PPM

Agree completely. And, the RPU and GPU are not "free upgrades". They are earned awards that have been offered as "perks" but are not. They should be worth at least as much as the non-1K passenger's ability to upgrade for small amounts of cash.

I always write a letter to the 1K voice when I've had an experience like this. Maybe if they hear about it enough....Although, I've also offered alternatives with the same caveat--why give something that has no value or can't be used when the traveler has at least some flexibility? I've suggested replacing these instruments with a perk that allows no change/cancellation fees for 1Ks. Also, what about something like a "saver" award versus a "standard" award that lets a person use them only with a higher fare. The lack of ability to use the RPUs and GPUs is a huge dissatisfier with me to the point that if I can't use an upgrade for personal travel (have logged 165,000 miles for business travel already this year) when I'm flexible and plan months ahead, I will purchase business class on a star alliance competitor (and I tell the 1K desk that, too). Can't say it has done any good other than an occasional apology for not being able to make the upgrade happen and (occasionally) a travel certificate, which is not what I was seeking.

Brandinho1

A little flexibility though in your vacation travel can go a long way if your trying to use them. I personally have been able to use all of my GPU and RPU's the last 3 years as a 1K. If your expecting to get them to clear on high demand routes on big business travel days then that will lower your probability of the instrument clearing. Fortunately for me I have a very flexible schedule and therefore can look ahead to where I want to go with R space or try to catch a pattern. If I just throw one on a route with no expectation of getting an upgrade I am alright. My general rule is a flight blocked with 10+ hours of flight time I will look to use an instrument.

Kacee

GPU, yes. RPU=worthless.

I cannot burn mine this year. Not even on PHX-SFO.

findark

I don't know how you are on CPUs, but the actual challenge for me and RPUs is that the margin between "easy CPU" and "just buy F" where waitlisting an RPU is profitable is really, really small. So far I've just booked into open R on p.s. (twice) and upgraded no-status friends on routes I would CPU.

Kacee

Yes, I can relate to that.

I'm something like 70% on CPU, but those are all relatively short flights (LAX, SAN, PHX, DEN, etc.). Most of my business travel is high fares bought late, so if there is R at purchase it's almost certain I'm going to CPU.

I'd like to use RPU to Hawaii or NYC but have not seen open R on flights that work for me for the past year or so. Not willing to waitlist the 5+ hour flights, so I wind up buying P/A fares.

bob_the_d

i dunno, it's the end of august and i just finished burning through all my 2016 RPU's and GPUs. i fly out of EWR and use my RPUs on p.s. flights. and my GPUs typically to london, but sometimes other europe and asian cities.

some of them were down to the wire and were battlefield upgrades, but i don't think i've had one not clear in a long time. guess it's a ymmv situation, but i wouldn't call them worthless.

findark

I generally agree - I've managed to find R twice on EWR-SFO, but have flown it many more times on P fares, or been stuck booking things like SFO-IAH-LGA if given less than 21 days notice on traveling (work policy is flexible but isn't going to pony up $1,600+ for the nonstop). I have the fortune of flying to MSP a good bit, which is a pretty easy upgrade in my experience and long enough trying an RPU doesn't feel like a total waste, although I have some 319 flights I'm sweating before it goes E75 for the winter.

But you definitely need a silver bullet for finding R space - mine is that I don't mind (almost enjoy) flying that last flight of the day with a midnight or 1am arrival. On the one hand I'm definitely going to have a couple RPUs expire unused, but on the other I felt like 16 certificates was quite a generous haul for "only" 150k of flying.

Kacee

I get great value from GPU and UA has treated me pretty well this year otherwise, but relatively easy upgrades to NYC and Hawaii were two of the principal draws of the program for me in years past so I do find this frustrating. I'm typically buying two tix when flying to those places, so $3k for the RT definitely makes me pause and consider other options (e.g., B6, HA).

