Last edit by: WineCountryUA
The way of the Dodo? - 1K upgrades, PP or CPU
#256
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#257
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
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Both C and J are routinely used to mean “the business cabin.” I don’t think the OP was speaking about a specific fare class. There is no consistency between airlines as to what the highest business class fare bucket is.
#258
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#259
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At one point, many moons ago, the fare buckets were fairly consistent between and among carriers. I’d say the trigger for the divergence was the Carter-era deregulation of the industry.
#262
Moderator: Midwest, Las Vegas & Dining Buzz
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 17,976
This is absolutely correct. C was full-fare Business at United before the merger. There was no J.
#263
Join Date: Jul 2022
Programs: UA 1K, *G
Posts: 7
Next week wife and I are flying EWR-CDG. We have R class fares, I'm 1K, and we're currently waitlisted for a PP upgrade. Per the UA website there are 25 of 60 seats available in Polaris on our flight at this time. After reading this thread I think I'll have to manage my expectations for an upgrade. I'll be surprised if we don't none the less. Last Sept. wife and I flew from EWR-ATH and were upgraded using PP to Polaris and we were on discount economy fares.
#264
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: EWR
Programs: UA 1K, DL DM
Posts: 255
Next week wife and I are flying EWR-CDG. We have R class fares, I'm 1K, and we're currently waitlisted for a PP upgrade. Per the UA website there are 25 of 60 seats available in Polaris on our flight at this time. After reading this thread I think I'll have to manage my expectations for an upgrade. I'll be surprised if we don't none the less. Last Sept. wife and I flew from EWR-ATH and were upgraded using PP to Polaris and we were on discount economy fares.
#265
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,219
However, I am wondering if United has now factored this into their pricing algorithms as my most recent reservation for December and return January TPAC was significantly cheaper fare for outbound Monday and return on Friday. I think Mondays and Fridays are dreadful days to try and get an upgrade but the airfare was significantly less. I am watching to see if the airfares come down in price for midweek and would switch to them but I am slightly concerned and it is a 14 hour flight...so really hoping the upgrade happens.
#266
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#267
Join Date: Oct 2018
Programs: United 1k, HH Diamond, Bonvoy Ambassador and LT-Gold
Posts: 1,660
I sense that UA would sell a last minute upgrade for $2 rather than give it away. I’m amazed at how many F seats with PZ=0 disappear even with outrageous fares. I’m dying at 1 again for a cle-den trip and the last seat went for over $2k.
#268
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The critical point was that UA - and all the others - are filling the First and/or Biz cabins with paid customers rather than free upgraders aka CPUs, PPs, etc. Of course this has been the objective from the beginning of time, but now the strategy has shifted from extracting as much as possible from customers flying on company-paid tickets to leisure customers paying fares that are often discounted below the pre-pandemic pricing.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jul 12, 2022 at 9:26 pm Reason: Removed unneeded comment
#270
Join Date: Oct 2018
Programs: United 1k, HH Diamond, Bonvoy Ambassador and LT-Gold
Posts: 1,660
Interesting experiment
my brother in law taking a red eye tonight from lax-xxx (not hub). Flight leaving in 5 hours and he has an H ticket with no status. I just applied pp and he is now #1 on the list with 1 seat left.
somehow bumping everyone else?
although it looks like they already cleared 3-4 from the list already.
my brother in law taking a red eye tonight from lax-xxx (not hub). Flight leaving in 5 hours and he has an H ticket with no status. I just applied pp and he is now #1 on the list with 1 seat left.
somehow bumping everyone else?
although it looks like they already cleared 3-4 from the list already.