Actually, check first to see the F load and whether there is NF availability. Not much is going to change at 120/100/72 hours on a flight with NF0.

If you still cannot secure E+ prior check-in, politely mention to the GA that you'd like the chance to move into E+ as any UDU's clear. Most likely, the pax that get the UDU at the gate will be in E+.

I've done this in the past and it's been hit or miss, since you're going SFO-IAD, the E+ would be a major benefit so it'd be worth you hanging near the podium so as not to get out of sight of the GA. My experience has been if they see you and you've been polite they remember to help you out. Last time I tried this I was moved from E- into F. It was probably more due to my status and fare clss, but I'd like to think being patient and friendly helped out.

agree with PHLgovflyer- it really depends on destination and point of origin.

Dont you see the ads everywhere for the "five inches of legroom"??? and I think when a non premier member checks in on a kiosk they are now given the ability to "buy up." gosh. if I was used to being thrown into 26 B or E and was given the option to buy 8A for 30 bucks, Id do it in a millisecond!
My guess is that is a large part of the problem.

Dumb question, but are you sure you are logged in? I'm finding it hard to believe every E+ seat and exit row seat is taken on multiple flights weeks in advance. Possible, but not something I've seen at all.

I would lean more towards another united.com bug than anything else. I've never had any trouble getting E+.

+1 Sounds like a resurrection of a recent bug. Look at the rez via the .uk site....

A few can be found in this recent thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...-plenty-e.html

+1

SFO-IAD or LAX-IAD often booked full in E+ and exit rows even if it is a 763 daytime or redeye, it is just the same like for ORD-SFO.


No bug, I just booked ORD-LGA-ORD last night for travel next week, both directions in E+, and exits available.

That lends even more credence to it being a bug when it happens for one person and not for another.

After reading these comments, I am beginning to think it's a combination of 2 things. With a dash of, only happening, or only noticeable, on certain routes.

1. Capacity Control
2. Pushing E+

My reasoning:

1: Capacity Control
One of my flights last Thursday (CR7) was totally full in E+ when I checked at the upgrade windows. When I checked in on-line at exactly 24 hours, bada bing, seats in E+. Random patterns of seats together as well. All 4 bulk head seats, and a one random block of two. It reminded me of when I look at a flight 6 months out not logged in, and then log in and look at the same flight. While not logged in, random blocks of seats show as occupied. When I log in, everything is open. (Or at least it used to be that way).

So, my logic tells me that they blocked 6 seats until the 24 hour mark so they could sell it at OLCI. (Maybe more).

2: Up Selling

• The chickens now wear a wrap talking about E+
• E+ Commercials
• E+ Ads on news websites
• Facebook: "Extra space onboard is always appreciated, right? That's why we offer you Economy Plus and why we are having a Personal Space Sale! Get more legroom for less through August 27."

My further (funny) reasoning:
Two guys were in front of me at the chicken (Yes, I prefer a boarding card to a print out). They paid to move to E+, and were across the aisle from me. After sitting they complained to the FA that they paid to UG to F, and that they showed them the receipt, she told them they paid to "upgrade" to economy plus. The whole flight they complained about how they were ripped off and this was still coach. No where in anyway did the Chicken imply they were paying for F.

Now I must state, so I don't get flamed, this is only based on my recent experiences on certain routes. So I could be totally wrong. And I am happy that UA is selling this, but also frustrated, which is why I have 3 trips booked on F9 in the near future, and paid for their version of E+. Strangely enough the F9 with stretch seating is cheaper than my UA flights. And I feel dirty being disloyal to UA. I promise to stay with UA when I can get E+.

I am on 976 to IAD. Manages to get E+ at check in. Only 2 seats open. Just to add to the intel the GA said that 90 percent of the plane was gs 1k and premier exec. I guess I feel lucky I could move. Given the announcement I can tell you what I think about DEQM odds. How about negative ....

Most of my domestic flights are last minute bookings or involve frequent changes, and I must say that over the past couple of years I've had to sit in E- more often than not. This is especially true on some of the shorter business heavy routes like ORD-ATL, ORD-LGA, LAX-SFO, etc.

E- isn't so bad, especially given how crowded E+ is most of the time these days.

If E+ only has middle seats left, I prefer E- by choice as long as there are aisle and adjacent seats open. Just did this last week, but I had the RCC counter agent double check that the seat next to me was still open before I went to the gate.

Interesting, IME E- is very full and if there are any empty seats it is in E+ (however through the summer months there have not been many empty seats at all).

Shut out of E+ at booking; odds of moving up after UDUs clear?
 

Mrs. DCA Writer and I--and, for the first time, Mini DCA Writer--are flying IAD-SFO next Friday. One might think that a 6:54 a.m. departure on a 767 would ensure plenty of seats to go around, but we are stuck back in 27E and 27F. (Our daughter, being only six weeks old, will be in our laps... speaking of, shouldn't I get double EQM if she shares my seat the entire flight? :)

I'm assuming that once everybody's UDUs clear, some E+ seats will open up that we might be able to grab. Right? But if so, when's the best time to try to move forward--72 hours before, 24 before, at the gate?

I owuld be checking every day.
 

you never know if seats may open up; if u/g's will clear or any number of things.

Your assumption is most likely right although things can always change at a moment's notice. Given this is an elite heavy route, I would start checking at the GS and 1K UDU hours of 120 and 100 respectively if you want any hope of moving up. Your other issue would likely be getting two seats together. If two people on the same itin get upgraded who were sitting together you might make out otherwise the open seats might be single and random???? Not sure you want to be separate with a lap child. I know I would not (unless of course Mrs. BBFD was holding him/her then it might not be bad ;)).

If you can't get up to e+ by the time you get to the gate, you might want to practice your VDB speech and volunteer at the gate. Who knows, you may get $800 (and ask about F on the next flight out.)

I don't know if I want to burn travel karma by bringing a baby into F. E+ would be just fine with us!

Postscript to my post: still puzzled
 

We never did move up from our E- seats--the seatmap showed E+ completely full every time I checked, up until the night before, and at the gate things were no better.

Sigh. It happens. But somebody must have taken those E+ seats vacated by pax benefiting from UDU, right? So how, exactly, does UA manage that? Do they employ the same criteria used for UDU, or do they wait to see if E+ purchases at check-in fill any newly-vacated E+ seats before offering them to elites in E- seats?

I think its up to you to check for any E+ seats that have been vacated. As far as I know, there is no system that automatically moves elites from E- to E+ if seats open up.

I suspect that when they do open up, they basically go to whoever takes them first, an elite moving up, or someone who buys them as an option.