We're typically flying the red-eye SFO-EWR on a Thursday or Friday night and I'm not willing to waitlist that one.

nomad420

Similar experience with RPUs to Hawaii and NYC which unfortunately is the bulk of my business travel in the US. Maybe I am just gun-shy from being burned some many times on my RPUs that I generally don't even attempt to use my GPUs on TATL and TPAC flights for the same reason, not willing to waitlist on a 5+ hour flight. Burned too many times so I now just bite the bullet and buy C on those long hauls. FWIW, I never see R on my TATL/TPAC but again I generally fly those with little to no flexibility.

Artpen100

For 2017, my first year as a 1K, I scheduled 6 international RT flights on UA. I always look for R on booking, and am unwilling to play the waitlist game. On only one trip was I able to use a couple of GPUs at booking. On all the others, there was no R but I have been lucky to find sub-$3K business class RT, so I just bought it. With no international travel left unbooked for the foreseeable future, I have just been using the GPUs like RPUs before they expire for domestic upgrades, where I don't mind waitlisting. So I will have used them all up by the end of 2017, unless a couple of remaining ones come back.

The result is that I basically look at GPUs as like RPUs - they will likely get used on domestic flights and clear most of the time, but don't carry a lot of value.

zombietooth

GPUs are lottery instruments, and their value can only be maximized by being willing to lose.

I have to fly on definite dates to NRT and HKG multiple times per year and can only alter my travel by a day or two, so it's not as if I can just look for R and take any date available. Yet, I can only remember two misses in the last 36 months, one from NRT and one from HKG. That would make my success rate around 28/30 over that period. I book W on flights showing the most P/PN when there is no R and then, just wait it out.

Yes, it really sucks flying from HKG-ORD in Y, but I know which seats have the most legroom in Y and can deal with it so long as it is a rare occurrence.

I will admit that Europe is tougher than Asia for finding R-space in advance, but I am 100% over the last 36 months to AMS/FRA/MUC, although most of my EU upgrades occur very late or at the gate.

nomad420

Wow impressive success rate! After getting burned a couple of SFO-MUC, SFO-FRA, and a recent EWL-HAM I just won't do it anymore. I just flew last May SFO-PEK and didn't even think about it unfortunately. On the SFO-MUC flight which I admit was just before last Oktoberfest they had one F left at something like T48 for some outrageous buy-up price but I took it.

For long haul domestics I do exactly that, I buy Y, always take my Hobo First Exit Row aisle, I throw the dice. I use any instrument I have be it an RPU/GPU as I will have many expire this year and am already starting to receive them for 2018. I do a lot of biz in and out of Hawaii but even on that route as you probably know I have had ONE RPU clear in probably the last TEN flights. Frustrating to say the least.

zombietooth

You, unfortunately, are located in perhaps the most elite-heavy hub.

I, being in a backwater, am roughly equidistant from IAH, ORD, IAD and EWR and thus, usually have 4 reasonable alternative routings that result in approximately equal total transit times. This really does help when looking for R space. In addition, most of my travel dates are set in stone 12 months out, allowing for a very long search window.

RPUs are another story. Until just recently, I was failing miserably on transcons.

lhrsfo

For me, flying from SFO to LHR, I could always find a way to use a GPU on booking. Rarely would it be available on the non-stop, but going via LAX usually yielded success, perhaps doing a SDC when SFO opened up.

Then the pattern changed this year and I've had some success going via FRA, with UA having doubled capacity there.

And now it's changed again, with nothing at all on the 15 days in October 17 that I'm searching for, nor the 10 days in January 18 that I'm also searching. There are a handful of PN9, which is usually a good indicator, but with the up-charge to W being much higher nowadays, it's a huge risk. And I've never had any joy with GGBUYUP.

I'm seriously thinking of trying out Norwegian Premium Economy, at much the same price as a W fare on UA.

AAExPlat

I am in your shoes. Near fixed dates to LHR twice a year with little flexibility. I just booked W and applied the instruments 3 weeks ago...3 weeks to go, and so far, nada. Still hoping things break my way.