Difference between PA and PB waitlist
 

Tried to search for "PA PB" and was told that the terms were too short. The FAQ sticky also did not appear to contain the information I am looking for.

I believe PA is for using certs, and PB using miles, and assume PA has higher priority than PB. I would appreciate any assistance in locating threads for more information, here are some of the questions I am looking to find answers:

1. Does PA gets completely cleared for upgrade before any one on PB?

2. Are these waitlists only in effect at the airport, and under airport control?

3. Or are they created prior to the day of travel when there is no upgrade inventory available?

4. Would someone on an Intl H fare with mileage upgrade be trumped by someone on a lowest fare class but using a SWU?

5. What is the precedence of clearing upgrades? Fare class, MP status, time of check-in, time of upgrade request, upgrade instrument, perhaps a combination of some/all?

6. Can you find out which waitlist (if any) you are currently on for a particular PNR?

Edited to add:
7. My 1K wife is sponsering one of my trips using a SWU. As a 1P, which list would I be on? PA due to the SWU, or PB due to the 1P?

WOOOOO! You got a lot of questions there. I will try to answer them s best I can. I am not positive that every single one of my answers will be right.

1. Well, at the airport, yes. It may be that PA is empty and that a PB clears a month out.

2 & 3 I belive prior to airport time.

4. I believe so.

5. A LOT of factors. Not any single one of those is the key answer to it. Above all, I would say status though cause that gets you on the PA waitlist, and using a cert.

6. Well, you are only on the PA waitlist if you are a 1K or GS.


I answered these to the best of my availability, but some may be wrong so lets let some other flyertalkers who have more experience with this chime in.

Here are my thoughts.

1) Yes, and they clear First in First out PA first then PB
2) These waitlists are only in effect UNTIL passing to airport control On Checkin, pax on the waitlists are transferred to the DM list which then clears by Status, Fare Class and time added
3) Yes
4) Depends which waitlist they are added to. Unless the mileage upgrader is a 1K or GS, the answer would normally be yes. Otherwise, it depends when they are added as it clears first in first out.
5) Prior to DM list it is FIFO, then the DM list clears by Status, then Fare Class and then time added.
6) I haven't been able to, but apparently it is possible to do based on somethign I've read here in the past.

This is somewhat related, but.......
Just wondering, are 500 milers considered "PC" with the least priority?
Where do 500 milers fit in?

There is no PC, the current running FT theory is that they go on to the PD waitlist.

Yes.

They are in effect from the time the flight is first available for booking until the lists go to Departure Management at the airport day of flight.


Yes, because the SWU is on the PA waitlist and the MUA is on the PB. However, someone using an MUA can be placed on the PA waitlist at the discretion of a UA Reservations agent.


UA clears the PA waitlist before they clear the PB waitlist. If you have not cleared before roughly four hours, the waitlists then go to Airport Control. Both the PA and the PB waitlists are dumped into a master Departure Management (DM) waitlist. This waitlist is then cleared first by status (in order, UGS, 1K, 1P, 2P, GM) and then by fare paid (C, D, Y, B, M, H, etc.) and finally, if necessary, by time added to the DM (you are added to the DM when you check-in for your flight).


If booked through a travel agency, there are tools that will let you see your waitlist type. You can also call UA and ask, but they don't always say. However, "priority" waitlist seems to mean PA.


PA because of the SWU.



It should be noted that UGS and 1Ks travelling on Mileage Upgrade Awards (MUAs) are also put on the PB waitlist by default (based on Baze and myself speaking with UA personnel and Baze's own experiences as a 1K). Only when using SWUs and CR1s do they go on the PA waitlist by default. Also, any UA member travelling on a SWU or CR1, regardless of status, is placed on the PA waitlist.

That being said, UGS can often get upgrade inventory opened at will (thereby bypassing the waitlists, period), and as a 1P I have little trouble getting on the PA waitlist using MUAs so I imagine a 1K should be able to sweetalk themselves on it more often then not.

Nobody knows. There is a PD waitlist, but we don't know anything about it other then it ranks behind the PA and PB. They may go on the PD, or folks using those instruments may start to be added to the PB waitlist as their windows open (120/100/72/48 hours).

Again, once it goes to the DM, however, upgrade type no longer matters - just status, fare paid, and time added to the DM. As a 1P on an MUA, I have lost out to 1Ks on 500s (fortunately only once and it was the SFO-SEA part of a JFK-SFO-SEA run so I figure I got my miles worth).

