CO_Nonrev_elite

I'm not hub captive, and as a 1k, I am under 10% for upgrades on UA around the system. Managed to get one yesterday from HDN-DEN on a Q400 yesterday but only after myself and several others stood up and forced the gate agent to process upgrades for the 3 open seats in first. While I appreciate that it's a 40 min flight, upgrades are so hard to get these days, that I'm taking it when it's due. The flight pushed early and landed early, so the agents were just being lazy and actually said that she didn't want to have to walk from the remote stand back to the gate to find out who to upgrade. Three people (including myself) stood up and told her the order, to which she then argued that she'd need to change her paperwork. Only when realizing that she was going to have a problem did she actually do it. Again, this was about 15 min before scheduled push so delays were not part of it.

MSPeconomist

That's disgusting. I hope you report it. She shouldn't need to be urged by three elites to do her job.

caseminole

This happened to me once ORD-JAX and when i brought it up here, a lot of folks blasted me for feeling "entitled" to the open F seat

in my case, the flight went out with the one seat open, and I didnt find out until de-boarding

Lurch

Not sure about this. On Flt #555 from ORD to DTW the GA announced that the last upgrade to F was available for $60. Elites were on the upgrade list. I had seen them offered at check in by never by a GA. This was a 319 so only 8 F seats available. Then a non-rev was placed in F also. She was in uniform as so may have been deadheading and I do not know the rules about this.

bocastephen

Did you or anyone confront the GA about this? Again as often said here, nothing can be gained from complaining about this type of situation here if no effort is made to confront a rogue employee on the spot.

For now, just write customer service, provide these details and we can hope for the highly unlikely 'retraining' or suspension of this GA.

dmurphynj

But IS IT a rogue agent or is part of "dynamic pricing" going to be trying to sell upgrades at the gate?

I know that HP used to do that .... bought an upgrade LGA-LAS many moons ago for $50 that way.

bocastephen

There is no such thing as auctioning upgrades at the gate at UA. Upgrade offerings are electronic only.

Delta offers upgrades on a standby basis (ie, correctly once all elite customers are upgraded) to customers on certain fares when it looks like seats will go empty and these are sold/processed at the gate, but this is not done at UA (and DL also offers UA style buy-ups ahead of elites, processed electronically only).

It's a rogue agent, please report this incident and if you encounter an agent not processing the upgrade list, please confront them and make sure they understand you will be reporting them to management.

physioprof

What confuses me about this "auctioning at the gate" scenario, is what possible incentive could a GA have for not just following standard procedure?

Baze

I have heard a GA offer and the price they gave was the exact same amount the app was offering it to me for as I was looking right at it when I heard the announcement. But $60 sounds like a different scenario. Never seen an upgrade offered for a multiple of $10. Usually ends in a 9.

bocastephen

1. pocket the cash if paid that way
2. "stick it to those elite ba$tard$"
3. "this is MY airline, and I run it MY way"
4. "this is just like my Ebay shop"
5. "I want to be like those cool auctioneers on Discovery - ya bought it!"
6. "the online offer of $199 is way too expensive"
7. "low prices work for Walmart, I'm just trying to help out"
8. "this is all United F is really worth"
9. "Jeff said it was OK"
10. "$60?? No! I meant $600"

Plane-is-home

11. My buddy "non rev" deserves that seat. If I ask who wants to upgrade and nobody comes forward I can give it to him

Lurch

I did confront him but he had already sold the upgrade. He told me he had worked for UA for 3 years and did it all the time.

JC5280

Thats a pretty junior employee for customer service actually. Still crazy that he has done this before though.

And as many others have noted in these threads, despite the shenanigans being declared here, everything is tracked electronically. Unless someone is willing to risk their job, they likely wont do anything electronically that is questionable. Several of my GA friends have even been questioned for moving someone in to an E+ seat without payment.

bocastephen

Well then I think it's time we stop him from doing it any further...please write in and complain, giving as much detail as possible.

PushingTin

Boarding a flight running 60 minutes late. Obviously they are trying to turn the flt around fast and the GA seems new and is having issues 'opening' the flight. App shows two seats available in F and I'm #2 on the list. They call G1 and as I board I try to be nice and say "I know you are busy, but are you going to be able to clear the UG list?". Kid is totally harried but responds nicely that he'll get to it. I was more worried about him getting the flight out, so I don't press him. Get on the plane, just a row back from F (RJ flight, but 3 hours long) and wait. I check the app and all of sudden I'm #3 on the UGL. WTHeck? Of course I've already told my seat mate that I'll probably UG, so that makes me look like a DYKWIA. Kind of ticked, more puzzled on how someone jumps me after I've boarded an flight that is an hour late.

But that isn't the odd part. #1 on the UGL clears and boards straight to his seat. The FA then comes to my and asks for Mr. Tin and asks if I would like my seat in F. Sure I say. I check the UGL and #1 has cleared, but the rest of the list never clears- not me at #3 or #2. I wish I could remember who actually cleared- the new person or the one that had been ahead of me.

I felt it little bad. Actually not that much to be honest. If the GA had cleared the UGL when he should of, it wouldn't have been an issue. Just found it odd- especially in that it worked in my favor.