here. I would say my odds are one in five clear on mostly the AM flight. Don't do the red eye but supposedly that is just as bad. There indeed are many GS paxs on that flight. When the call for GS boarding, if this is any indication, it is not uncommon to 10 to 20 paxs board. Other heavy GS routes that I see is SFO-SEA, SFO-LAX, and SFO-EWR. I would be interested in seeing the official data on this (if available) as admittedly this is just my observation.

findark

I'm not clear how true this is - definitely true that no-status pax with an R instrument applied is higher than 1K CPUs on the visible list. Or were you questioning the R versus PN distinction for instruments (on a p.s. flight) on the visible list?

Kacee

Yes. I was referring to the assertion that a GS instrument is supposed to give priority on the visible gate list. A GS instrument won't give a non-GS any priority on that list, since at the gate the GAs clear pax into seats, not inventory.

Prior to the gate, it's quite likely that PN will open before R, thus effectively giving a non-GS using a GS instrument priority over all non-GS instruments.

sfo789

Really? I obviously have no proof of this but I've been trumped on the gate list as a 1K on a non-YBM fare by a Silver companion on a Y, which suggests the visible list does take into account the difference between pax WLd for PN versus R (and hence a GS instrument would raise the position of a 1K who, on their own instrument, would be WLd for R). Ditto, the fact that I(N) waitlisters can (maybe) jump to the top of the list again suggests the gate list is smart enough to be able to take WLd-inventory considerations into account as well as status and fare class.

Kacee

Silvers on Y/B fares don't clear into PN, they clear into RN.

Waitlisted awards get ahead of premier upgrade requests only if they're miscoded.

nomad420

Without going into too much detail I have 4 pending instruments on tomorrows SFO-KOA flight. Instruments placed months ago at booking. ZERO cleared now at T24 and F is booked full. All flyers are 1K with one GS flying on a 1K certificate. This is the second trip in 2018 to KOA that hasn't cleared for me and my 4th trip in total in 2018 with none clearing. I had at 10 expire worthlessly on 1/30/2018 and saved 2 GPUs (which we attempted to use on this and previous a flight). After a couple of years of dealing with this I have kind of reached the end of line. With the AS merger with Virgin and the subsequent developement of new routes both out of SFO and OAK into the Hawaiian Island (and other expanded coverage) I have already starting booking my future trips with them. I am LT Gold with UA and that will work for the future trips where UA will work best but on my routine west coast and Hawaiian trips I am done with them. My wife, who now travels even more than I do, is probably stuck with them (and *A) because of the international coverage UA and the *A provides but even she is frustrated. It is sad given the years I have flown with them but enough is enough. I wave good bye to UA with both hands now.

greg99

I feel your pain, but as an SFO based flyer, I'm not sure that I would make my airline decision based on KOA upgrades. Those flights have *very* few upgrades, because they sell the F cabins out with revenue seats, especially on a Saturday flight on the week before a holiday weekend. As leisure routes go, SFO-KOA is basically the ultimate high yield route. You never had any hope of clearing an upgrade there, because UA knew with 100% certainty that they would sell it out with revenue seats, same thing with LIH.

Are your upgrades going to be any better on AS? We flew them once to LIH last summer, and they were great, but no upgrades there, either, and we had to pay for the equivalent of E+.

Greg

nomad420

Greg,
I really appreciate your feed back I have been flying OAK/SFO to the Islands regularly for about 10 years for business and pleasure. and to your point I know well that those routes are horrible for getting upgrades. For a variety of reasons previously mentioned I have limited flexibility with timing and days. I regular fly in and our of KOA (or HNL) on Saturday for business so no real flexibility there. Occasionally I can fly on Sundays but I don't find that to be any better. I posted on another wiki that I called the 1K desk and was told that there were 11 paid F, 7GS upgrades, and 2 mileage F tickets. This demonstrates the other problem with upgrades (with or without instruments) out of SFO, that being a GS dominated hub.
I status matched with AS for the last two years(yes they gave me 2) and my wife is going to status match with them this year. So with the match I was getting upgrades I would say a little less than half the time. Also now AS/VX flies non-stops SFO-KOA not just out of OAK with similar times to the UA flights. I can get to either airport but SFO for me is a bit more convenient. And yes I have paid for their equivalent E+ ticket as well but I find it to be about a wash as there fares are typically less than UA's, not infrequently significantly less.