Apr 27, 2020, 1:00 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Types of Upgrades
UA's Upgrades overview
UA has multiple methods for upgrading to a higher cabin. Examples include: Economy to Domestic First, Economy to International Business or Business (ex-p.s. flights) or Economy to Premium Economy ("Premium Plus").
In this regard, seating in Economy Plus is considered Economy.
Not all upgrade methods are available on all flights (see table).
Paid/cash upgrades are a different mechanism and are only available if confirmable -- no waitlisting. Depending on methods, paid upgrades can clear into almost any fare class. If the class would otherwise be used for upgrades, the cash upsell can show up on the cleared upgrade list.
Plus Points and MUA (also called "miles+cash upgrades") are collectively referred to as instrument-supported upgrades, as they are considered with equal priority once applied. They may also be used on Copa (CM), Lufthansa (LH), and ANA (NH) flights.
Waitlisting for a premium cabin award and all forms of Economy Plus are not considered upgrades.
Upgrade Priority and Required Inventory
All upgrades other than CPU may clear immediately if the required inventory class is available. If you request an upgrade when there is not inventory to confirm your upgrade immediately, you will be added to the upgrade waitlist. The required inventory classes are as follows:
RN class is required for all upgrades to Premium Economy (United Premium Plus)
PN class is required for Instant Upgrades to Business/First from Y, B, and M fares for Premier 1K members, and for all upgrades to Business/First of any type for Global Services members.
PZ class is required for all other upgrades to Business/First except CPUs.
Note: The display of the upgrade lists is rather complicated at the moment. There seems to be more information available than usual, but its accuracy is disputed. The following is how it has historically functioned in terms of public visibility.
Passengers with unconfirmed upgrade requests will be added to the upgrade waitlist. This is not the same as the upgrade standby list which you can see on the Flight Status page. You cannot see this list by any means. The ordering of the upgrade waitlist is as follows:
Recent announced modification
United will periodically run sweeps from this list. The required inventory class for your upgrade does not need to be available in order to be upgraded from the standby list; passengers on the list will be upgraded at the discretion of United's systems. (You can also think of it as space was opened and then you immediately took it.)
Once check-in starts a new waitlist will be generated for use at the gate. The pre-gate list will continue to process until the flight goes to the gate, typically one to three hours prior to departure. This new list is the visible one on the Flight Status page. Generally they will have the same order, but there can be some differences in priority ordering of the two lists -- usually due to the time tiebreaker -- which is time of request for the pre-gate list and time of check-in (sequence number) for gate list. The visible (upgrade standby) list has only checked-in passengers and is not used until the flight is under gate control and the gate agent manually processes an upgrade.
The upgrade list sometimes also shows passengers who have been upgraded. Advance-cleared upgrades will not show on the gate list as cleared -- only passengers who clear after they check in will display with a green checkmark. Some paid Premium Economy fares may show as a confirmed upgrade to Premium Economy.
For both cases, display cleared upgrades will appear in alphabetic order and regardless if checked-in (as long as a seat has been assigned). Uncleared, waitlisted requests will appear, once checked in, in priority order. But until all have checked in, the visible gate waitlist is incomplete.
Upgrades and Companions
Main article: Comprehensive Companion Upgrade Questions
The following applies ONLY to the invisible upgrade list.
Up to one companion on the same PNR as you is entitled to a CPU based on your status. However, because PNRs must consist only of passengers with the same itinerary, you will only be eligible for an upgrade if all passengers on your PNR have the same upgrade eligibility. For CPUs, you may extend your CPU status to one companion, and then the system will take the status of the lowest passenger on the reservation.