UA doesn't have PC, but has PD? Intersting. ANA has PC list for *G. PA and PB go to ANA's elite members.

Personally, I think a lot of the answers in this thread are speculation... which of course is fine as this is a discussion board, but I wouldn't read this stuff as being certain.

While it is true nobody from UA Inventory Management has joined FT and told us exactly how this all works, it is based on direct observation from scores of FTers (myself included, and I know what to look for when these things happen to me to try and identify and confirm procedures) as well as conversations with UA reservations and gate agents who do actually have a clue. :)

So all-in-all, it should be pretty accurate for most cases.

LGA_UAL posted an interesting topic about this last August titled Upgrade/Standby Waitlists. Here is the link: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350081

Yup. I keep it bookmarked and have used it both to help better come to understand the process, as well as used it to check my own experiences.

Thanks for the responses and the link ^ .

A search for keywords like "waitlist" and "upgrade" might reveal a lot of interesting information?

If ticketed through a travel agent that uses Galileo Viewtrip, then you can see the details of the waitlisted upgrade on viewtrip.com.

Example:
Flight 882 Non-stop
Status: Waitlisted (PA)
Class of Service: Connoisseur (NC)

Or you can just ask your travel agent to inquire on your behalf. Mine seems able to get my details (PA waitlist, number of passengers ticketed, total number on the PA waitlist and my current position).

Or you can just have your 1K wife call and verify that you are on the PA waitlist?

PA only valid within 24 hours?
 

I worked at UA Reservations from 1985-87.

• PA stands for "Priority A" Waitlist
• PB stands for "Priority B" Waitlist
• PD stands for "Priority D" Waitlist

I no longer recall if there was a PC that was used very rarely if at all, perhaps for company (UA) positive space?

These abreviations are common throughout the industry, like "HK", "WL," "NN", etc., even though the exact way the airlines clear their waitlists may differ.

Back when I worked at SFORR, a PA was only valid within 24 hours of travel. So getting waitlisted as a PA further out did not help you. The Reservations Sales Reps would list people as a PD, or PB if Premier or had other urgent reasons for travel.

PA was only done within 24 hours of the flight departure; you would be dis-serving the customer by listing him earlier. Occasionally, a knowledgeable elite passenger would ask to be listed PA, and I would explain the 24-hour rule, suggesting he call back then to be changed from PB to PA.

Maybe only the PA queue is cleared within 24 hours, except perhaps at the airport, but I never worked on queues or at the airport, so at this point, 18 years later, I'm just guessing on that. I do know that PA was higher than PB within that 24 hour window.

This may have changed in the past 18 years, but I don't think it is some big, deep, dark UA company secret.

Based on my experiences things have definitely changed in the past 18 years.

I've been on the PA waitlist nine months in advance of my travel date and cleared the upgrade 7 months in advance of my travel date. I could clearly see the PA waitlist for my itinerary on viewtrip.com. Many, many others have posted similar experiences and information.

Okay. I understand that HK is Holds Confirmed and NN is Need Request. Then what is WL?

Wailist would be the obvious answer...

Waitlist would be even more obvious...

:D

SEA_Tigger is Right
 

I found out today that using a Mileage Upgrade Award (15,000 miles on a full fare Y transpacfic flight) put me on the PB and NOT the PA list :mad: What gives?? :confused: Agent told me that if I was using a SWU, I'd be on the PA list. This even being 1K.

When did this change? Or has it always been this way?

In Denver a few weeks ago, a GA used the terms "Priority A" and "Priority B", which makes me think they aren't all dumped together when it goes to airport control.

The situation: there was a 2:00 PM flight that was significantly delayed, and many passengers needed to be accomodated on the flight in question, around an 8:00 PM departure. There were also passengers with confirmed reservations on a 9:00 departure, who were standing by for the 8:00. The gate agent made an announcement that anyone with a confirmed reservation for 9:00 would not clear the waitlist, because the inconvenienced passengers would be Priority A and clear before the passengers who were just trying to go standby (they would be Priority B). So United must have some sort of parallel DM lists, or at least a way of giving inconvenienced passengers some priority.

In the case you note, the BP codes (referenced by kluau88 in the 2nd post of this thread - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350081) are being used. In such cases, confirmed passengers have the highest priority, then inconvenienced passengers, and then standbys.

Call again to contact another agent. Giving PA or PB depends on the discretion of the agent who gets your call.

I thought HL is the segment status code of waitlist. Maybe Apollo is a bit different from Galileo?

