Seat Availability Question
 

I have a question about seating availability on united's website.

I logged in to check alternative flight times and saw a good chunk of E+ availability on the desired flight. A co-worker of mine did the same and saw no available seats (E+ seats were blocked with the people icons, rather than typical shading). He doesn't have status, and is currently booked on a later flight in E-. Is there any reason he shouldn't be able to stand by on the earlier flight and pay the $14 to go E+? Any reason for the difference in views other than becuase I get free access to E+?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

What you're seeing is exactly what should happen when one person has status and the other doesn't.

If he stands by for the earlier flight, he has to clear standby before paying for E+. Or, if you're also on the flight, you can bring him into E+ for free.

Non-status GMs don't see any E+. Even 2Ps don't see exit row availability. Seats are there and available.

No reason he can't do standby. $14 might be the minimum for E+, could be more depending on the flight.

Is he flying with you? Tell the GA you're traveling together and he can get seated in E+ (with you) for free.

Great, thanks for the insight.

To follow up on that, can he clear standby if there are only E+ seats left? I would tell him to upgrade and then standby, but there are no E+ on the original flight.

Also, to clarify, (haven't flown in months) I can bring someone to E+ with me for free? Just one person?

Thanks again

On a full flight, non-elites often get to sit in E+, even if they are standbys. Better to fill the seats, right?

But you are allowed to bring one passenger with you for free.

They have to link the itineraries thought, right?

DMH

Linking itineraries involves the res agent putting notes in the respective reservations that they're traveling together. No way to actually tie them together. The agent will put the companion on a separate PNR into E+, but the non-elite may get swept back into E- and will need to regularly check his/her seat assignment and have the elite companion call back to restore the E+ seat assignment if swept.

I've seen this both ways. Sometimes you can't see the exit rows at all. Other times it looks like they are already full (filled with people icons). In reality, however, those seats may be unfilled (but only visibly available to someone who has logged in as a 1P or higher.

Not to hijack this thread, but on a similar topic, my parents have a couple of flights next week which show no seats as being available when they booked (they have no status). Assuming there are seats in E+ available, when they check in, will the E+ seats become available to them, or will they have to pay to get these seats?

Thanks for the help.

They will have to pay unless there are no E- seats left.

And even if there are no E- seats left, other people can buy up, or upgrade to 1st from E-, and they could still get stuck in E-.