I haven't had it impact me personally, but I have noticed some empty seats in First of late. As noted above, the wait list disappears off the app pretty quick, so couldn't confirm that there were folks left stranded on the list, but seems likely based on when I checked prior to my own upgrade clearing.

Would definitely keep a very close eye on it if waiting for an upgrade at boarding.

I had something similar happen on my last flight although I was not affected since I had paid for F (last flight of the day DEN-IAH). From what I saw one upgrade was processed before boarding, and it said 1 blocked before the boarding process started. Late connecting flight caused us to wait about 15 min. 1A and B open, late passenger in F boarded and took 1A, but 1B went out empty although the upgrade list was at around 25-30. Perhaps not enough time for GA to process the last upgrade since they expected 1B to make the flight, but didn't? Also, can't explain it, but I have a feeling this was the GAs first.

I thought it was more automatic now than it actually is. It's not strange for me to chat with the gate agent; I guess this is just something I'll have to check on if it is a close call at all. Thanks everyone.

The website flight status doesn't delete the list when the flight closes, so you can see that way if anyone got stranded. Of course the booked count is unreliable on the website, so you have to also look at the seat map or cross-reference with the app.

It is sort of automatic, but the gate agent does have to initiate it. Sometimes they just forget, so in that case a quick question like, "I'm at the top of the list, do you think I will clear?" is a good reminder. Usually they will do it just before they start boarding, but some apparently like to wait until partway through boarding to push the last upgrades (not sure why).


edit add:
I have noticed several flights worked by only one gate agent, and I've seen some reports of the same in other threads --
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33225734-post28.html

Not sure if it applied to your flight, but that might be a contributing factor.

Did you write in? I would think they'd make a goodwill gesture (refund your Premium Plus ugprade, give some award miles, something like that) for what is definitely a service failure.

This happened to me once, and it was a combination of:

1) Three seats were declared inoperative (The AVOD was not working), even though this was the 787-10's first passenger service.
1a) If passengers were sitting in seats that had inoperative AVOD, then the FAs need to perform manual demonstration, at least in the impacted cabin.
2) The family of 4 were ahead of me on the upgrade list, but only 3 inoperative seats were available, so they declined the upgrade.
3) The GA did not make a second pass for the next 3 people on the list, which I suspect was due to lengthy explanation needed from point 1, and they needed to close the door.

Write it in, and you might get a voucher. Keep it straight forward and focus on the fact that first class upgrade was not processed - the first upgrade to PP is not relevant.

The waitlist of those stranded usually disappears when (or very shortly after) flight closes, but the list of those who were upgraded, and their seat assignments, remains.

Indeed, for the app, but the website does retain the list of stranded after the flight closes.

Very occasionally I have seen the upgraded list not be updated even though the GA did upgrade someone, and it then looks like there was an empty F seat when there wasn't. I'm not sure why that happens.

Thanks for the tidbit - I'm usually using app for flight status and lists.

Yeah the app is faster to use, and it's especially a bit cumbersome to be checking both it and the website on a phone.

Kind of wish we could get the best of both worlds and have the app show who's checked in / retain the list, but of course that might mean them messing up something else (like the booked count ).

Yes, very familiar with the "battlefield promotion" of being moved as the doors are closing.

I have also seen a GA fail to process an upgrade and sending an operable FC seat out empty much to the dismay of #1 to go on the WL. When I was fresh out of college in my first job my boss had some special status on DL (firm was based in CVG, though I worked in New York) where they auto-blocked the seat next to him in FC. Coming back to New York from Atlanta once he explained to the FA that I was with him and he wanted me to sit in the seat. #1 on the UG list lost his mind when I moved and a DL customer service higher-up met us on the ground and gave the FA a talking to while my boss scurried away. Pilot on that plane said (rightfully) it was safety issue. I obviously didn't know any better at 21.

Good luck with writing in to 1K!

Can you believe 1kvoice got back to me in less than 3 hours, saying they looked into it and apologized that they had made an error. They credited my plus points back. In the same time period United took care of another question I had-- I got less PQPs for a flight than were on the page when I signed up, I think because I took advantage of a free flight change. They credited those back as well, so worth checking to make sure they are crediting them correctly particularly after a flight change. All of the changes even posted before I got the email.

Good job UAL!

And thanks again everyone!

Always wait at the gate if the numbers show availability. Of course, that doesn't ensure an upgrade, but the odds are way better in your favor than if you board early. Yet oddities do happen too. I waited at the Gate when flying on LH out of Munich to Cape Town. I was #1 on the upgrade waitlist. Business Class was showing full, however, one passenger, who was on another connecting flight had not checked in due to that flight being delayed. Just as the GA was about to process the upgrade, that passenger came running up to the Gate breathless. It was a long flight to SA in coach.

I recently did a mileage run that included a RIC-ORD flight that I paid for and regretted F when F was wide open on an EMB550.

we departed with 8 open seats up front and 18 uncleared folks on the upgrade list. Unsat

Quick summary: UA 781 ORD>SMF last night has F cabin fly out 6/12 empty and shows on app noone on upgrade list...except I applied PP for that itinerary and should've been upgraded as a 1K w/CPU so am disappointed at multiple sets of failure on procedure.

This is a glitch which happened somewhere in the process that I hope United can fix and people can be aware about. My family of 3 (all 1Ks in our own right) normally doesn't try for PP unless we see PZ inventory to lock it in and we have almost 2000 PP that are hard to use. Saw a decent situation to use them flying Chicago to Sacramento and the F cabin was half empty a few days in advance that I was expecting the PP upgrade to go through cause I would get CPU normally with how the load looked. No such luck and a couple days before, the F cabin booked up full. That's life in the big city and no worries. However, upon take off my wife noticed that the F cabin was half empty and the upgrade list showed zero waiting for upgrades (can look now on the app even). Considering we applied PP and felt that as 1Ks, a CPU should've been given regardless, it was disappointing.

In the flight attendants defense, they probably just reference the app and if it shows noone on upgrade then that might be the extent of thinking about it. However, we were recognized as 1Ks during drink service so that should've been noticed in my opinion because the F cabin always has people who are on a waitlist somehow. There was also a little weather to delay some flights so i don't know what/why the late surge in F bookings didn't actually make the flight but they must've cancelled. On the website however, it does show the upgrade list w/my family at the top and checked in so there is a divergence between the website and app in this instance. I've made relevant screenshots of it all.

For the flight, I didn't want to mess with asking to move up there and just sat in normal seats. If it would've been international then I certainly would've, but I was fine to not make a deal out of it onboard. It's the multiple points of failure that is upsetting and never feel like anything is a one off. My family are huge United loyalists but the lack of PP use in the first place, not getting them applied in this situation and how we're already requalified 1Ks, makes me start to look to diversify. Last time I had something like this happen, I went from 100% United credit cards to less than half that. It also makes me wonder if the focus has been lost on each flight because company culture has set sites on the far horizon on things like the Boom supersonic plane, getting ecofriendly, etc....

Sounds like the WX created no shows. It is not unknown for elites to decline waitlisting, so the inflight crew would have not been alerted (plus inflight crew are not allowed to upgrade passenger). This is an issue you should have raised with the GA prior to boarding and it would have likely been addressed.

If you looked at the waitlist after takeoff, they are cleared on the door closing -- so that is not unusually.

Write in, you will probably get something. but this looks like a one-off issue and not likely to occur to you again.