FlyingNone

Wow, thanks Channa, great list......I can't understand why there are some here who feel you are doing some sort of disservice ??....It's just a case of - "Let the buyer beware".

Tracer_SEA

Yep, this is a solid benefit -- prolly worth adding to the OP (also, it looks like the Baggage section didn't get added -- or perhaps was added and then removed?)

Also, has UA said whether the EasyUpdate system will survive?

Passmethesickbag

Just a thought: When NW was closely aligned to CO, they had the same kind of UG sweeps jointly for WP and OP members. Presumably, that means that they, too were running SHARES? And, presumably, when merging with DL they switched from SHARES to a system that is not powered by steam? If this assumption is correct, then WP members will have gone through the opposite transformation that MP members are now about to experience. If that is the case, it would be interesting to hear from any WP survivors what their experience was, good or bad, as far as the reservations system was concerned - as opposed to the well known (but, I believe, now overcome at least in part) unhappiness with a number of other aspects of the merger.

UA-NYC

To be fair to CO (and this shocked me) - in Nov I was flying HKG-BKK on TG on an award ticket (booked on CO.com as that was easier than calling up UA). TG cancelled my outbound (due to flooding & downsizing capacity), first heard about it with CO sending me an auto-rebooking mail on the next available flight that day (this was about a week out), was in the correct J class and everything. So that gave me a glimmer of hope

CO has their own version, it seems to work well with flight delays & cancellations. However, their EUA notices seem to be even less frequent than Easy Update.

bmvaughn

I have two recent experiences which debunk the upgrade sweep thinking. In both cases, the upgrade cleared at different times throughout the day (neither at night nor at the same flight time on a different day). I don't think that information is any longer accurate.

Red_Rob

This is not a technology limitation or related to SHARES. CO's system previously worked as you describe for United. Thus it is a Policy decision (and not a customer friendly one).

RedHeadFlyer

For IRROPS, CO has rebooked me in N, never in Y. They even did that when I had a Y/B ticket, and I never did get the bonus miles credited. Later times I explicitly asked for a rebook in my proper code, and they told me this was all they could do and to call support after the trip. Will that also be part of what's coming with SHARES or was that only the agents?

Will there still be an FFCC status? I'm worried about getting the dreaded "you're on the list in the right place", even though it's clear I am not.

SFOFastAir

According to my training manual the equivelent of Apollo FFCC in SHARES is Priority Code "PR1" - Customers who are ticketed in firstclass/BusinessFirst who are booked in coach due to change in travel plans, IRROPS, capacity decommit.

ssullivan

Huh? CO does not scan bags?

For years I've watched CO baggage handlers with hand-held scanners at IAH and other stations scanning bags as they were loaded on a plane. And, on the rare occasion I've had a bag not arrive with me on a CO flight, they've usually been very quickly able to locate it in the system based on when and where it was last scanned, and give me accurate information on when it would be arriving, and on which flight.

I think your source is misinformed on this issue.

I've had similar experiences for years. They do handle these things well, and automatically, quite often.

EUA notices used to run on CO like clockwork for me. Then, in September 2010, they stopped. After much talking with people at CO, apparently around that time they made a change that started sending upgrade notifications to the email address of the ticket's booking agent, not the email address on file for the OnePass account. Essentially that meant that if you bought the ticket on CO.com, the EUA notification email went to your OnePass account's email address. I've never not received an EUA notification email for a ticket I purchased on their website. However, tickets bought through other parties, like the craptastic travel agent my employer forces me to buy my business travel tickets through, are a different story. Those email notifications are going out, but going to the travel agent's email, not mine. I have no idea why they made this change, but it was explained to me that's what changed. So, now, for my work trips, I never get an EUA notification, unless I've changed the flights on CO's website, and then the notifications start coming to me again. It's rather frustrating, but I've also found UA's UDU notifications by email to reach me only about 50-60% of the time as well. So, neither system is perfect by any means.

Tracer_SEA

Interesting. My CO segments last year were booked all on UA.com (for Visa EQMs) so maybe that's why I never got a single EUA email despite all of them clearing (some at gate)... Just checked my CO.com profile and I do indeed have EUA emails turned on. Wonder why they have the EUA email settings on a totally different (and somewhat hidden) page than all the TripAlert departure reminder and delay/cancel settings

Sulley

There is a lot of misinformation in this thread. It would take me a few hours to go through it all.

First, CO does not own SHARES. It is owned by HP.

Secondly, Apollo is actually more ancient than SHARES -- it dates from 1971.

