Markie

I am going to move this to the United (pre-merger) forum for more replies.


Markie - Mod *A

WineCountryUA

Lots of discussion in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...2010-11-a.html

mauiUAflyer

I arrived at FRA at about 7 AM from Strasbourg, and was able to use a paper SWU at the biz-class check-in. Z fare, it was a UA code-share on LH metal. No issues, she just had to make the catering call. I was asked if I wanted to use the FCL or FCT. I had already decided I wanted to try the FCT, so I made the short walk outside, and had a wonderful experience over there. Got the ride to the 747 in a Porsche. It wasn't a remote stand.

Nice service on the upper deck, with some good views of Greenland during the flight.

With the reduced number of F seats on the 747s starting April, not sure if it will be easy to upgrade these flights as it has been.

rally

if its full so you cannot upgrade can you just hold onto the paper SWU and wait for your next flight where there might be room ?

thanks for the info

Rally

WineCountryUA

yes, the paper SWU is generic and not tied to a specific flight. It does have the original expiration.

phxbuff

After hoping for pointers on how to best succeed in using my Paper SWU on LH last Tuesday night on a SGN-BKK-FRA single flight, I'm sorry to report that it was a massive "fail".

I checked in at the LH desk when it opened, three hours before departure, and politely approached the Star Gold agent, offered my certificate, explained it's application and kept my fingers crossed. After giving it a courtesy review, she pulled a sheet of paper out of her pocket, pretended to examine it and curtly told me that Business Class was full. End of story.

After taking my boarding card with 55J emblazened all over it, I retreated to the "Rose Lounge" at SGN and decided I'd try again at the gate. An hour before departure, I optimistically approached a gate surrounded by no fewer than six LH agents. The first offered up her assistance, I explained my plight and was told again, supported by the second, who appeared to be a supervisor, that Business Class from SGN was full. They suggested I talk to the flight crew once I boarded (something I knew would do me little good).

Doing as they suggested, however, I dutifully explained what had happened to the very pleasant LH flight attendant who greeted me at the door. Of course, she laughed, they have no computers on board to process an upgrade and this was a "common occurance at smaller stations where LH doesn't have their own staff; they don't know how to process out-of-the-ordinary requests so often just tell passengers no upgrade is available".

The FA did say she'd speak to the captain who'd call ahead to BKK and see what he could do. She later found me deep in the bowels of economy and gave me a copy of the telex saying the C was indeed "slightly oversold" on the BKK-FRA segment.

Assuming that that was indeed the case, I'm glad I didn't (and wouldn't) accidentally burn my SWU on the SGN-BKK leg. For those of you flying to flying out of SGN using your paper LH SWU upgrade certificates, I'm not sure that there's much you can do other than ask for a supervisor...and even then, I'm not sure it'll do much good.

Fortunately, I'm confirmed in C on the trip home tomorrow night, so the story isn't entirely sad. Good luck!

oliver2002

At outstations LH uses agency staff that may look/dress like LH staff but if you know what to spot you see they are not LH.

The station management (ST) will issue a cheat sheet with instructions to the desk staff including notes on the booking situation and policy for the day, numbers to call etc. Some keep it handy on the desk, some keep it with them if they have gate duty later.

What you saw is by no means unusual and in fact standard practice. I can imagine FRA RM telling SGN & BKK ST that the oversell was bad and not to make it worse.

flozano

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. First I just wanted to report a successful upgrade in Q fare class, SFO-FRA, stuck in the middle seat of the 744 but better than LH coach anyway.

Now I'm going to do MAD-FRA-PEK and I'd like to upgrade the FRA-PEK leg, in A380. I've read that it's complex to get upgrades in the whalejet... any advise?

Also, when I do check-in in MAD, shall I mention there in the UA SWU? or wait for FRA? the connection time is OK but not huge...

oliver2002

The A380 is only blocked for F awards to non LH elites, standby upgrade on the same day Y->C or C->F is simply dependent on the loads that day.

MAD can put a note and place you on the grading list if requested to alert the FM in FRA.

ICNer

It's true that they won't accept L fares even though UA hasn't printed the exclusion on the cert. But they sometimes bend the rules, at least in BOS, depending on capacity. But these exceptions aren't always op-ups. On at least one occasion they upgraded my parents from S to C by collecting an additional $150 per ticket. Tonight they rejected an SWU that I gave to my mom for BOS-FRA. She was traveling on an L, but they told her she could have bought it up had they had the capacity available.

I questioned a LH CSR about this and she told it it was airport discretion. She also told me that as of a few months ago they started restricting the eligible fares for US SWU's to just Y and B. "Surely you are referring to the *A mileage upgrades" I countered, but she insisted this was the new reality for UA SWU's. So much confusion, so much paper....

flozano

Thanks for your answer.

I checked the availability for the FRA-PEK flight (F4 A0 J9 C0 D0 Z0 Y9 B9 M9 H0 Q0 V0 WC UC S0 LC) and for the PEK-FRA flight (F0 A0 J9 C9 D0 Z0 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q0 V0 WC UC S0 LC). Which one is the class for SWU upgrades? and what happens if there are no upgrade seats available but at boarding time there are available seats in a full-fare business, will they release them for upgrades?

oliver2002

The principle is: 'if there is a free seat left in the cabin and catered for' then you get a upgrade using the paper voucher. It is not dependent on any fare class available in the system. The booking class on your BP is usually C or I depending on the agent and how they processed the upgrade in the DCS.

pk1_efc

I am a United 1K member flying from MAN-FRA-NRT and return in June and wondered if anyone has had success upgrading using a United "Paper" SWU for the FRA-NRT leg of the journey.

I am flying on the A380 (booking class "Q") and as they have 98 business class seats I was hoping to get an Upgrade.

Any thoughts/comments on paper upgrades with LH?

Cheers!!

NewbieRunner

I have no experience of upgrading FRA-NRT with an SWU but I think your chances are good. Following the March 11 earthquake passenger loads on flights to NRT seem to be low and as much of June is the rainy season it is not a popular time for travel.

1K-SFO

There's a thread on the Lufthansa board that suggests C to F upgrades on the A388 are not allowed with UA SWU. Does that seem right? Match with folks' experiences?