leftysauce

Has anyone recently observed that UA is clearing upgrades "earlier" than T-24 sweep? I've been observing SFO 871 for a few days and it seems like tons of upgrades are being cleared the day before departure around 2/3am when UA levels inventory for most flights on the DoD. I've seen 9 seats being cleared on a day, and 11 seats the next day. It doesn't go all the way down to 4 but just above that. Then at T-24, it'll clear down to 4 seats.


Another observation: app flight status shows 59/60 booked in J and 23/24 in O. However, UA is selling at J0 O2 R2. I know the list/count has been incredibly unreliable recently but i think it's something else.

Seat map in flight status shows 1 seat unselected in J and 2 in O. When it was 22/24, it was selling at R3. So most likely someone booked an O seat but hasn't selected a seat yet. However, seat map in new booking/flight search shows all seats taken in J with 2 seats left in O. So it does seem like J is indeed being suppressed in some way.

The first agent said it's a crew rest for pilots (on a 77W). Seat open is 6D so unlikely to be a crew rest. Another agent said it is indeed available and not held/blocked. So potentially UA is blocking J availability and selling it as O to overbook O and UPP/OpUp someone to J? Has this been happening?

Kacee

UA has been clearing either at T-24 (to J2) or around T-36 (to J3) for about a year now.

drewguy

That seems unlikely to be a business strategy . . . they are probably protecting J for some other reason.

Also, it could be that 59 are booked, +1 crew rest, and one J pax hasn't selected a seat (I'm guessing they'll be in 6D). FWIW I don't think crew rest shows open - it either doesn't appear in seat map or it shows taken.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

I've definitely seen quite a few upgrades processed at T-36 (mine and others that I've sponsored)

malgudi

I sponsored upgrades via PP for two non status friends on an upcoming UA 838 (NRT-SFO) and was (pleasantly) shocked when this cleared a week in advance!

Kmxu

I was very excited to read the thread title. I wish that UA really clears upgrades earlier than T-36 h. For most of flights, UA decided to clear the waiting lists at T-36 h, unfortunately.

mariol

What happens if the system is down to a 2 passenger PP upgrade request at J4 at T-36? Does it just leave at at J4 and then clear both at T-24 if nothing has changed? How about in the situation of being J3 at T-24?

WineCountryUA

overselling PremPlus has long been a UA strategy
PremiumPlus over booked-- Why, what happens?
R is probably not purchasable but UA will be glad to sell 2 seats total in either J or O (O can be more expensive than P, ea specially close in)

Kacee

At T-24, the PNR will be split and a single upgrade cleared. I don't know that we have any datapoints with a T-36 sweep, but I assume the same.

mariol

I knew they would be split on check-in (or at least that the app would ask); I didn't realize that would happen involuntarily as early as T-36. Thanks.

Kacee

Again, that's just an assumption. But it would be consistent with what happens when they run the sweep at T-24.

WineCountryUA

As the split happens with check-in and can be delayed by not checking-in, I doubt an involuntary split would happen at T-36.

mariol

If that's the case, is there any risk of being skipped over pre-split? They'll be able to check in before T-24 due to connection and I'm mainly worried about that possibility. Also, is there an age under which a minor can't be split? I'm already in J on a a separate PNR holding onto a middle seat...

findark

I believe conventional wisdom is that it will jam at J4 PZ1 and observant FTers can re-apply to jump the list - or maybe just J4 PZ0 and no chance.