The new GUI is not going to be called FastSHARES. There is an app under development (and in testing at several line stations) called "Check It."

The company plans to have Check It in place at 229 stations by PSS.

As for the baggage not going to be scanned in the future, this is a flat out falsehood. Both UA and CO both currently scan bags, and the new baggage tracking system, Uscan, is a combination of BOTH sUA and sCO systems.

Some more information...

"We are investing more than $7 million in new technology including permanent photo eye scanners that will provide a high level of tracking at all large hub carousel locations," said Baggage Resolution Service Center Director Brian Keene. "We will also roll out our handheld scanners at additional stations so we can accurately track the progress of these bags."

21A

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9700; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.668 Mobile Safari/534.8+)

On the subject of baggage scanning, it would be really slick if there were eventually web visibility into this system like DL...

SMF Rider

Channa, thanks so much for putting this together. It is really appreciated. I know it takes a great deal of effort to keep it up to date. I also appreciate that you have attempted to start a list of the improvements we will experience with SHARES as well. Having this information (whether perfectly accurate or not) will be helpful with preplanning and setting expectations.

For those that aren’t aware that SHARES is a fact, I have also heard from more than one UACO source that SHARES is it and there is no ambiguity about which system will survive.
At both the “United Clubs” in Houston and SFO I have heard that UACO still doesn’t know which system they are going to use for the Club (i.e.: check-in function) and it might NOT be the CO system. When I was checking in sans card at one of the Clubs in Houston and lamenting about having to find and carry my card in the future, the (CO) rep said that they may go with the UA system. However, a decision may have already been made as my data points are a month old.
Thanks for “chiming in” and sharing your knowledge. Any corrections you can provide would be appreciated.

Exactly. Well put.
I hope she is incorrect. I rarely check a bag, but when I do it eases my concerns to know that UA most likely knows where my bag is. They have had to use this functionality more than once for me as they frequently re-route my bags. If I don’t see my bags on the carrousel (or am suspicious that my bags were rerouted to avoid regional jet weight and balance issues) I can go to the baggage office and they will tell me where my bags are. Often there are in the back room and almost immediately accessible. When UA has “lost” my bag I am comforted when the rep can tell me exactly where my bag is and approximately when it will arrive at my home airport. It is also comforting when my bags and I are split and they can tell me exactly where a few thousand dollars in scuba gear is sitting.
Ditto! I just do NOT hold much hope that in the end they will implement the best systems from the passenger perspective.
I like the UA system. It gives the agent discretion. I don’t have to be the first on the list to get a bump nor wait until the end to get processed. Once when a GA knew he had too many people due to a down gauge, when he saw my boarding pass he immediately rebooked us and let us take off for the RCC rather than wait until the very end when he determined who made the cut and processed them. He had a need, he had a list, but he wasn’t processing very many people when he processed me as he seemed to be waiting to see who volunteered and the best bump solutions for UA. It looked like he didn’t plan on taking people in the order they signed up. Other times I have had GAs move me to the top of the list because of my MP level.

I realize there are people who may be upset that status has given me extra bumps, but better, more expeditious treatment is sometimes a benefit of flying the same carrier frequently. I happily yield to a GS, absolutely do not begrudge their better benefits and am very glad they spend tens of thousands with UA on high price fares as that keeps UA in the air so that I can continue to fly UA.
I hope not.
I hope they continue to give higher priority of someone who is rebooked due to IRROPs. Getting a fare bonus is small compensation for the inconvenience. Passengers suffering an IRROP should be given a higher priority than people wanting to change flights for convenience, buy a ticket or standby. Having “PA” priority status has helped me a number of times.

Channa, once again: thank you for all your effort and THANKS TO ALL who share their information and perspectives about the systems/procedures/rules with the rest of us or advocate for better systems/procedures/rules for the passengers.

joel67

+1 to this point, which often gets lost in the systems talk. I really don't yet know how flexible PMCO was on this point, but flexibility within reason can make or break a trip and I've had more than my share of happy outcomes on PMUA.

About 2 million miles ago, I had to choose between primary loyalty to AA or UA. While AA had noticeably superior systems, the agents seemed to have become slaves to the system, unable to apply their own judgment when the situation called for it. Needless to say, I decided to give up on the AAdvantage and instead chose to Fly the Friendly Skies.

mlx52

My understanding from agents is that "Check It" is a widget that will handle common tasks in SHARES to make the gate and ticket agents jobs a bit easier, but isn't a full replacement for FastAir (rebooking, ease of use, etc). There is still a full FastAir replacement under development, however, that won't be ready in any station during the current PSS time frame.