This is a little complicated. Here are some example PNRs:
1K and non-status companion: both are eligible to CPU as 1Ks
1K and two non-status companions: no one is eligible to CPU
1K, Gold, and non-status companion: the companion gets "1K CPU status" but the Gold cannot, so all three pax have Gold priority
The situation for instrument supported upgrades is slightly different. Waitlisting an instrument is also all-or-nothing on the PNR. Either all pax must have a waitlisted upgrade, or none may. If you have a waitlisted upgrade for a multiple passenger PNR, it will have the priority of the highest Premier status on the reservation. Thus:
1K and non-status companion, 2x GPU applied: both are eligible as 1Ks with GPU
1K and three non-status companions, 4x GPU applied: all four are eligible as 1Ks with GPU
Multi-pax PNR upgrades are all or nothing - you may (or may not) be skipped over if there are fewer available seats than members in your party. If you do not like the treatment of your PNR, you may split it into smaller pieces at any time and be treated as smaller groups or individuals.
Now, what happens if you haven't cleared by check-in?
Multiple pax PNRs are not eligible for the (visible) upgrade standby list. If you wish to be added to the list, you must split the PNR at check-in. This often happens even if you didn't intend to. Note, however, that the hidden list is active until 3 hours before departure and splitting your PNR changes it. Therefore, you may wish to delay check-in until the airport. On the other hand, the tiebreak for the gate list is time of check-in, so you may wish to do so immediately. It depends on your situation.
Companions may be eligible for the upgrade standby list even after splitting the PNR, if it is split at check-in. The behavior of your companion(s) depends on whether the reservation had instruments applied. You may have one CPU companion, who will be waitlisted with your Premier priority but with an effective fare class below X (namely, last). If your companion was on a different PNR originally, or you want to designate a different companion, an airport agent can do that for you. Therefore, the list of 1Ks might be:
1) 1K on an S fare (you)
2) 1K on a K fare
3) Your no-status companion
4) Plat on a B fare
If your reservation had instruments applied, however, this process is different. In this case, if the reservation is auto-split at check-in, all travelers will have your Premier priority with their fare class. Say you are a 1K with three non-status companions, all with GPUs applied. Then you have
1) 1K on a V fare, GPU applied
2..5) you (1K) and your three companions on W fares, ordered by sequence number
6) Plat on a Q fare, miles+cash applied
Frequently Asked Questions
I was #1 on the upgrade list, but someone else got the upgrade instead. What happened?
The most likely answer is that the upgraded passenger was not checked in. Remember that the upgrade standby list (the visible list) only shows passengers who have checked in.
I'm #1 on the upgrade list but seats in the forward cabin keep disappearing. No one is being upgraded. What's going on?
There are two major sources of this. First, once your flight is within 24 hours of departure, it is eligible for SDC. Passengers with paid premium tickets can change to your flight and take seats. Many experienced flyers, especially FT members, underestimate the volatility of flight loads on the day of departure. Additionally, United usually makes a time-of-departure upsell offer available at check-in. Purchasers of this upgrade may often appear similar to last-minute revenue bookings.
I was waitlisted for I (or IN) class and did not clear. Am I now eligible for an upgrade?
"Upgrade" is the wrong terminology. You should be automatically placed on the standy list for business or first (whichever applies). Historically there have been problems with this occurring automatically, but that seems to have mostly been fixed. The exact priority compared to passengers who are waitlisted for an upgrade is unclear and a matter of some dispute. See discussion of GG ONESTANDBY lines 32-55.
Who are these people who are on standby lists for both Business and First?
These are non-revs (i.e., UA employees and family members) - either NRPS (non-rev positive space) or NRSA (non-rev standby). Non-revs can list for any cabin. NRPS are traveling on company business (e.g., deadheading pilots) and will clear into open space ahead of upgraders. NRSA travel standby and will be last in priority after all paid passengers. Why would someone be listed on both standby & upgrade list(s)?
Can you have one companion on a different PNR?
Yes, but only at the airport/gate and some agents are not familiar with the process. They are at the bottom of your status group.
Related threads
Ever see (+X blocked) in booked column on upgrade list?
