DELee

Walkby/driveby waving expressions of greeting?

David

UA_Flyer

No visitors. I cannot even leave the room.
Will work on trip report and post photos of meals from flight this weekend

kb1992

I am very curious about how you got upgraded.

Please share

UA_Flyer

I have posted the meal photos in the following thread:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32526028-post361.html


I will share a bit later. Internet is unstable.
I was going to do a trip report including quarantine but decide not to bases on the following report:

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sta...-interrogation

UA_Flyer

Here is the upgrade story on the date of July 8th.

Upon boarding my 7 am IAD-SFO flight, I checked the seat map of UA 857 and saw 5 J seats still unassigned, and the upgrade list showed 55 booked and 4 blocked. I was optimistic at that point being a GS with B fare, #1 on the upgrade list with still quite a few Y seats available for sale, although I was not sure why 4 J seats were blocked.







Please note the persons Wu J as #6 and #1 1 on the upgrade list



About an hour into the IAD-SFO flight, I checked the upgrade list and saw the J is full, but I was still #1 on the upgrade list. At that point, I thought my upgrade chance might be gone!



Another hour later, I checked the list again, now it showed 54 booked and 4 blocked. My spirit was up again!


Two hours later, the list still showed 54 booked, 4 blocked and 33 checked in,and I was still optimistic!


Upon landing at SFO, I checked the list, and it showed 55 booked, 4 still blocked and 45 people have checked in. This was about an hour before boarding. To my surpise, the Wu J person (I assume this is the person was #6 on the upgrade list) jumped to the top and was cleared into 10D!!! ...!?!?!
It smelled fishy to me!!!


Once I got to the gate, the list showed flight was fulled and 54 people checked in, and the person BRA P. who just cleared the Y list also jumped over me I felt the opportunity was gone. Before boarding, I asked the agent about chances my upgrade would clear. He told me to board as J was full!



I boarded, sat in 33G and watched waves of people boarding after me. I then began to check out my neighbors. The person behind me had a cat on her lap, and the person sat between the empty seat next to me had a dog. I figured she probably would place the dog on the empty seat next to me during the flight. I am a cat and dog lover, but 11+hours of flight next to them was more than I bargain for. Then I heard a baby crying in row 30 ahead of me, I began to feel the worst for the upcoming flight.

As I was accepting my fate sitting in Y for the first time in 12+ years on a UA transpacific flight, I took another look of the upgrade list on my phone....4L!!!! I cleared. Before waiting for the gate agent to show up with my boarding pass, I jumped up and grabbed all my belongings and dashed to 4L!!!!

Upon arriving at 4L, a Chinese man was lying in my seat 360 degree and sound asleep. I showed my seat assignment on the App to the flight attendant. A Chinese family of four wanted to sit together. They had 4G, 5G, 5L and 6L ,and decided to move without asking first. It does not bother me as long as I got my upgraded seat. 6L may be better because I would be behind them with all the conversation going on between them.


For all you experienced upgraders, my questions to you:

1. Why was the person #6 on the upgrade list jumped to the front and cleared upgrade before anyone else?
2. The BRA J person cleared Y waitlist and went ahead of me. I assume this person is also a GS on a Y fare (I had B fare), Is this correct?

JAaronT

Decent chance they saw a paid upgrade offer and took it. For whatever reason that will show the on the cleared list rather than disappearing.

findark

Could have taken a cash offer, or could be some list ordering issue. The gate list and the one the computer uses definitely differ, if only by tiebreaker. I rather doubt there were six GS on B fares though.

GS on Y, GS on B (I don't trust the tiebreaks), or any status in paid J who tried to standby for the flight when it was full in both cabins. NRPS could also appear that way if on standby, but very unlikely in comparison.

deskover54

I think you can write a trip report w/o being critical of the govt. I'm super curious to hear your quarantine experience and compare it to mine. I've shared mine fairly publicly and as far as I know, am doing okay roaming around CN and not getting into any trouble.

amtrakusa

Hi UA_flyer, glad you made it to PVG. What is the visa process like? I thought all US citizens are pretty much banned from entering China. So it seems like there are circumstances where a visa can still be issued? are there places for more information? thanks!

kb1992

Between T-24 and when 857 took off, I was watching the upgrade situation closely.

I was also puzzled why WU J. jumped ahead of you and got upgraded first. It sounds fishy. I am not sure we should only blame some "order" issue with the airport list. The BRA J person's name did not show up on the upgrade list until suddenly he got upgraded. I was assuming he is a GS and changed his ticket to your flight in a last minute. Even that it's fuzzy.

When J was showing 58/60 booked, I wonder why you didn't call GS to grab it. Granted it might cost lot of money, but you were on company travel. One-way J fare was $16K.

Anyway, I won't take such a risk. If upgrade didn't clear the night before travel, I'll cancel and stay home.

restlessinRNO

Wow! I had no idea it could be so expensive!

UA_Flyer

Where can I find your sharings?

a lot of information in the following thread particularly in the later pages.


Current China Entry policy

Thanks!

I did not see “58/60”. When did you see it? From the images I posted above, J was always full! Each time I called, i was told it was full and none were available for sale.

Regarding paying $16K one-way for business on company travel, company travel policies do set ceiling for how much one can spend. At that price, it would be crazy!

kb1992

I saw 58/60 few hours before departure. I guess you were probably in flight IAD-SFO.

The next 857 on July 11, there were 3 empty J seats after take-off. Interestingly, when I tried to search fare availability, it was still J0.

I'll see what happens tomorrow, the third 857, July 15.

HGHUA

I saw on an employee forum some of them were talking about this flight and how some passengers are waiting every day to revenue standby for an earlier flight. They book the first avail flight they can on the website and standby at the gate for a shot.

Some of them were successful apparently. One agent remarked he cleared 8 rev standby.

The flights are restricted to 75% loads right now though.

UA_Flyer

58/60 does not mean 2 seats are available for sale. Flight is marked as sold out in the system (factoring blocked seats). Being a GS since inception, I have never been able to force United to sell me a seat when inventory is marked sold out In J or clear upgrade. Y is a different story.

I just want to make sure what you saw on the APP and what is in inventory management are different things and therefore managing your expectations accordingly.

I am happy to learn about the 75% restriction is being enforced now, because on the inaugural July 8 flight, although not 100% full, it was pretty packed and definitely on the north side of 80%.