ahhh got it. Thanks!

Happened again
 

So, I haven't read through this entire thread, but on our last flight the same thing happened that has now happened 4 or 5 times.
I as Plat split the PNR so as to possibly upgrade, and I find myself 13 people down the upgrade list from my Gold spouse.
It doesn't seem to matter who kept the original PNR and who got a new one, he is invariably listed ahead of me and often I am not listed at all
It has been at least a year since I first complained of this to Premier desk.
NOTHING has changed.

When is UA planning to amend their system so that the real road warriors aren't penalized while spouses are rewarded please?

Thanks

If I (gold) have the explorer card and have an award ticket with 1 companion, to use the upgrade perk on award tickets, I would need to split the pnr, correct?
And if I split it, would my companion, who has no status, retain the perks (e+, bag, priority boarding, and such)?

yes and you will asked at check-in
Been mixed reports, generally yes but if needed agents can look at the PNR history,

Not an upgrade issue, but one should be careful when they split:

My companion and I were flying ORD-PHX-ORD on the same PNR. I used united.com, intending to change just my own return leg to be AUS-ORD. Somehow I ended up changing companion instead (turns out this mistake is not hard to do -- this split feature should probably have been engineered better by the developers). Phone agent changed both flights back for me, and charged a new fare difference on both ends but waived change fees (~$150 total to put it back the way it was).

Oops.

Are you referring to the phenomenon that the elite receives a new PNR, while the companion remains with the original PNR?

2 pax on a PNR. Both of us 1K, credit card holders, and traveling on award tickets. Seem to recall in the past that UA system won’t recognize this as CPU eligible. Prefer to not split the PNR (thereby ensuring correct CPU processing, but possibly assigning non-adjacent seats). Anyone know if the system will process these 2 eligible pax in a single PNR?

2 is fine, 3 or more is a problem

Pre-check-in should be not problem, if you miss earlier but still want to stay listed after check-in, the PNR will be split

Just looked at Manage Booking online and our 2 pax PNR says that neither of us is eligible for an upgrade.

Something else is the issue, then.

Don’t know what it could be. For several years, we’ve had this same problem. Res doesn’t show as CPU eligible, but when split, it does.

I was able to keep me, 1K, and friend, non MP, on the upgrade list in the same order (2 and 3 out of approx. 12 on the list) by not checking in online but having a check-in agent do it at the airport. I know from past experience checking in online splits the PNR.

This was in October and I ended being upgrade and my friend did not but the GA checked with me that I wanted the upgrade even though my travel companion would not be upgraded.

Got confirmation that UA reservations for award tickets with >1 pax on them (regardless if all are CPU eligible due to being Premier and having the right credit card) will not process for automatically for a CPU and so if upgrades are desired, the PNRs need to be split per pax.

That is what I was told back in 2017, as a lowly (Marriott-enabled) Premier Silver with a General Member spouse.

Thanks for reporting the confirmation. Have you now split the itinerary?