Consolidated "Waitlist for Award Seats Questions/Issues"
[Consolidated] Chance of upgrade clearing on my flight
Decoding the alphabet soup - fare buckets for UA
Understanding the United Upgrade List Comprehensively [Archive]
UA's Upgrades overview
UA has multiple methods for upgrading to a higher cabin. Examples include: Economy to Domestic First, Economy to International Business or Business (ex-p.s. flights) or Economy to Premium Economy ("Premium Plus").
In this regard, seating in Economy Plus is considered Economy.
Not all upgrade methods are available on all flights (see table).
- Complimentary Premier Upgrades (CPU) are available for most North American flights, Central America flights, and some select Oceania flights.
"ex-PS" flights (EWR-SFO/LAX, BOS-SFO and v.v.) and Hawaii-EWR, IAD, ORD, IAH, DEN, GUM, MAJ and v.v. are not CPU eligible. CPUs are available for all paid fares and in some cases on award tickets with certain credit cards. A CPU is requested automatically for all elites as long as there is a maximum of one non-Premier as only one companion on the same PNR is also eligible for CPU. CPUs cannot be confirmed until inside the particular window:Global Services: 120 hours
Premier 1K: 96 hours
Premier Platinum: 72 hours
Premier Gold: 48 hours
Premier Silver: 24 hours- Plus Points (provided to Plats and above) are the upgrade currency of United elites. This wiki of this thread has more details about pricing of various Plus Points upgrades.
- Mileage Upgrade Awards (MUA) can be requested for all UA flights with a higher cabin on all paid fares. This a varying amount of miles and a $ copay (elites are exempt from the co-pay for CPU eligible flights) -- see UA award chart for details Note the miles and copay are due at time of the request and will be returned if unsuccessful.
- Instant Upgrades are space available for all elites on Y & B fares for CPU-eligible flights at booking. For Plats and below these require PZ space. For 1Ks and GS, this can be done on Y, B & M fares and requires PN space. 1K & GS, if not cleared at booking, will be waitlisted.
- Plus Points (provided to Plats and above) are the upgrade currency of United elites. This wiki of this thread has more details about pricing of various Plus Points upgrades.
Paid/cash upgrades are a different mechanism and are only available if confirmable -- no waitlisting. Depending on methods, paid upgrades can clear into almost any fare class. If the class would otherwise be used for upgrades, the cash upsell can show up on the cleared upgrade list.
Plus Points and MUA (also called "miles+cash upgrades") are collectively referred to as instrument-supported upgrades, as they are considered with equal priority once applied. They may also be used on Copa (CM), Lufthansa (LH), and ANA (NH) flights.
Waitlisting for a premium cabin award and all forms of Economy Plus are not considered upgrades.
Upgrade Priority and Required Inventory
All upgrades other than CPU may clear immediately if the required inventory class is available. If you request an upgrade when there is not inventory to confirm your upgrade immediately, you will be added to the upgrade waitlist. The required inventory classes are as follows:
RN class is required for all upgrades to Premium Economy (United Premium Plus)
PN class is required for Instant Upgrades to Business/First from Y, B, and M fares for Premier 1K members, and for all upgrades to Business/First of any type for Global Services members.
PZ class is required for all other upgrades to Business/First except CPUs.
Note: The display of the upgrade lists is rather complicated at the moment. There seems to be more information available than usual, but its accuracy is disputed. The following is how it has historically functioned in terms of public visibility.
Passengers with unconfirmed upgrade requests will be added to the upgrade waitlist. This is not the same as the upgrade standby list which you can see on the Flight Status page. You cannot see this list by any means. The ordering of the upgrade waitlist is as follows:
- All Global Services members (presumably prioritized similar to other members below), including those awaiting a CPU.
- For CPU eligible flights, Premier 1K members on eligible Y-, B- and M-class fares that were not cleared at time of booking are prioritized by fare class and then time of request.
- All travelers on waitlisted instrument-supported upgrades: Prioritized by Premier status of the traveler, then fare class and then time of request. There is no priority difference between types of instruments.