Standby for a flight and upgrade lists are two different things. PA and PB waitlists are for upgrades and move to the DM list for upgrades, not the standby list for getting on the flight.

not sure about that or did i get a favor done......

checked in at home (fri am) for sfo-las (sat 10:45am) and decied to swing by sfo the night before on my way to my hockey game to see if could get put on the stdby list for the 8:30am flight (goalie g/f already in las-long story.... ;) )

got put on the stdby list with no problems and when i checked in at the gate, i went up to the g/a to confirm that i was on stby and she said yes but i was on the wrong stdby list-"as a 1k i s/b on the higher priority one" (her words). so, a few clicks later she said, "look at that, from #20 to # 1" and it was another tootsie pop for her and i made the flight w/no problems.

As I understand it, the DM standby codes are things like BP5A and are different to the PA and PB pre-DM upgrade lists (and to the DM upgrade list). The GA may have moved you from BP5B to BP5A or similar.

duh, sorry, the brain froze. you're right i was moved from bp5b to bp5a. that's two for me this week and the way things are going, i'll get my hat trick by the end of the day......

Res Agent Viewing the PA list in advance
 

From time to time, I'll get a reservation agent who will look at the PA upgrade list in advance but ONLY for international flights.

When and if they look at the list I have received three stories saying the following

1.) "Sir, I cannot access the PA list"

2.) "We can see who is on the list, but we have no idea what priority number you are on the list because it is just sorted alphabetically"

3.) "Sir, I see that you are a 1K and using a SWU to upgrade but there is one Premier Executive ahead of you because they waitlisted on the PA list first"

Which is the case? Or is there another answer?? I have had some international agents swear on a stack of bibles they CANNOT access the PA list at all. Others say they can see it, but have no idea what priority I have because it is alphabetical by last name Others who say it is sorted only by time added to the list??
Help! :confused: :confused:

All UA reservations agents can see the list (or at least should be able to if they know how) and they can see where you are by position (since the lists are sorted by time added).

However, many agents will not give this information to a customer in the interests of not setting unreal expectations (you're #2 as a 1P but then it goes to DM at the airport and four UGS and 1Ks auto-trump you) or having 1Ks complain about being behind 1Ps because they do not understand how the list is sorted and processed.

SEA_Tigger,

I will take as gospel the fact that the PA waitlist is worked as First On and First Off. As such, I find it really odd that in the case of someone with no status but with a supporting SWU should be cleared before a 1K on a SWU just because the no-status person was added to the list first. But this is probably a philosophical debate for another thread.

Secondly as a follow-up question, When the res agent views the PA waitlist in advance, are we absolutely sure that that agent's display is ordered by priority on the waitlist and not alphabetical by last name? Twice agents(who have seen the list) have told me it is not priority but alpha by last name.

thanks!!!

ozstamp's 1P companion cleared the waitlist just before he did (as a 1K) when using SWUs. I have had companion non-status members clear the PB with miles before myself. And a few other folks have noted that their partners (with no status) have cleared before them.


I cannot answer that as I have not yet seen a DM waitlist screen. At LHR I was told I was third when I checked-in, I was told I was fifth at the RCC, and tenth at the gate. Yet I was the only person paged to get a BP and they announced the cabin had checked-in full afterwards.

Now, my last name starts with a "W", so I may have been the highest ranked elite (1P) and fared (H) person on the waitlist, but my last name put me at the bottom when ranked by name...

Since the list clears FIFO then date/time added must be in the database somewhere. Based on all the posts I recall on this subject, and there have been dozens, it seems like the list is default-displayed as alpha/last name. However, my TA has inquired on my behalf several times, and her most recent response was...


"Hi transpac
There's 5 people on waitlist, you're on No.2, business class cabin capacity
: 73,
now 24 seats book."

which leads me to believe that one's exact position on the PA waitlist can be determined.

just to add my recent experience. i'm on the w/l using cr1's for sfo-bos/bos-den with the den-sfo final leg having cleared at booking.

i called yesterday to ask and was told the following:

res: there's 3 seats left and 6 on the list and i see that you have a star next to your name.

me: could it be that the star denotes a 1k?

res: i don't know but 2 others on the list have a star, let me look at them and the others without stars....<pause>....yup that's it-the 3 of you with stars are 1k's and the others are not.

i didn't ask where on the list i was as i didn't want to get the agent in any sort of trouble but perhaps the waitlist "can be looked at in detail".