cur

you're in washington

the guy you're replying to is in yyz and ord

as a plat based somewhat in canada i cannot remember not getting upgraded on a can<>usa flight...even as a silver

emcampbe

Depends on the routes and times.

I got op-up'd out of YYZ yesterday ORD flight - I was on an award ticket and a plat. I think there's only been a flight or two I've missed inbound to YYZ from ORD/IAD since UDU/CPUs started, however, IME, it's been much more hit and miss going south - southbound flights out of YYZ for some reason are much harder. When I was a silver, I barely got upgrades out of YYZ - much better as a gold. I also missed an upgrade a couple of years ago out of YVR (to ORD) - can't remember if I was gold or plat.

Canada is definitely less hit or miss then the domestic system, but it's still there.

Baze

You are not 0%. You got one but turned it down, that still counts as getting one.

gpicur

I am a 1K based in Saudi Arabia. I fly perhaps 10-12 UA Metal Domestic Segments per year. I would estimate my CPU Success rate at about 50% over the past couple of years.

For 2016 I am 2 for 2 (provided I don't miss my upcoming connections).

1. ATL-IAH booked in "V" Fare
2. IAH-LAS booked in "V" Fare

I am still on the "list" for

3. LAS-DEN booked in "V" Fare
4. DEN-ORD also booked in V
5. ORD-ATL booked in "T" Fare

gopony

100% in 2016, even a companion upgrade on one of them (STL/ORD/ATL). usually STL to SFO. I have even been upgraded to GF to/from SYD before they switched to the dream-liner and the 2 class cabin.

Have a feeling GS helps my percentage

Live4Upgrade

^ Similar experience. HUGE difference on upgrade % as GS vs 1K.

Lurker

As a 16-year 1K who remembers the old days (after 500 milers of course) of pmUA complementary UGs that generally cleared at the then 96 hour window, I was shocked this week.

For the first time since the merger I think, both of my SMF-HUB-SMF cleared at T-100 hours.

Thank you Mr. Munoz.

Lurker

Baze

All this I am 10% as a gold vs I am 0% as a 1K is so subjective. It is very dependent on the day you fly and the route you fly. So, without a very comprehensive spreadsheet and on;y basing on what you read most of the info posted here is meaningless. When I fly hub to hub I am 0%, when I fly to some small substation point I am 100%. I am 1K based out of SFO.

emcampbe

This.

It's all dependent on a bunch of factors including day-of-week, time, route, etc. Even that can change week-to-week or during short holiday weeks, etc.

Pre-merger, their used to be a site where one could report their UDU success/failues, and you could search by route and it gave percentages by route, status, day-of-week, time of day, etc. I forget what it was, but it wasn't maintained or taken down at some point. I think there was another one developed post-merger, but not sure how much that one was used, and if it still exists today. I'm sure someone can find the thread on these.

Even those weren't necessarily so accurate, as it was based on people entering it, so only as good as the date provided, and still probably was pretty unrepresentative of the system as a whole.

transportbiz

That is very clearly obvious and even expected. Though my experience was 80% of my flights were LAX-A REAL HUB-SMALLER CITY. With this as a reasonable understanding, I would have thought a greater than 0% would be realized.

CO_Nonrev_elite

Well, except that for some of us who have had the same flying patterns for 10+ years. I had a 90%+ success rate on upgrades for 10 years and then have it fall to less than 10% for last three. I posted my routings and most of them were 100% clearances for years, now down to zero. Hard to suggest that it's my schedule

Baze

You are only 1 data point in a massive blob of data. There will be lots like you and lots opposite you. I'm just saying basing anything on 1 post or a few posts on FT is meaningless. I can say I am 35% success this year and am based in SFO, people in your situation would respond "I don't believe it, 1K's are no where near 35% out of SFO". Now if I stated that out of SFO I am 0% on my hub to hub flights and 60% on my hub to spoke flights that would be more meaningful but still only a tiny sample size. If I listed every flight with dates and times and my success or failure for those flights that would be even more meaningful. My point is, most of the posts on FT leave out so much information they become basically meaningless in the grand scheme. About all they do is give a picture that yes, for a lot of people on FlyerTalk, CPU's are way down.

emcampbe

Well, except you'd also be silly not to consider the changes that have gone on in the industry during the last 10 years. Not to mention that 10 years ago can't be correct, because at least on legacy UA, there were no comp upgrades 10 years ago - that only started what - 2010 or so?

If you had someone who took a flight 10 years ago, and then went through the flight experience for the first time since, except for perhaps being on the same type of plane, pretty much the entire experience has changed - what you get for a fare, ancilliary fees, change fees/policies, security, onboard experience, the kind of seat you sit in, even number of crew onboard, meal service (or lack thereof), etc. All of these things have changed he experience.

If you go back a little beyond the last 2 years or so, you also had a very different kind of market for premium fares. On the one hand, you had a down economy for many of those years where people weren't buying premium, but they are now. You also had, in recent years, price reductions in the product because airlines started realizing that earning less $ per seat but selling more seats could get them more revenue, and yes, that means fewer upgrades. Combined with a better economy meaning more people are willing to buy F outright.

Upgrades still happen - I'm about 35% this year. Yes, they happen less often then in the past (including to me - I used to be closer to 60+%), but it's something folks are going to have to get used to. And yes, it's the case for all airlines, not just UA.

bluedemon211

Not to inflame the folks on this thread, but I have two observations after reading 6 pages of posts...............trying to reconcile "my % vs your %" is a fools errand considering the lack of data provided by posters. Even if we knew exact routes and status, fare classes play into things too, and that takes the analysis up exponentially.

Second, the "C" in CPU stands for complimentary. To call the program a sham or scam is flat out wrong. It is up to UA to decide how to dole out CPU's. If they can monetize those seats, good for them. If I pay for economy, I get economy unless I get a gift. If I want F I either pay for it take my chances. To say "UA sold my CPU out from under me" is crazy. It is not our CPU, it is UA's. If the TOD offers cost me a CPU..........meh. Now, when using instruments that is a totally different matter and also a totally different thread

emcampbe

+1...completely agree.