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United 1K return cancelled, booked on American

United 1K return cancelled, booked on American

Old Dec 22, 2020, 7:20 pm
  #16  
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AA LT PLT; HH Diamond; AS 75K
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Originally Posted by garykung
Because you can't trade a CPU seat. That's why.
This isn't correct. The accurate statement would have been you aren't allowed. Sometimes being willing to accept a misstatement will help you to be correct in the future. I'm sure as a stickler for definitive and accurate statements you'e agree.
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Old Dec 22, 2020, 8:24 pm
  #17  
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Originally Posted by tkelvin69
This isn't correct. The accurate statement would have been you aren't allowed. Sometimes being willing to accept a misstatement will help you to be correct in the future. I'm sure as a stickler for definitive and accurate statements you'e agree.
Wow I had to read that three times to understand the difference. You are absolutely correct (I wonder if my english is correct)
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Old Dec 22, 2020, 8:29 pm
  #18  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
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Originally Posted by garykung
Because you can't trade a CPU seat. That's why.
If the back somewhat empty I have giving my CPU seat to military service persons before.
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Old Dec 22, 2020, 9:28 pm
  #19  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Originally Posted by garykung
Because you can't trade a CPU seat. That's why.
Hogwash....with brief explanation and sympathetic crew member, could easily happen. Next you'll tell me an FA won't upgrade elites after door closes!
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Old Dec 22, 2020, 10:13 pm
  #20  
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I have never heard the "can't trade CPU seats" rule. I personally prefer an exit aisle over any non-bulkhead window seat in F so I have refused upgrade a few times.

If time is tight (post-boarding upgrade last minute), I just tell the standby nonrev passenger who comes to take my Y seat to take the F seat. The FAs and GAs will not delay a flight because of this kind of thing.
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Old Dec 22, 2020, 10:46 pm
  #21  
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: SFO
Posts: 3,910
Originally Posted by Imoretti
That does seem to be a reasonable consideration, I suppose. However, while we were put off by the passenger’s attitude, nothing was to be gained at that point other than rewarding her for poor social behavior.
You are not owed a seat swap
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Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 22, 2020 at 10:53 pm Reason: Unneccessary / non-contributing comment removed
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 7:17 am
  #22  
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Join Date: Apr 2000
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Amazed that anyone would accept moving to a seat that someone else has already sat in, whether you're the mover or the moved. Wouldn't you want the new seat sterilised again before you sat in it?
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 10:18 am
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by cfischer
of course the split PNR is the issue
There is no godly reason why UA's system "splits the reservation" for CPU upgrades. It causes all kinds of issues. My pet peve is that when I travel with my family, I can't check in my kids since they now have a different PNR. And since they are under 18, it requires me to get someone to come over and help me. Every time it happens I got "GRRR, what idiot created this system".

The idea that united elites should give up CPUs to prevent PNR splitting is just harebrained. It is a benefit that UA offers, and it should not come with side-effects.

Here United did the right thing (moving the ticket over to AA) and it is unfortunate that the PNR splitting has created issues for the OP as a result.

I agree, the only option is to (a) pay AA, then (b) ask UA to pay them back.

But long term, the PNR splitting issue which has been infecting United for the last 8 years really ought to be fixed.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 23, 2020 at 10:33 am Reason: Discuss the issue, not the poster(s)
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 2:42 pm
  #24  
 
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Maybe off-topic, but how did the OP's spouse (as a United 1K) get upgraded on American? The few times I've had a United reservation transferred to another airline, I got no elite benefits on the new booking. Which is understandable, since I was elite on United and not the airline I got transferred to...
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 2:58 pm
  #25  
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Originally Posted by DJ_Iceman
Maybe off-topic, but how did the OP's spouse (as a United 1K) get upgraded on American? The few times I've had a United reservation transferred to another airline, I got no elite benefits on the new booking. Which is understandable, since I was elite on United and not the airline I got transferred to...
She didnt; she was upgraded on the last leg of the outbound flight on United, which split the record. On the return, which was on an AA flight (presumably none in the party of four had status with American), she would have had to pay extra to sit with the other three traveling companions.
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 3:56 pm
  #26  
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Join Date: Jun 2019
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Originally Posted by cfischer
it's really not UA's fault though. The OP should have not let the UG request go through which split the PNR and caused the issue on the AA side of the equation.
Within minutes of the CPU notification, moments after we arrived to the departure gate, we requested the GA to reverse the CPU and she told us it was too late.

Originally Posted by ContinentalFan
She didnt; she was upgraded on the last leg of the outbound flight on United, which split the record. On the return, which was on an AA flight (presumably none in the party of four had status with American), she would have had to pay extra to sit with the other three traveling companions.
Its just interesting that I, and our two sons, were seated in premium ($) economy seats, but my wife wasnt. I do have an AAdvantage credit card, but neither of us has any status on American.

Originally Posted by spin88
There is no godly reason why UA's system "splits the reservation" for CPU upgrades. It causes all kinds of issues. My pet peve is that when I travel with my family, I can't check in my kids since they now have a different PNR. And since they are under 18, it requires me to get someone to come over and help me. Every time it happens I got "GRRR, what idiot created this system".

