Feb 27, 2019, 11:55 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This is an archive thread, the active thread is "Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays"
Archive thread "Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}
Archive thread "Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}
"Upgrade certificates (GPUs & RPUs) are useless nowadays" {Archive}
Apr 14, 2018, 11:23 pm
#1786
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Apr 15, 2018, 4:17 pm
#1787
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: San Francisco
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It's not only from SFO. I booked ORD to MUC two months ago for May 15 (Tuesday), no R space. Decided to not book a W fare as it increased the price by $800 for the roundtrip and it was too much for me with no guarantee of the upgrade. At booking, I just put in the request for the upgrade with miles and copay. Roundtrip Polaris Business has increased from $7800 to now $8700, which means there's little chance I'll get an upgrade.
Apr 15, 2018, 4:25 pm
#1788
Join Date: Jan 2002
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott lifetime Plt, UA 1MM
Posts: 919
I am suprised at how poorly GPUs clear to/from SFO to MUC. Just booked May 7 (Monday) and no R space of course. The agent said it was the Cannes film festival. Pricing was outrageous (again supposedly related to festival) for Biz so used my miles on this one. Return no better through CDG (same reason given) and pricing crazy high so again used miles. I was basically told my GPU would NOT clear due to many GS/Paid F heading over to France from the west coast for the festival. Call it the luck of the draw time wise I guess.
guess i I am lucky. Last week I successfully applied two GPU’s on LH into F MUC-SFO. Watched F space like a hawk. One seat opened at 48 another at 24
Apr 15, 2018, 4:49 pm
#1789
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: United 1MM
Posts: 318
Just FYI.... I just flew MEL-LAX and LAX-MEL in the last month. Both ways, there were empty seats in C and everyone on the upgrade list was upgraded before the flight. I think there was about 3 or so seats C left empty on each flight. I didn't sit in C though, but was following the upgrade list and the seating chart (which I know isn't always 100% accurate). It's not peak season right now, so perhaps that helps.
Apr 15, 2018, 4:52 pm
#1790
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I was pretty much told SFO -MUC wasn't going to clear. I would have done what you did and wait it out if this was a vacation but I am working and have to hit the ground running. Pretty hard after an 11 hour flight so no way could I attempt to wait it out and obviously zero R space on any the flights I looked at.
Apr 19, 2018, 5:39 pm
#1791
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Location: San Francisco
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Have two RPUs still waiting to clear since booking months ago on SFO-KOA flight this Saturday AM. I have ZERO clear this year and suspect these won't either. I don't even look at the upgrade list anymore I just figure it isn't going to happen and if it does well then it is a happy surprise.
Apr 19, 2018, 6:39 pm
#1794
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Have two RPUs still waiting to clear since booking months ago on SFO-KOA flight this Saturday AM. I have ZERO clear this year and suspect these won't either. I don't even look at the upgrade list anymore I just figure it isn't going to happen and if it does well then it is a happy surprise.
Apr 19, 2018, 9:16 pm
#1795
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Melbourne MEL Calgary YYC
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Just FYI.... I just flew MEL-LAX and LAX-MEL in the last month. Both ways, there were empty seats in C and everyone on the upgrade list was upgraded before the flight. I think there was about 3 or so seats C left empty on each flight. I didn't sit in C though, but was following the upgrade list and the seating chart (which I know isn't always 100% accurate). It's not peak season right now, so perhaps that helps.
this is a good route for upgrades I have used 12 GPU in the last 18 months on this route , flying on a Tuesday seems to be the ticket too
Apr 20, 2018, 11:06 am
#1796
Join Date: Jul 2015
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fumje you are my lucky star!!! Got upgrade at check in (T24) as did my wife!!! Sound the horns, launch the rockets, my first RPU (for that matter any instrument) to clear this year!! Needed to change my seat so we could sit together and the agent I spoke with wished "many more future upgrades" so I guess I also got that going for me as well. LOL
Apr 20, 2018, 11:08 am
#1797
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Apr 20, 2018, 11:15 am
#1798
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,857
For me, the issue isn't applying the RPU and hoping it will clear, I am not interested unless the upgrade is available at booking time.
For SFO-EWR, with some flexibility, this never used to be a problem. For the past two years, it always is a problem -- no upgrades are available at booking time even months ahead. For me, it's a joke. As a result, I've found myself flying Jet Blue and Delta more on this route with the additional advantage that I can go to JFK instead of EWR.
Nothing has changed since I decided it was no longer worthwhile to strive for 1K on United. Oh wait -- one thing has changed, I now fly business class internationally. But that is rarely on United, my business is now going to ANA, BA, and Virgin Atlantic more than to UA. I'm sure UA doesn't care.
For SFO-EWR, with some flexibility, this never used to be a problem. For the past two years, it always is a problem -- no upgrades are available at booking time even months ahead. For me, it's a joke. As a result, I've found myself flying Jet Blue and Delta more on this route with the additional advantage that I can go to JFK instead of EWR.
Nothing has changed since I decided it was no longer worthwhile to strive for 1K on United. Oh wait -- one thing has changed, I now fly business class internationally. But that is rarely on United, my business is now going to ANA, BA, and Virgin Atlantic more than to UA. I'm sure UA doesn't care.
Apr 20, 2018, 12:32 pm
#1799
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fumje you are my lucky star!!! Got upgrade at check in (T24) as did my wife!!! Sound the horns, launch the rockets, my first RPU (for that matter any instrument) to clear this year!! Needed to change my seat so we could sit together and the agent I spoke with wished "many more future upgrades" so I guess I also got that going for me as well. LOL
Apr 20, 2018, 3:42 pm
#1800
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