- For CPU eligible flights all remaining Premier members: Prioritized by Premier status of the traveler and fare class (award tickets are considered the lowest fare class)
Recent announced modification
Effective August 14, 2018, upgrade waitlists are processed in the following priority order:
- Premier status of the traveler
- Fare class
- Chase United MileagePlus Club cardholder
- United Corporate Preferred participant
- Time of request
Once check-in starts a new waitlist will be generated for use at the gate. The pre-gate list will continue to process until the flight goes to the gate, typically one to three hours prior to departure. This new list is the visible one on the Flight Status page. Generally they will have the same order, but there can be some differences in priority ordering of the two lists -- usually due to the time tiebreaker -- which is time of request for the pre-gate list and time of check-in (sequence number) for gate list. The visible (upgrade standby) list has only checked-in passengers and is not used until the flight is under gate control and the gate agent manually processes an upgrade.
The upgrade list sometimes also shows passengers who have been upgraded. Advance-cleared upgrades will not show on the gate list as cleared -- only passengers who clear after they check in will display with a green checkmark. Some paid Premium Economy fares may show as a confirmed upgrade to Premium Economy.
For both cases, display cleared upgrades will appear in alphabetic order and regardless if checked-in (as long as a seat has been assigned). Uncleared, waitlisted requests will appear, once checked in, in priority order. But until all have checked in, the visible gate waitlist is incomplete.
Upgrades and Companions
Main article: Comprehensive Companion Upgrade Questions
The following applies ONLY to the invisible upgrade list.
Up to one companion on the same PNR as you is entitled to a CPU based on your status. However, because PNRs must consist only of passengers with the same itinerary, you will only be eligible for an upgrade if all passengers on your PNR have the same upgrade eligibility. For CPUs, you may extend your CPU status to one companion, and then the system will take the status of the lowest passenger on the reservation.
This is a little complicated. Here are some example PNRs:
1K and non-status companion: both are eligible to CPU as 1Ks
1K and two non-status companions: no one is eligible to CPU
1K, Gold, and non-status companion: the companion gets "1K CPU status" but the Gold cannot, so all three pax have Gold priority
The situation for instrument supported upgrades is slightly different. Waitlisting an instrument is also all-or-nothing on the PNR. Either all pax must have a waitlisted upgrade, or none may. If you have a waitlisted upgrade for a multiple passenger PNR, it will have the priority of the highest Premier status on the reservation. Thus:
1K and non-status companion, 2x GPU applied: both are eligible as 1Ks with GPU
1K and three non-status companions, 4x GPU applied: all four are eligible as 1Ks with GPU
Multi-pax PNR upgrades are all or nothing - you may (or may not) be skipped over if there are fewer available seats than members in your party. If you do not like the treatment of your PNR, you may split it into smaller pieces at any time and be treated as smaller groups or individuals.
Now, what happens if you haven't cleared by check-in?
Multiple pax PNRs are not eligible for the (visible) upgrade standby list. If you wish to be added to the list, you must split the PNR at check-in. This often happens even if you didn't intend to. Note, however, that the hidden list is active until 3 hours before departure and splitting your PNR changes it. Therefore, you may wish to delay check-in until the airport. On the other hand, the tiebreak for the gate list is time of check-in, so you may wish to do so immediately. It depends on your situation.
Companions may be eligible for the upgrade standby list even after splitting the PNR, if it is split at check-in. The behavior of your companion(s) depends on whether the reservation had instruments applied. You may have one CPU companion, who will be waitlisted with your Premier priority but with an effective fare class below X (namely, last). If your companion was on a different PNR originally, or you want to designate a different companion, an airport agent can do that for you. Therefore, the list of 1Ks might be:
1) 1K on an S fare (you)
2) 1K on a K fare
3) Your no-status companion
4) Plat on a B fare
If your reservation had instruments applied, however, this process is different. In this case, if the reservation is auto-split at check-in, all travelers will have your Premier priority with their fare class. Say you are a 1K with three non-status companions, all with GPUs applied. Then you have
1) 1K on a V fare, GPU applied
2..5) you (1K) and your three companions on W fares, ordered by sequence number
6) Plat on a Q fare, miles+cash applied
Frequently Asked Questions
I was #1 on the upgrade list, but someone else got the upgrade instead. What happened?
