chuck1

I was confirmed in NF on an A320 from PHX to DEN that was downgraded that morning to an A319.

Upon arrival at the airport, I was given a coach boarding pass. The airport was nice enough to give me an exit row window with no seat in front of it and block the middle seat.

Of course they didn't charge for the 500 mile e-upgrade since there was no upgrade, but I was a little surprised you didn't get some kind of little "gift" for the unexpected loss a confirmed upgrade.

Something like a future one segment domestic upgrade or at least an extra 500 mile e upgrade added to my account would have been a nice gesture.

I'm not going to write in, but I just wondered if this had happened to others? If so, did you get a "gift"?

They downgraded by MP level and fare paid. I was on a T (CHEAP) fare and a 1P.

PremEx2000

My wife and I got downgraded from Row 3 of an A320 to the exit row in coach when the aircraft was downgraded to a A319. This was on an SFO-ORD flight a couple of months ago. They gave us two paper HK49s so I was happy about that. I would rather have been in first class but what the heck. And they told me that it didn't matter that I was in Row 3. We would have been downgraded anyway because other 1Ks who had been upgraded had paid higher fares versus my fare (I'm a 1K) and still others were 1Ks versus my wife, who's a PremEx. I'm not sure if that was correct of them to do, but it was no big deal since we got the HK49s. And they gave them to us--we didn't have to ask.

MSY-MSP

I have had this happen several times. Usually when I was going IAD-SEA and they downgraded the flight to a 319. Twice I had upgraded with miles well in advance, and the others were with 500's. Every time I have been downgraded I was in row 3. The first time I was at the check-in counter and the agent gave me seats 3A and 3C. At which point I asked for seats together, as I had requested 3A and 3B at booking, and had confirmed. The agent replied that the seats were together and that the middle seat was blocked. (Alarms going off in head) I asked what happened to my confirmed upgrades paid with miles, did they downgrade the aircraft to a 319. She swore up and down that the aircraft was still a 320. I told her it couldn't as the 320 has 3 rows of first and the 319 has two. I decided not to leave the counter until I had an explanation. Eventually a supervisor comes up, and agrees with me that the aircraft is a 319. Then appologizes for the denied upgrade. At which point I ask for my miles back for the upgrade. He says he cannot do that because my connection to YVR has been upgraded.(huh F on an dash 8)More conversation with him. End result is I got two Domestic invol downgrade upgrade certs (they weren't HK49's different code) plus my 20K back. He said the reason for the downgrade is that when they downgrade they just run through the seat assignments and if that seat is still open you pop into it. If your seat doesn't exist, you end up in any open seat, and if all seats are already taken, you end up on the standby list.

The end result of these experiences is I always check my BP before leaving the counter, and take care of the issue there. And I always book row 2 if available.

SEA_Tigger

Only happened once, on a SFO-ORD segment (part of an SEA-SFO-ORD itinerary), and UA was nice enough to park me in First on a 767-300 (two-class, alas) that was leaving thirty minutes earlier.

coyote

Just as worse, when your seat assignment in 12A or 12F on the 319 goes from unlimited leg room to crappy E- on a 320.

I've had this happen enough times that I now don't book those seats in advance, as painful as that is to see someone sitting in the fabulous seat that should have been mine.

IK in Seattle

I had this happen once and I learned my lesson. I almost had a heart attach on a SEA-IAD redeye when I got on the plane and saw there were 3 rows in first, and I knew I was in big trouble.

PremEx

I also avoid booking into row 3 on the A320 for this very reason. It's a 2 part challenge:

1. When an equipment change happens the system seems to automatically keep your original seat assignment if that seat exists in that class on the new aircraft. But if say, there is no row 3 in First on the new aircraft...you are likely going to be one of the unlucky ones that gets downgraded.

2. Once you've successfully survived that obstacle, you sometimes still risk being downgraded at the airport if agents manually work the cabin to accommodate Full Fare First or higher fare flyers and such. That's when you might ultimately find yourself being issued a Downgrade Kit and placed in back.

Stanford_1K

The A320-->A319 downgrade happened to me once, and since then I've been religious about getting row 1 or 2 from the start. Although I don't doubt those who have posted about de-upgrading occurring by status and fare, I'm fairly confident that sometimes the folks in row 3 just wind up SOL.

Another question is this: Which is worse--

(A) Being in Row 3 on an A320 that gets swapped to an A319, and winding up in Economy...but with a good sob story to tell United before you get on the airplane.

or

(B) Being in 12A or 12F on an A319 (exit row seats with no seat ahead of you) that gets swapped to an A320 leaving you in E-...and only getting to find out about it once you're down the jetway.

Option (B) happened to me a couple weeks ago, and man was I upset when I stepped off the jetway and turned the corner to see not 2 but 3 rows of F in front of me. I turned to the FA and asked if there was anything I could do. "Sorry, it's a completely full flight." (Guess that's why it was swapped!) Fortunately, this was only PHL-ORD, but it still wasn't pleasant. Looking across row 12, it was pretty clear that most of us were 1Ps or 1Ks with long legs who had prereserved the exit row seats. Grrr.

And yes, I know -- seatguru says to take 10A and 10F at your peril. I did. It cost me.

What this does make we wonder about is why United doesn't number the economy sections of the A319 and A320 in such a way that E+ in the A319 is still E+ on the 320. Any thoughts about that? Maybe the A319 parallels the 735 or 733 seating?

Okay, I'm pretty far OT now...sorry about that.

Stanford_1K

D'oh. coyote shows why short and sweet is the better post style. But it's good to know that there are others out there who have been similarly wronged. ;-)

randomman

Easy way to spot a 319 to 320 change for the exit rows:

If it stays 319 the boarding pass will say Economy Plus. On a 320, row 12 will not say Economy Plus.

Hoboken1K

There is one technique one might try, but may not suit everyone in every situation.

I've been the victim of an A320 --> A319 swap - it is unacceptable when an aircraft swap results in undesireable seating (Coach downgrade or no legroom).

So, just tell them you are not going to board and you'll be taking a different flight - and by the way, you want your luggage back.

That should get them to act because (a) they can't fly with your luggage if you voluntarily refuse to board, and (b) they won't want to take a delay to search & retrieve luggage. I know this is testing unchartered waters in today's day and age, but this is really just using their own rules to your own advantage.

On the A319-->A320 swap, one could even reasonably insist on them giving you one of the 4 "newly acquired" extra First Class seats.

------------------
- Bob

UNITED959

Actually, if the route is domestic, the bags can still go.

I overheard this being explained to a couple last week while checking in at ORD. The couple was flying ORD-LAX-SYD. They were concerned about making the connection, and the agent informed them that if they're not on the int'l flight (LAX-SYD), the bags will come off. However, domestically, the bags will still go regardless of whether you've boarded. And sometimes, your bags can be placed on earlier flights.

So unless the A320>A319 is on an int'l route, I'm afraid refusing to board will get you nowhere and your bags...to your destination.

jss

Hmm! Just had my Y to F seat for 10am tomorrow clear. They gave me the "last" F seat 3C.

Jacque

You should have kept the 3A & 3C, the first row of Y on a 319/320 is row 6.

Stanford_1K

Good point -- that should works much of the time. But in my most recent experience, I'm pretty sure I used EasyCheckin Online, which (I think) doesn't show E+/E-. And for that matter, I could swear that it's happened before where the swap happens after I've checked in (say, for a connection) and boarding passes don't get reissued.

Along these lines, anyone have a sense of what time window the downgrade / upgrade of equipment usually happens in? I'd imagine that it's farther in advance at airports with fewer flights, but other than that, I just don't know