Consolidated Switching SWU/CR-1/Miles-Supported Upgrade to other instruments [Merged]
Aug 30, 2005, 6:28 pm
#46
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Santa Monica CA
Programs: UA LT 1K HYglob Marr LT Titanium
Posts: 881
Sorry if this question has been asked already.I have 2 SWU on reserve that are confirmed Y>C (15a 15a). LAX-BKK.A friend of mine has 2 SWU he will gift to me.Now I know this can be done.But when I remove my SWU and substitute his will I go to the back of the bus and lose my seats till the new SWU clear??(at the moment there is no more confirmed upgrade availiable)
Feb 13, 2007, 11:51 am
#47
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IHG, BA
Posts: 513
Change upgrade type at checkin?
Ok, so I have a confirmed u/g with a CR1 for a flight that is wide open in First.
My question is, when I checkin for the flight, can I somehow opt to have e500's pulled instead of a CR1?
Will a chicken be able to do it or will I need to see a human?
My question is, when I checkin for the flight, can I somehow opt to have e500's pulled instead of a CR1?
Will a chicken be able to do it or will I need to see a human?
Feb 13, 2007, 12:05 pm
#48
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SNA
Programs: Sixt Platinum, Avis Preferred Plus, Hertz President's Circle, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,559
500's take precedence over CR-1's so they will happily switch it. Doing it the other way is more capacity controlled.
Definitely can do it via Chicken.
Definitely can do it via Chicken.
Feb 13, 2007, 12:07 pm
#49
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: SFO
Programs: AY Plat, LH FTL
Posts: 7,404
You've got it backwards: You can always switch from non-confirmable upgrades to confirmable ones. It's more difficult, and sometimes impossible, to do it the other way around.
Feb 13, 2007, 12:08 pm
#50
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Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
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Other way around. CR-1s are confirmed instruments, and e-500s are not. The only way you should be allowed to switch from a confirmed to a non-confirmable instrument would be to cancel your confirmed upgrade, which puts you back in Y, then request a new upgrade with the e-500s (behind everybody else).
Feb 13, 2007, 12:10 pm
#51
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: SFO
Programs: AY Plat, LH FTL
Posts: 7,404
I've been able to switch from a CR-1 to e-500s using OLCI.
However, I'm almost certain the upgrade didn't clear until after my e-500 window opened. This is the one and only occasion I've seen this option.
However, I'm almost certain the upgrade didn't clear until after my e-500 window opened. This is the one and only occasion I've seen this option.
Feb 13, 2007, 12:26 pm
#52
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: United Plat 2MM, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,727
I'm pretty sure you need to see a human being.
This kind of swap is frowned upon. The reason is that one could reserve an upgrade with a CR-1, clear weeks in advance, and then switch to an e500 at the last minute, thus bypassing the e500 window. Many GAs will drop you from the u/g list using CR-1's, and add you again using e500's - so you risk losing your upgrade entirely by doing this.
This kind of swap is frowned upon. The reason is that one could reserve an upgrade with a CR-1, clear weeks in advance, and then switch to an e500 at the last minute, thus bypassing the e500 window. Many GAs will drop you from the u/g list using CR-1's, and add you again using e500's - so you risk losing your upgrade entirely by doing this.
Feb 13, 2007, 12:27 pm
#53
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Feb 13, 2007, 1:45 pm
#54
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SNA
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Ah, thanks for the correction.. I knew it was one way or the other.. my apologies!
Feb 13, 2007, 1:47 pm
#55
Moderator: Midwest, Las Vegas & Dining Buzz
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
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Mar 20, 2007, 8:13 am
#56
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Programs: Hyatt LT Globalist, Marriot LT Titanium, UA 2.4MM, HH Gold, AS MVPG
Posts: 3,402
Another switching u/g from CR1 to e500 question.
So I base the use of my CR1s on the length of flight and likelyhood/unlikelyhood of the upgrade clearing at the 100 hour mark. Mostly use them on Transcon, or at a minimum to ORD from SFO.
On an upcoming trip I had confirmed the roundtrip using CR1s, but was in the 100 hour window and looked at upgrade space and it was NC9, so I figured I might as well call and see if they will switch from CR1s to e500s. The agent downgraded me and then re-requested the upgrade which then cleared. Two questions:
1. What do people think about this on a moral level?
2. How does UA view this?
As said if at the 100 hour window now seats would have been available, I would have been more than happy to use the CR1s for the trip. Also the return looks like it will be the same scenario, and am thinking about doing it again. This would mean I'd actually have to buy an upgrade kit, since I'll be short e500s, so UA would make $200, but worth it to me to have a CR1 available for future use.
Thoughts?
On an upcoming trip I had confirmed the roundtrip using CR1s, but was in the 100 hour window and looked at upgrade space and it was NC9, so I figured I might as well call and see if they will switch from CR1s to e500s. The agent downgraded me and then re-requested the upgrade which then cleared. Two questions:
1. What do people think about this on a moral level?
2. How does UA view this?
As said if at the 100 hour window now seats would have been available, I would have been more than happy to use the CR1s for the trip. Also the return looks like it will be the same scenario, and am thinking about doing it again. This would mean I'd actually have to buy an upgrade kit, since I'll be short e500s, so UA would make $200, but worth it to me to have a CR1 available for future use.
Thoughts?
Mar 20, 2007, 8:17 am
#57
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 23,999
Personally I see no problem with it if upgrade space is available when you make the switch, because no one is getting screwed because of your actions. OTOH, if there would not have been upgrade space and you wanted to switch I would see a problem with it.
Mar 20, 2007, 9:00 am
#58
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SMF
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I don't have a moral objection since it's clear that you are not jeoardizing the upgrades of others in this case. The one place where you can have problems is making sure that there is Y availability in the class of service you were originally booked in. There may be Y seats, but you have to "return" to your fare bucket to get back into coach. I had this problem a couple of weeks ago and couldn't downgrade because "S" availability was sold out.
Mar 20, 2007, 9:02 am
#59
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: USA, JPN, GBR
Programs: A3, AA, AC, AS, DL, NH, SQ, SK, UA; BW, CP, HH, IHG, MB
Posts: 1,956
OP, as long as you can downgrade into your ticketed class (Q, V, etc.), then I don't see a problem with it. Especially if there's upgrade space available and you're not taking away from other would-be upgraders. 
Last edited by iluv2fly; Mar 20, 2007 at 9:20 am Reason: removed deleted quote
Mar 20, 2007, 10:57 am
#60
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SAN / BAH / TPA
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 1,022
Done it myself when it still showed 9s 24-hours out when every other elite would've already cleared the list.
What would be a moral issue (to me) is locking in the upgrade in advance using the CR1, upgrade availability being 0, and then asking the GA to swap instruments for 500s.
What would be a moral issue (to me) is locking in the upgrade in advance using the CR1, upgrade availability being 0, and then asking the GA to swap instruments for 500s.