What am I supposed to do with this? So United will conduct an internal review and not provide me the details nor the outcome. What terrible service. I feel even more upset. Do I have any other recourse?

Thank you


"I am unable to explain why others were upgraded before you, but please know that I have filed your complaint and sent it on to the 1K management team for internal review. Although we cannot provide specific details about the internal investigation, please know that we take your concerns seriously. Please know this issued will be addressed.

We know the value of your decision to fly with us, and I assure that we will make every effort to leave you with a better impression of our airline next time you fly with us.

Thank you for your business and loyalty as a Premier 1K member with MileagePlus. We look forward to serving you on another flight"

Customer Care

It is not realistic to expect details on internal investigations into personnel actions. You reported the issue and UA acknowledges there was an issue. How they handle it with their personnel is confidential.

What do you want besides an apology?
Compensation?
What kind of recourse?

UA 988 departed FRA Sunday with two seats left open upfront and with myself second on the upgrade list. I'd already had my upgrade clear partially from Y to Premium Plus and had assumed the rest of the upgrade would not go farther when J showed up as checked in booked full, but it looks like two people no-showed. I spent a few minutes wondering if somebody would show up in my row with a freshly-printed boarding pass, but after noting that a) the crew looked very busy trying to get the flight out on time, b) I was pretty full from visits to two LH lounges earlier in the day and c) I was curious to experience Premium Plus internationally, having never done so before, I decided to let the situation play out. And it played out with those seats remaining open, as I could see in the seat map (which didn't show any blocked) and by peeking into the Polaris cabin.

Anybody want to guess what went awry in that situation? Could the seats have been broken? (I didn't get to see if there were any labels on them as I deplaned, because I was on the wrong side of this 773.) Or was this just a case of a busy crew skipping that last check, and I--or the person at the top of the upgrade list--should have waved over an FA or hit the call button once check-in time for the flight had closed?

Could have been broken seats if they were actual unused but GA error is more likely.

But flagging an FA would not have done anything. FAs are not involved in the upgrade process and don't have the information / tools to handle. This is the GA's job and if done incorrectly is on the GA. Were you checking your mobile BP?

Repeatedly! Never changed, and I did get the 20 PlusPoints back as I should have for a halfway upgrade.

I don�t remember when I boarded, but since the check-in time at FRA is 75 minutes before departure, it was unquestionably after check-in had closed. (And now I see that I need to correct my earlier post - J was booked full, not checked in full.) So I should have asked the GA then�

Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Unfortunately, always lots of opportunities to second guess / reconsider in hindsight.

David

Curious to hear the board's take on this. Yesterday flew a UAX flight to DEN and my wife & I were #1 and #2 on the waitlist with 1 seat available. I got the upgrade -- but then declined so I could sit in E+ with wife (row 7 on the 175 has more legroom than F, so not bad).

Anyway - there was another 15 people on the upgrade list; but FA approaches another 1K who was behind us to offer upgrade; she declines because of spouse... and then the flight takes off with 2 seats available in F (very odd - not next to one another, but across). I almost said something, but obviously mid-flight not going to ask folks to move around, but I was very confused as to how on the WL with 15+ people, no one was moved up -- and I'm assuming we weren't approached since I declined, but also felt like since we were #1 and #2 on WL, we would have both been given the UG.

I'd never seen this happen before - so chalked it up to the GA and FA's inexperience. But how could that have happened?

I think there are more inexperienced gate agents these days. I know some folks put it down to shenanigans but I really think it is inexperience. 1K line is very much my experience these days as well.

I would write into 1K voice and let them know. Not that you are upset because you denied the upgrade but more the list was not processed to fill the two seats.

Very likely related to the GAs manually writing down who is on the upgrade list and then walking on the plane and asking them if they want to move up. Given that the rate of people declining upgrades is super small the GA probably only wrote down the first 2-4 names on the list. Since everybody declined they closed the door and off they went. The other option was for them to walk up to the computer, get the next few names and go through the process again. The GA made a valid attempt to upgrade people and when they all declined the flight was closed and dispatched. Very normal. The GAs are not given handheld devices like the onboard crew so they can't see the upgrade list in this situation.

-RM

Not looking to assess blame but the GAs should be better trained. That is 2 upgrades that did not happen. United gets much flack for not having upgrades available and then let's planes leave without processing upgrades.

That should not be viewed as acceptable.

UA 1115 SFO-DEN 2:36PM left gate with 4F next to me open.

FA asked if I scared off my seatmate and I replied, "I guess we have a no-show, hopefully next on the upgrade list gets it." She said someone "downgraded" (assumed a CPU decline due to companion). There was plenty of time before they closed the door and I never saw a GA come aboard. Hope the 1K's complained.

UA1964 IAD-SEA on Tues May 30, MAX8 with 16 seats. Went out with 1 open but 30 on the upgrade list.

Thurs 10/26 Flight 6131 IAD>SYR on an E175 with one empty seat in First. FA asks ground staff “no upgrades”? Didn’t hear the answer, but FA says she’ll tko of it on her device. Goes back to Economy and brings a guy up. Very short flight, but good for her to do the right thing at the end of a long day.

UA 1542 21-Jan, EWR-BOS, 737-900 (20 J seats). Showed "Checked-in full" prior to flight. I was in paid F, one of two GS that boarded during pre-board. About ten minutes before the door closed, a gentleman came up and sat in the empty seat behind me, showing the FA his BP had changed. But two other seats, 4A and 4B, remained empty at door-closing, with about 20 on the upgrade list. The GA did not come in to upgrade anyone, nor did the FA do anything. So we flew all the way from EWR-BOS (44 minutes!) with two open F seats.