CPU sweeps are generally done at the elite windows, including T-24 (sometimes it can run in between if UA decides, and also, beleive it's done each time an upgrade eligible passenger checks in until about T-3 or whenever the flight goes to gate control). The list you can see once you check in is the upgrade standby list, and is used at the gate only, generally gets cleared close to boarding time. One can actually clear a CPU after checking in, but it still comes from the CPU (hidden) list, and not the upgrade standby list (that you can see and used at gate only).

Oh okay, I think I understand now. Thanks for clearing that up. How is the clearance of CPUs determined? Is it availability of a certain fare class? And after that availability is exhausted, everyone else gets added to the upgrade standby list?

Yes, but the "fare class" is not a published one. It is generally considered to be a subset of R, and sometimes speculated to be R-2. Generally speaking, a sweep running will first calculate a new number of "CPU available" seats immediately before clearing any eligible pax.

Oh okay cool, that's very interesting information. Without this site, I have no idea where I would have found out that kind of information :)

This is a first for me, even as a 1K: I bought a PDX-ORD ticket for Thursday ticket at 11:45am. At 12:10pm, less than 30 mins later, the CPU cleared.

Unapplied GPU Saturday used to get into F LAS-SFO-OGG just before 1K window for Wednesday flights (PN9,R4 at the time). Moved back to coach and got CPUs about an hour and 3 hours later. I became sole occupant of 16-seat F cabin SFO-OGG at 1K window. Still only three seats occupied.

Pretty nice, that goes to your previous post about Wed flights to Hawaii seem to have more availability. I just had a friend who is the spouse of a UA employee pick up the SFO-KOA flight on Wed as well flying on a SA ticket. Unfortunately Wed will almost never work for me.

yeah, but kinda weird trip. Outbound OGG-LAX this past Wednesday, I was only upgrade in cabin (used GPU). It was full 24 hours out. Zero CPUs and no ToDs.

EWR-PBI 3 weeks ago was my first CPU of 2017. My wife (also Platinum through MM companion) and I were upgraded at the gate after the website indicated First to be checked-in Full.

Price to fly F can be as low as $249 over E. Standard is $299. I know I sound like a broken record, but I'll say it again....this seems to be a pricing mistake when you consider that the premium is not much more than E+ fees plus bag fees and BOB.

Yeah - makes me work harder to decide between buying a P fare, scheming for a CPU, and using an instrument when latter looks borderline.

I do think UA is monetizing the cabin optimally, though. If you still see an upgrade or two (or more) on each flight, they're not totally underpricing it. It'll be interesting to see how things change as UA increases F capacity with the announced service expansions later this year. I think they're got the capacity now for those who want to buy F at current prices - UA's gonna have to coax other F passengers from the other carriers as capacity is added, and I think the added lie-flats will achieve some of that.

Cleared T-24 as a Silver. ORD-ATL 7/21 8am ish flight was 2nd on the UG list.

1st of the year/ever although I fly CRJ 200 95%+ of my flights

That happened to me last week, too. I think they've changed the CPU sweep process.

7/23 IAH-RSW (evening flight) - cleared at about T-10; my first CPU of the year (granted, this is only my third trip this year :()

Enjoying my best CPU clearance rate since becoming a 1K. Have now cleared 44-49 eligible segments.