Upside of fewer upgrades - preferring domestic Y!
 

Can't believe I am going to actually write this but for the first time in years as a 1k I've missed several domestic upgrades from Y. The lesson learned is taht with the right seat, I think I prefer it.

Pros include: If you have a E+ or exit with the seat next to you empty, I find it more private and spacious. Sure beats a bad bulkhead row 1 seat on some aircraft.

Even tho you have to pay for meals - you have a (usually) bigger choice.

And, I often find the other pax in FC to be rude. Hogging luggage bins, arrogant attitude, rude to the FAs etc. Where did the class in first class go?

Cons: pay for drinks - tho this isn't a big deal for me on domestic flights and i do have some chits to get me started.

No hot meal choice - but not such big deal given what hot airine meals are like.

Makes me wonder about when the comp upgrades begin. Will we have a choice to not accept an upgrade, and still have our preferred seat in Y, or will they automatically upgrade seat?

If the E+ seats had their own armrests, I could tolerate better sitting in them. But I dislike playing 'share the armrest' for 5-hour flights.

Agree. The empty seat next to you is HUGE deal breaker.

I feel the same way. As long as loads were low on the flight I definately preferred coach over first. I don't drink much while flying and usually the food I purchased at the airport is better tasting and quality than what I got served in first. Tells you a lot about UA's decision to allow unlimited upgrades.

+1, I've thought the same thing. Well stated in that the whole seat opponent thing is a pain, but I have learned to be pretty comfortable sharing the arm rest. I'll keep my E+ fav seats secret though for now ;)

Give me 6A or 6F on the Airbii, and I'm cool. You won't hear a peep from me.

I'm still figuring out where to best sit, period, in F, or Y, on the non-PS 75s. Just did a flight in 8E from SFO to BOS. Not my fav . . . :D For F, I think I'll take row 6 . . .

+1. I think this will be one of the biggest 2P/1P benefits of UDU, by the way: more space in E+ for those who don't get the UG.

You can always buy the same meals in F if you prefer. They'll even open the snack box and arrange it nicely on a tray for you. :D

And you get a full "bottle" of wine, as opposed to a glass that holds half that volume and you have to trust that the FA will refill often. Also, 2 bottles in Y doesn't seem like overindulging, while 4 glasses in F, while the same volume of wine, make you look like a lush.

IIRC, United PR indicated in the other mega-thread that you'll be able to opt out of upgrades. Likely best done BEFORE you get upgraded, otherwise you might not have that preferred seat to move back into, as lower status pax might be on-the-ball at the 72-hour point to jump into the newly vacated seats.

(Raising my hand) That would be me!!! Love those 1Ks getting upgraded and leaving an empty seat next to me. The trick, of course, is knowing which seats in Y are occupied by 1Ks. I find Ouija boards work well... :D

The FAQ on united.com addresses this as well. You can cancel the request just like canceling an e-500 request.

I agree; domestic F is not that big of a deal, compared to my absolute need to get international C upgrades. 4 or 5 hrs in E+ is fine. Satisfaction with probable E+ also lowers my gate stress factor (heart rate & BP) in waiting for upgrades to clear, and as 1K, clearing upgrade is getting pretty rare flying in and out of SFO. Most of the time I am 2nd on the list with 3 seats open, and I don't get any upgrade love.

Yes, the next to seat is a crap shoot, but in F you ALWAYS have someone next to you. Often not somebody nice. My flight yesterday in F, guy next to puts his bag in overhead sideways to hog the whole bin, keeps sneezing without covering his nose or face, gets his breakfast omelette and says to FA "Bring me some ketchup" and asks again after she nicely says they don't offer it. He must have been a captain of industry! I was impressed by both his status and manners!

Is this a serious question? The non-PS 757 has, hands down, some of the best E+ seats in the fleet. 9A is sublime: great views, free access, unlimited legroom. And, if the stars align, great opportunities to chat up an attractive FA. ;)

And, if seat-back and/or under-seat storage is absolutely necessary (say, if there's the need for intensive work on the laptop), then the windows and aisles in rows 15 and 16 are among the most roomy exit row seats in the fleet, too.

Attractive FAs? Have UA 75s been flying SQ routes or something? :)

(I keed I keed!)

I wondered the same.

Gimme 16C or 16D any day. And so long as Y isn't 100% full, you often get the middle empty. I find that most GA's hand out seat assignments from the front of E+, and I bet they purposely put the lone empty next to the 1K's in the exit row. It only makes sense, and I can't tell you how many times 16B/E has been empty for me.

In premium cabins, I have my wine in a tumbler - not so that I can get more wine, but because it's safer, less chance of spilling. Of course, I'm usually ignored when I say I just want a little; they fill most of it. So, you can easily drink just 2 glasses in C/F and have a great buzz.

How do you get an empty seat next to you :confused: - that is the one thing rarer than UDU striking.
There are many aspects I like about SQ .. the hovering undead makeup wearing girls in the costumes from "Mars Attacks" are not one of them though :o .

Agree E+ can be tolerable, except for views. Exit row seats are almost always over the wing, and even the front rows of E+ can have visibility blocked by the engines.

Accordingly, not being able to score F on UA will likely cause me to shift to AA EXP (for F) and to airlines without F, such as WN.

I had the same thought as OP after my weekend's MR to California when my upgrades did not clear. It was B757 in 15A (no recline but exit) and A320 11A. Even with the middle seat taken, I prefer tons of leg space to the First bulkhead seats. I guess it is more important for me to extend horizontally than vertically. I also loved the "premium" beer free with chits ( just runing out of the 2008 drink chit batch)

There are many times I agree with you. I flew SFO-BWI last Friday and had seat 12A on the A-319. 5 feet of legroom and it looked like the FAs just ignored the F cabin for most of the flight anyway.

Just wondering why many people prefer row 6 on the 757. I haven't tried it yet and am afraid of potential reduced recline.

First off the plane from F. (Those Y pax in row 9 will still beat you!)

If you don't want/need the recline (I typically don't recline if working on laptop) and have a short flight / short connection it might be preferable.

It also does recline, just not the same amount as the others. Whether it's "enough" is subjective.

The exit seats in the non-PS 757 (never experienced PS) are the best economy seats I've experienced; *if* that middle seat is empty. If the middle seat were empty, I'd skip the upgrade.