The most likely answer is that the upgraded passenger was not checked in. Remember that the upgrade standby list (the visible list) only shows passengers who have checked in.
I'm #1 on the upgrade list but seats in the forward cabin keep disappearing. No one is being upgraded. What's going on?
There are two major sources of this. First, once your flight is within 24 hours of departure, it is eligible for SDC. Passengers with paid premium tickets can change to your flight and take seats. Many experienced flyers, especially FT members, underestimate the volatility of flight loads on the day of departure. Additionally, United usually makes a time-of-departure upsell offer available at check-in. Purchasers of this upgrade may often appear similar to last-minute revenue bookings.
I was waitlisted for I (or IN) class and did not clear. Am I now eligible for an upgrade?
"Upgrade" is the wrong terminology. You should be automatically placed on the standy list for business or first (whichever applies). Historically there have been problems with this occurring automatically, but that seems to have mostly been fixed. The exact priority compared to passengers who are waitlisted for an upgrade is unclear and a matter of some dispute. See discussion of GG ONESTANDBY lines 32-55.
Who are these people who are on standby lists for both Business and First?
These are non-revs (i.e., UA employees and family members) - either NRPS (non-rev positive space) or NRSA (non-rev standby). Non-revs can list for any cabin. NRPS are traveling on company business (e.g., deadheading pilots) and will clear into open space ahead of upgraders. NRSA travel standby and will be last in priority after all paid passengers. Why would someone be listed on both standby & upgrade list(s)?
Can you have one companion on a different PNR?
Yes, but only at the airport/gate and some agents are not familiar with the process. They are at the bottom of your status group.
Related threads
Ever see (+X blocked) in booked column on upgrade list?
Consolidated "Waitlist for Award Seats Questions/Issues"
[Consolidated] Chance of upgrade clearing on my flight
Decoding the alphabet soup - fare buckets for UA
Understanding the United Upgrade List Comprehensively [Archive]
Understanding the United Upgrade List Comprehensively {Archive}
Nov 30, 2018, 9:46 am
#1261
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,025
No. Only current status counts, not progress towards 2019 status (unless that progress results in a higher current status than traveler started with 1Feb2018).
Nov 30, 2018, 1:49 pm
#1262
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Florida
Programs: United 1K, Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Gold
Posts: 673
Long story short, they added me to the UG list "out of goodwill and trust" but of course didn't clear, at that point it was J1 and someone bought a TOD from the agent right before boarding, I finished #1 on the list. Plenty of gold and plat in F based on the boarding passes I saw. Agent in the club said her manager was going to send a note to "someone high up" that they need more training on the rules around award ticket upgrades. I also wrote a rather harsh email to 1K desk with all of my screenshots and the clear policy about upgrades on award tickets. Received a nice call and follow up this morning.
All around way too much effort invested on my end, I just hate when the company doesn't educate anyone on policies or benefits. Note to self: if I want the upgrades on mileage tickets, try not to have the first segment on a partner as that clearly messed something up given I've never had trouble when it's only UA segments in the reservation.
Nov 30, 2018, 2:02 pm
#1263
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,419
A disappointing end.. but thanks for the report! Very confusing what could go wrong with the system here...
Dec 3, 2018, 8:09 am
#1264
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: SFO
Posts: 181
I am UA Platinum, booked tonight in E+ from EZE to IAH. At OLCI, when I click through the buy-up offer to Polaris, I see the standard availability message--in this case, "Currently 8 United Polaris℠ business seats available and 21 customers eligible for an upgrade." Looking at the upgrade list, I see that I am #4 out of the 21. However as a Plat, I am not eligible for a CPU from South America to the US and have no GPUs. So I'm confused what my #4 spot on the list means. I am not being offered a miles+co-pay option, just a buy-up. Can anyone clarify? Thanks!
