Empty premium cabin seats (Business/First) even with non-empty waitlist (CPU/PlusPts)

Next time, wait at gate until you get the seat. Do not board when your upgrade chance is over 50%. You can screen shot the seat map and send to 1K Voice. Good luck.

SMF?

From my experience, GA likely forgot to clear upgrades. I learned early in my FT membership to wait to board if 1st or 2nd on the list with empty seats, because that does happen. It's gotten me 2 upgrades where I'd otherwise be sitting in E+

Exactly my modus operandi. On just a few occasions I've nudged the GA at the desk once boarding started.

1/25 IAD-FLL I cleared but noticed we pushed back with 1 empty F on the seat map and visually confirmed, yet 10+ on WL. Felt bad for #1..

1/28 Return flight MIA-IAD, again noticed flight pushed back with 1 empty F and they didn't clear #1 once onboard, who was likely a GS based on how many I saw walking back to E+.

This is despite numerous gate agents over the years telling me to please board they will give me a new BP if I clear in those 50/50 situations...ha, sure. I've fortunately not found myself in the situation where I am #1 and we push back with 1 empty F, not sure what I would do other than laugh at my own luck perhaps. In that situation once onboard, is there anything #1 can do that doesn't qualify as DYKWIA to try to get their upgrade?

Stand next to the podium and the gate agent.

David

Just ask the FAs, I've had this happen twice and it worked for me. Obviously be very polite about it!

Last Friday (April 1st) I'm flying IAD-CLE. I was upgraded several hours before I got to the airport, but noticed the upgrade list was still 10+ deep. Flight boarded and pushed back on time... with two empty F seats and no movement on the upgrade list. GA also totally bungled the boarding process and announcements, so I'm going to assume it is a completely inexperienced GA.

Or an experienced lazy one...

Yeah. It wasn't even a misconnecting passengers arriving late situation. The app showed first w/ 2 available in addition to the seat map when boarding began (on-time) as stated. They had all the time in the world to clear those two waitlisters.

I'm platinum elite on UA and flew ORD-NOR earlier this week. I got bumped up to 1st, but there were 4 empty seats out of 12. I get maybe 1 or 2 cancelled or a missed a connection, but wouldn't UA just go down the priority list to upgrade until they cleared golds? Just curious, not complaining

I misconnected in ORD just two days ago. Was upgraded and they closed the door 7 minutes before departure time (I got to the gate at 6 minutes to). The agent dumped me and another person out of first but those seats flew empty with 8 on the upgrade list. Not only was I annoyed they didn't hold the flight, the lazy GA didn't bother upgrading the next two people. No excuse for that, especially when the flight is departing EARLY.

-RM

Is not closing the door 5-10 minutes before departure standard?
How early was the departure time? aircraft move away from gate

but back on topic, GA may have waited too later to drop you and the choice was too delay departure or upgrade. That's why no shows are done at 15 minutes to allow time to do the shuffling and still get out on time. Hard to tell if this was a lazy GA or one who waited too late.

Too bad the Connection Saver did not kick in.

On a "full" flight today UA2409. Door closed about 5 min early After flight closed, I could visually see one empty in F. F and Y showing full in the app but one F not checked in and seatmap shows the 1F 4Y empty. 12 on UG list, 2 on Y list

On UA 4497 today, my wife (Silver) and I (Platinum) were #1 and 2 on the upgrade list with 8 of 10 booked. 1CD went out empty. My sense is that the gate agent was new or inexperienced (she was reading pre-boarding order off of a paper). Still pretty disappointing, I wish I had said something during boarding but figured they'd just pull us up before departure. I did notice the standby list was cleared.

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