Dang, y'all fly too much...

David

There is nothing like the feeling of taking a TCON to give a second opinion, telling them “Yep it’s dead” and then heading back to the airport to go somewhere else.

I didn't think UA offered [aircraft] Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) flights yet! 🙂

Idiosyncratic abbreviations are best avoided — or at least explained parenthetically.

Just posting what I think is an interesting data point with regard to UA and elites being downgraded at the gate...

I normally fly AA but booked UA after the AA flight I wanted was sold out. I booked on the day of departure and got the last F seat on STL-ORD. My original seat on this E175 was 2A on the single seat side.

Here's how the upgrade list looked before the flight (I think I'm probably the one not checked in here lol).


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...af9b869e7e.jpg


Then I noticed I suddenly didn't have a seat assignment and got a "see agent" message on my boarding pass for a seat assignment.

The seat map looked like this at the time...


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2d665f4883.jpg


Soon thereafter, I received an email from UA informing me that I had been given a seat assignment. I checked the app and noticed my boarding pass had been updated to 3C.

The final two upgrades on the flight into 3C and 4C seemed to have been removed, and the passengers' names disappeared from the upgrade waitlist.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...11284cb34b.png


Interestingly, just a few minutes later, those passengers re-appeared on the list with Y seat assignments.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6753bcd426.jpg

The final result looked like this in F...


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bf55549d43.jpg


I didn't make it to the gate until after boarding had started, but out of curiosity, I asked the gate agent what happened when I got there. He said there were two seats (2A and 3A) out of commission. On board, both seats had their cushions removed and had signs taped on them, which said they were inoperable.

When I noticed I didn't have a seat assignment, I was afraid I was being downgraded, but I'm glad to see UA prioritizes paid F even over elites who've already been upgraded (although I also wouldn't want to be in the position of those elites!). As an AA flier, it was interesting to see how this type of scenario played out on a UA flight (not sure if this is typical, or if elite upgrades would be preserved over paid F customers without status in other situations).

I can't find the document at the moment, but the last that I saw, a non-status passenger on "paid F" is supposed to be downgraded ahead of a status passenger on a cleared upgrade, including a complimentary upgrade, but they're supposed to ask for volunteers first. That's likely what happened. (Agents have been known to make up their own rules, but if they were in the mood to do that, they'd just have downgraded the people sitting in the broken seats, including you).

On STL-ORD, I'd have taken the downgrade compensation in a heartbeat -- I'd expect a travel certificate worth about $200.

Interesting. I'm not aware of official policy for the AA hierarchy, but I've certainly seen paid F keep their seats over elite upgrades. Would be great to know definitively if UA doesn't work that way, but yes, I see that it might not be an issue with appropriate compensation, as there are plenty of elites who would gladly trade their freebie upgrade on a one hour flight for a $200 credit.

And, yes, I thought being in one of the mx seats alone was going to result in a downgrade, particularly since I don't have UA status, but I suppose it was impressive enough that the GA took time to grab an F seat assignment for me, even if it wasn't quite what I thought I was getting when I booked the trip.

Actually, the more I think about it, the less sure that I am. I think the last time we looked at this, we decided that complimentary* upgrades were supposed to be downgraded first (but with the compensation), in reverse order of status, and then all other passengers, by status and then by fare. Unfortunately, "by fare" is a mess (paid upgrades get slotted into seemingly random first-class fare classes). But they still can (and do) solicit volunteers whenever possible, and I'm also quite confident that when agents break the rules, they normally do so by downgrading anyone without a valid seat assignment,

* As opposed to instrument-supported upgrades, which are generally considered a form of payment.

The document I was thinking of was actually the IDB process: https://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/do...n-report/2418/ . It's written in typical United Confus-O-Logic™, but it basically says "status, then anybody without a seat assignment, and then fare."

The IDB process is basically the upgrade process in reverse, except that any discussion about complimentary upgrades doesn't come into play (passengers in F aren't going to be denied boarding). So... it doesn't really answer your question.

There's quite a long thread on the subject, if you're interested: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...ation-etc.html

Seems like we're returning back to normal, as a 1K I was in the 20s on the LAX-SFO list and late teens on SFO-IAD.

Premier Gold on a W Fare:

4/22 UA 1172 MSY-ORD A-319: #1 for 0 seats. So close!
4/22 UA 1863 ORD-RDU 737-800: Cleared about 18 hours in advance with an email too.

This makes me 2/3 using CPU this year.

CPU is not running
 

1K window passed, Platinum window passed; no CPU has been cleared with seven seats available for a Friday flight. It seems that the CPU machine is stuck in mud. :(

Less than 48 hours to my flight, SFO-LAS, and there are seven seats for sale. I have not cleared the upgrade as a GS. First on list, but no cigar yet.

This is all true, but it does create expectations - maybe reasonable, maybe not. And if they're rarely upgrading much before T-24, it might be more sensible just to say "upgrade, with priority for GS, then 1K, etc."

I know the game, but it's more annoying to be told I might see a CPU as soon as T-96 but then rarely see one until T-24 anyway.

I give United credits for showing “my flight status” about a week (5-8 days) in advance so that I do not have to play a trick with my phone’s clock. CPU should run according to the specified windows of upgrade for different levels of Premier if a certain percent of FC seats is available for sale. Can UA program this and announce this percentage? The expectation will be tuned down if we know this percentage.
Cheers!

Probably too simplistic.

In the past the clearing of CPU too early led to paying F purchasers being shut out.
And UA is clearly trying to encourage upsells before CPU

Another problem is the (historical) purchasing pattern for routes different. The EWR<>SFO/LAX (not a CPU but one well studied on FT) sold very late, near departure. Suspect a number of other hub-hub routes at certain peak hours were similar. But there were other routes that rarely sold late, so no simple answer will work.

I tend to accept what I experience will be what I will experience in the future. And avoid getting frustrated by some language I realize is an overstatement.

We know on very rare occasion, for some, T-96 CPUs do occur for some 1K --- but it is pretty clear that is not the common practice. Best to observe and set your expectation on your observation.

If you want certainty, then ....

I got so used to this nonsense over the years with UA, it ultimately felt normal.

So I am still shocked when AA upgrades me, consistently, at T-100. Their upgrade process simply runs per the published criteria, apparently down to J1 or 2. None of this holding back three quarters of the cabin and trying to sell all the F seats out from under elites at a discount.