Dec 3, 2018, 8:13 am
#1265
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,413
I am UA Platinum, booked tonight in E+ from EZE to IAH. At OLCI, when I click through the buy-up offer to Polaris, I see the standard availability message--in this case, "Currently 8 United Polaris℠ business seats available and 21 customers eligible for an upgrade." Looking at the upgrade list, I see that I am #4 out of the 21. However as a Plat, I am not eligible for a CPU from South America to the US and have no GPUs. So I'm confused what my #4 spot on the list means. I am not being offered a miles+co-pay option, just a buy-up. Can anyone clarify? Thanks!
Dec 3, 2018, 11:50 am
#1267
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,419
I am UA Platinum, booked tonight in E+ from EZE to IAH. At OLCI, when I click through the buy-up offer to Polaris, I see the standard availability message--in this case, "Currently 8 United Polaris℠ business seats available and 21 customers eligible for an upgrade." Looking at the upgrade list, I see that I am #4 out of the 21. However as a Plat, I am not eligible for a CPU from South America to the US and have no GPUs. So I'm confused what my #4 spot on the list means. I am not being offered a miles+co-pay option, just a buy-up. Can anyone clarify? Thanks!
Dec 4, 2018, 1:29 am
#1268
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Melbourne MEL Calgary YYC
Programs: UA1K, QF Plat, *A & Marriot Gold, OW Emerald, Hyatt Hertz PC CanPass Nexus APEC Global Entry
Posts: 468
Hello Smart Folks
I think I made a mistake and need to know if I can somehow move an upgrade
I am travelling SFO-SYD dec 16 and have booked myself (1K) and 2 sons (no status) in E+ on W tickets , split the PNR for the upgrade , 3 separate GPU applied
I saw an PZ1 for the flight and called in to get the upgrade, I upgraded myself, all good
However after reading the WIKI I should have upgraded one of the boys as I will have a better chance for a sweep then they will with the applied GPU
Is there a way to move my upgrade to one of them and then I go back on the list as a 1K?
Might have been a learning curve today
Thanks
I think I made a mistake and need to know if I can somehow move an upgrade
I am travelling SFO-SYD dec 16 and have booked myself (1K) and 2 sons (no status) in E+ on W tickets , split the PNR for the upgrade , 3 separate GPU applied
I saw an PZ1 for the flight and called in to get the upgrade, I upgraded myself, all good
However after reading the WIKI I should have upgraded one of the boys as I will have a better chance for a sweep then they will with the applied GPU
Is there a way to move my upgrade to one of them and then I go back on the list as a 1K?
Might have been a learning curve today
Thanks
Last edited by Jimmie Jet; Dec 4, 2018 at 1:30 am Reason: spelling
Dec 4, 2018, 6:49 am
#1269
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: IAD, DEL, IXC, BWI, DCA, YYZ
Programs: UA 1K, Amex Plat, UA Club Card, National EE, Global Entry, TSA Pre✓
Posts: 275
How are credit card holde with elite status on award tickets prioritized?
Are they behind ALL revenue passengers, or just revenue passengers within their elite status?
Are they behind ALL revenue passengers, or just revenue passengers within their elite status?
Dec 4, 2018, 7:30 am
#1270
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,413
Just within their elite status. A 1K with a qualifying credit card will be behind all 1K passengers on paid tickets but ahead of Platinum passengers.
Dec 6, 2018, 8:09 pm
#1271
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 4
First time poster, hopefully this is the right place to ask this question. My wife and I are flying EWR-LAS tomorrow. We have no status on UA but a family member, who is GS, applied RPUs to our reservation weeks ago. I check in right at the 24 hr mark (which, it appears from rereading the wiki, I maybe shouldn't have done? oops, used to flying AA). I check back on the flight status page about an hour later and my upgrade had cleared and hers had not, and our reservations had gotten split. Furthermore, her spot in the visible standby list had dropped to 6.