The idea that united elites should give up CPUs to prevent PNR splitting is just harebrained. It is a benefit that UA offers, and it should not come with side-effects.

Here United did the right thing (moving the ticket over to AA) and it is unfortunate that the PNR splitting has created issues for the OP as a result.

I agree, the only option is to (a) pay AA, then (b) ask UA to pay them back.

But long term, the PNR splitting issue which has been infecting United for the last 8 years really ought to be fixed.
Thank you for your empathy. One thing, to clarify, the original transfer to American in DCA had a single PNR which was split only when we arrived to Houston and received the CPU.

Originally Posted by cfischer
of course the split PNR is the issue
As Gary points out, our chief concern is now having baggage fees when we enjoyed the liberal baggage allowance on United coming down. Thankfully, much of that was gifts which wont be returning with us.

Originally Posted by malgudi
You are not owed a seat swap
Nor did we feel that way. We understand that our problem wasnt the other passengers problem. We only hoped for some graciousness. We were wanting to trade two aisle seats a row apart.

Originally Posted by 1P
Amazed that anyone would accept moving to a seat that someone else has already sat in, whether you're the mover or the moved. Wouldn't you want the new seat sterilised again before you sat in it?
I understand your concern. Our efforts were while we were still boarding, so no one had yet sat down, other than our kids in E & F... as 1K, there were few other passengers onboard yet when we were trying to work out the seating. We were disappointed with the passengers denial to trade, but fully respected her choice. We ended up with A, B and C in the same row after more empathetic passengers voluntarily stepped up.
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Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 23, 2020 at 4:30 pm Reason: merging consecutive / update posts by same member
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 6:56 pm
  #27  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Originally Posted by jsloan
I hear what you're saying, and I've tried to get it solved at the gate in order to give the opportunity to the next person in line, but I'm not about to take an unwanted upgrade because UA's systems can't handle all-or-nothing upgrades at the gate.
Perhaps the one positive thing I've seen out of COVID travel is UA gate agents are now proactively asking the people on the UG list if they want the upgrade rather than blindly following the list (I've overheard this in the "You're next in line for the upgrade; right now no one else is in your row do you want to keep that or take the upgrade?" and the "Mr. X, I see you're traveling as a party of 2; right now I only have one seat available, would you like to stay together or take the upgrade?" -- the latter being the direct cause of my last battlefield upgrade (I was #2, #1 was a GS+Wife with a Kitchen Aid stand mixer as their carry on)...and even as a party of 1 the GA asked if I'd like the upgrade or the Y bulkhead I was already booked in)

For the OP, though, keep receipts for the direct costs (seating, baggage) and submit them to UA after the trip is over. In similar day of travel IROPS cases in the past UA has cut a check and sent a voucher for me; the fact that this was an advance schedule change that wasn't addressed before hand might temper their generosity...but they also had the chance to address this before hand and failed to do so
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Old Dec 23, 2020, 9:59 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by lincolnjkc
Perhaps the one positive thing I've seen out of COVID travel is UA gate agents are now proactively asking the people on the UG list if they want the upgrade rather than blindly following the list (I've overheard this in the "You're next in line for the upgrade; right now no one else is in your row do you want to keep that or take the upgrade?"
This works fine as long as you are there at the gate before the automation does it automatically, which can happen early or as late as 30 min prior to dptr. Th automation assumes if you are on the list, you want it, and if you didn't want it, you would not be on the list. Automation, the root of all evil (edit: not really, but it is imperfect)

Last edited by fastair; Dec 24, 2020 at 9:19 am
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Old Dec 24, 2020, 12:40 am
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by bhunt
If the back somewhat empty I have giving my CPU seat to military service persons before.
Off topic, but so have I. Until that one time...The next person on the upgrade list overheard me and loudly proclaimed if I did not want the seat then he was next in line. The UA GA explained to me that technically the loud objector was correct and that if I did not want the seat he was entitled to the seat. So what I did was board the flight after the loud complainer and waited for the uniformed person to board (not sure why he did not pre-board) and as he got on I gave him my seat and asked for his seat number.

I have also clarified that if I have paid for the first class seat I can swap with anyone, it is just the upgrades that are the issue.

Back on topic - I had the same experience in LAX where the UA flight was delayed arriving from an international flight so they switched me to UA and AA made me pay for the luggage. I was so annoyed as I ended up in a middle seat at the back of the plane and having to pay luggage fees that I hired an uber to get me back to San Diego. It is really annoying after UA causes a delay and then I end up having to pay luggage fees. UA refunded me the flight from LAX-SAN when I contacted them but that was because I had not flown the segment.
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Old Dec 24, 2020, 8:17 am
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by fastair
This works fine as long as you are there at the gate before the automation does it automatically, which can happen early or as late as 30 min prior to dptr. Th automation assumes if you are on the list, you want it, and if you didn't want it, you would not be on the list. Automation, the root of all evil
I've been under the general impression that automation has been inhibited (or at least at CLE and IAD where I've noticed this most frequently) -- the case I mentioned above played out about 5 minutes prior to start of boarding. Seems based on your post that this is not the case system-wide.
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