United app no longer shows available first class seats?
Aug 25, 2019, 4:55 pm
#17
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,161
I do it all the time, both in Y and J, as I’m 6’3”. Many of my city pairs have 15x frequency or better (ORD-LGA, ORD-SFO) so I’d rather have a good seat 45m later/earlier. Or I’m booking for self + spouse and want to get us seated close at least.
Aug 25, 2019, 6:39 pm
#18
Join Date: May 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 721
Yes, I opened the United app on my iPad, I then selected “Book”, selected my departure and arrival airports, selected one-way or round-trip, selected my travel date(s), selected Economy/Premium Economy, Business, or First (in my case, First), selected number of adults, and then “Search flights”.
Once the list of first class or “mixed” flights (those with at least one segment with no FC) appears, I then look at the individual flights available. If I select a flight and choose “seat map”, only the coach seats appear and FC is grayed-out. In order to see the available FC seats, I have to select a flight and run through the process as if I had already made the decision to book that flight.
Up until 2 months ago or so, I was able to look at the full FC and coach seat maps while just browsing the flights.
Aug 25, 2019, 7:27 pm
#19
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,348
There seems to be a concerted effort by United Management & United IT to make things more and more difficult when it comes to the booking process and finding the best seats/flights.
I posted back in January 2019 about the removal of Business class seat-display HERE when trying to book a flight using a GPU.
The [relative] easy workaround was to use cablepick. Now, sadly, United has closed that door too...
Aug 25, 2019, 7:57 pm
#20
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: Mileage Plus Global Services 2MM
Posts: 1,200
I've intermittently experienced the same thing as the OP the last month or so. Often (but not always) it happens when there is no FC available on one segment of a multi segment trip. Most often when one of the segments is on a plane with no FC cabin it shows no availability on any segment. Feels like a glitch and I get around it by searching one segment at a time and then dealing with it at final booking, when the seats magically reappear for seat selection.
Aug 25, 2019, 9:52 pm
#21
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
Programs: UA 1K/MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Something, IHG Gold, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 8,156
Aug 25, 2019, 10:06 pm
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,391
I suspect this is far more a case of Hanlon's Razor. It makes no sense that UA would deliberately do these things when the same information is available via other paths.
Aug 25, 2019, 10:43 pm
#23
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 5,447
Noticed this on a number of occasions on my iOS app. Ones that I can remember:
1. Booking a RT domestic F flight with F selected as the cabin class: can view the F seatmap on the outbound but not the return.
2. Booking flights in markets with both F and J (namely PS transcons): only the class you search will return seatmap results, i.e. if you search with J selected as the cabin class, you can view the J seatmap on the PS flights but not the F seatmap on connecting flights, and vice versa.
3. Booking multi-segment itineraries: sometimes the F/J seatmap doesn't show on one of the two flights, usually the second (sorry I don't have more specifics here).
1. Booking a RT domestic F flight with F selected as the cabin class: can view the F seatmap on the outbound but not the return.
2. Booking flights in markets with both F and J (namely PS transcons): only the class you search will return seatmap results, i.e. if you search with J selected as the cabin class, you can view the J seatmap on the PS flights but not the F seatmap on connecting flights, and vice versa.
3. Booking multi-segment itineraries: sometimes the F/J seatmap doesn't show on one of the two flights, usually the second (sorry I don't have more specifics here).
Aug 26, 2019, 5:46 am
#24
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,115
I too have noticed this recently. It is a valid complaint. I have to go over to EF to try and see what the situation is. I have a weird suspicion that the bug involves the underlying fare class - i.e. if it’s an -UP fare of some sort, it is not showing the F cabin. I don’t have enough data points to confirm that, but I’ve had that feeling a few times.
Darn right. If I’m booking a god awful domestic 777, you better believe I want to see what seats are available before I book it.
Darn right. If I’m booking a god awful domestic 777, you better believe I want to see what seats are available before I book it.
Aug 26, 2019, 6:18 am
#25
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: CMH
Programs: BA Gold, AA Plat, NK $9 fare club
Posts: 666
Aug 26, 2019, 6:57 am
#26
Used to be MBS PremExec
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Saginaw, MI (MBS)
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Marriott Titanium w/Lifetime Plat, Hilton LIfetime ♢, National Exec, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,722
I have the same issue as the OP and as those further reported down. I have to specify first/business in my search, then I too only get the outbound segment. I'm to the point where I search 1-way now and check both directions separately.
iOS user as well.
Aug 26, 2019, 8:28 am
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,409
I've seen the same issue intermittently, but I would never actually book on an app so I don't do the workflow very often.
Aug 26, 2019, 8:21 pm
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: SBP
Programs: United MileagePlus / Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 8
Sorry it's taken me so long to get back on this thread; as a newbie, I was only allowed to post 5 times on my first day. Never saw that on any forum before.
Anyway, I was able to puzzle out the problem: My home airport is SBP which is a United Express station (SkyWest). If i look at ANY flights touching SBP, I can reproduce the first class "gray-out" problem. If I look at flights where only mainline United is the carrier, I see FC just fine. One of the original responders to my post hinted me to this so I tested it and it's a repeatable issue. I don't know if this is a problem affecting ALL UAX stations or only a few but it definitely DOES affect SBP.
And this issue did not appear until a couple of months ago. Prior to that, everything worked just fine. I reported the problem to UA a couple of weeks ago and, so far, crickets.
Thank you to all who responded with suggestions.
Anyway, I was able to puzzle out the problem: My home airport is SBP which is a United Express station (SkyWest). If i look at ANY flights touching SBP, I can reproduce the first class "gray-out" problem. If I look at flights where only mainline United is the carrier, I see FC just fine. One of the original responders to my post hinted me to this so I tested it and it's a repeatable issue. I don't know if this is a problem affecting ALL UAX stations or only a few but it definitely DOES affect SBP.
And this issue did not appear until a couple of months ago. Prior to that, everything worked just fine. I reported the problem to UA a couple of weeks ago and, so far, crickets.
Thank you to all who responded with suggestions.