I was confused by all of this so called United - first the agent tried to tell me my wife didn't get upgraded because she didn't have an RPU applied. When I pointed out that couldn't be true since she was on the upgrade list, she checked again came back and said it was because of lack of availability (4J was available at check-in and it was down to 1J when I checked again - I'm guessing a couple people did a buy up?). I asked her about if she'd upgrade and the agent said shes "next on list to be upgraded" despite it not showing that way on the upgrade standby list.
My questions are:
1. Is my wife actually "next on the list" to be upgraded? I understand that because the GR supported upgrades clear into PN this "should" be first to clear (in advance), but would this still be the case now post check-in or does it actually follow the standby list for her now? If the former, does this change at the gate?
2. If I have messed this up, do I have any recourse to improve my chances for both of us to get upgrades?
Thanks in advance for your help FT!
I was confused by all of this so called United - first the agent tried to tell me my wife didn't get upgraded because she didn't have an RPU applied. When I pointed out that couldn't be true since she was on the upgrade list, she checked again came back and said it was because of lack of availability (4J was available at check-in and it was down to 1J when I checked again - I'm guessing a couple people did a buy up?). I asked her about if she'd upgrade and the agent said shes "next on list to be upgraded" despite it not showing that way on the upgrade standby list.
My questions are:
1. Is my wife actually "next on the list" to be upgraded? I understand that because the GR supported upgrades clear into PN this "should" be first to clear (in advance), but would this still be the case now post check-in or does it actually follow the standby list for her now? If the former, does this change at the gate?
2. If I have messed this up, do I have any recourse to improve my chances for both of us to get upgrades?
Thanks in advance for your help FT!
Dec 6, 2018, 9:03 pm
#1272
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,413
First time poster, hopefully this is the right place to ask this question. My wife and I are flying EWR-LAS tomorrow. We have no status on UA but a family member, who is GS, applied RPUs to our reservation weeks ago. I check in right at the 24 hr mark (which, it appears from rereading the wiki, I maybe shouldn't have done? oops, used to flying AA). I check back on the flight status page about an hour later and my upgrade had cleared and hers had not, and our reservations had gotten split. Furthermore, her spot in the visible standby list had dropped to 6.
I was confused by all of this so called United - first the agent tried to tell me my wife didn't get upgraded because she didn't have an RPU applied. When I pointed out that couldn't be true since she was on the upgrade list, she checked again came back and said it was because of lack of availability (4J was available at check-in and it was down to 1J when I checked again - I'm guessing a couple people did a buy up?). I asked her about if she'd upgrade and the agent said shes "next on list to be upgraded" despite it not showing that way on the upgrade standby list.
My questions are:
1. Is my wife actually "next on the list" to be upgraded? I understand that because the GR supported upgrades clear into PN this "should" be first to clear (in advance), but would this still be the case now post check-in or does it actually follow the standby list for her now? If the former, does this change at the gate?
2. If I have messed this up, do I have any recourse to improve my chances for both of us to get upgrades?
Thanks in advance for your help FT!
I was confused by all of this so called United - first the agent tried to tell me my wife didn't get upgraded because she didn't have an RPU applied. When I pointed out that couldn't be true since she was on the upgrade list, she checked again came back and said it was because of lack of availability (4J was available at check-in and it was down to 1J when I checked again - I'm guessing a couple people did a buy up?). I asked her about if she'd upgrade and the agent said shes "next on list to be upgraded" despite it not showing that way on the upgrade standby list.
My questions are:
1. Is my wife actually "next on the list" to be upgraded? I understand that because the GR supported upgrades clear into PN this "should" be first to clear (in advance), but would this still be the case now post check-in or does it actually follow the standby list for her now? If the former, does this change at the gate?
2. If I have messed this up, do I have any recourse to improve my chances for both of us to get upgrades?
Thanks in advance for your help FT!
1 - Maybe. There's absolutely no way to be certain, because the list that the upgrade would come from prior to the gate isn't published. You've got it exactly right -- she should be waitlisted for PN whereas any non-GS member on the list should be waitlisted for PZ. It will follow the published list if it gets to the gate (which is likely -- they're extremely unlikely to clear an upgrade into the last available seat until the gate).
2 - At this point, no; what's done is done. You can switch seats with her if you'd like to let her sit up front.
. You can check her reservation to see if there's a buy-up that you're comfortable paying, but your chances of having that GPU clear are pretty slim.I'm not sure that we're 100% certain how the gate list is supposed to look. Instruments are supposed to be ahead of non-GS CPUs, but it's possible that a GS member on a CPU would trump a non-status member on an RPU (even a GS RPU). It's also possible that all instruments are lumped together at the gate, so that a general member on a GS RPU might be behind a platinum member on a non-GS RPU. It's really difficult to get good data, since we're typically extrapolating from a situation with a lot of missing facts.
Hope this helps.
Dec 6, 2018, 9:50 pm
#1273
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 4
Welcome to FlyerTalk!
1 - Maybe. There's absolutely no way to be certain, because the list that the upgrade would come from prior to the gate isn't published. You've got it exactly right -- she should be waitlisted for PN whereas any non-GS member on the list should be waitlisted for PZ. It will follow the published list if it gets to the gate (which is likely -- they're extremely unlikely to clear an upgrade into the last available seat until the gate).
2 - At this point, no; what's done is done. You can switch seats with her if you'd like to let her sit up front.. You can check her reservation to see if there's a buy-up that you're comfortable paying, but your chances of having that GPU clear are pretty slim.
I'm not sure that we're 100% certain how the gate list is supposed to look. Instruments are supposed to be ahead of non-GS CPUs, but it's possible that a GS member on a CPU would trump a non-status member on an RPU (even a GS RPU). It's also possible that all instruments are lumped together at the gate, so that a general member on a GS RPU might be behind a platinum member on a non-GS RPU. It's really difficult to get good data, since we're typically extrapolating from a situation with a lot of missing facts.
Hope this helps.
1 - Maybe. There's absolutely no way to be certain, because the list that the upgrade would come from prior to the gate isn't published. You've got it exactly right -- she should be waitlisted for PN whereas any non-GS member on the list should be waitlisted for PZ. It will follow the published list if it gets to the gate (which is likely -- they're extremely unlikely to clear an upgrade into the last available seat until the gate).
2 - At this point, no; what's done is done. You can switch seats with her if you'd like to let her sit up front.
. You can check her reservation to see if there's a buy-up that you're comfortable paying, but your chances of having that GPU clear are pretty slim.I'm not sure that we're 100% certain how the gate list is supposed to look. Instruments are supposed to be ahead of non-GS CPUs, but it's possible that a GS member on a CPU would trump a non-status member on an RPU (even a GS RPU). It's also possible that all instruments are lumped together at the gate, so that a general member on a GS RPU might be behind a platinum member on a non-GS RPU. It's really difficult to get good data, since we're typically extrapolating from a situation with a lot of missing facts.
Hope this helps.
One more question then - if I had not checked in early, what would have happened? I know its speculating but is it a decent guess that neither of us would have upgraded and either the flight would be J2 PN1 or the upgrade I got would have gone to the first person on the PZ list? Thanks again!
Dec 6, 2018, 10:00 pm
#1274
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,413
One more question then - if I had not checked in early, what would have happened? I know its speculating but is it a decent guess that neither of us would have upgraded and either the flight would be J2 PN1 or the upgrade I got would have gone to the first person on the PZ list? Thanks again!
There are few absolutes in UA's systems
, but it's rare for them to upgrade beyond J2 prior to the gate, as they're confident that they can sell the last two seats, either to walk-up purchases or offers during check-in.
Dec 6, 2018, 10:00 pm
#1275
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,419
How many total on the upgrade list?