Solarmoon

UA should just move to an "Oystercard" style upgrade system for 1Ks --- the shuffle will happen automatically with upgrades being paid for using whatever is cheapest in hindsight. (The way the Tube will automatically charge whatever is the lowest price for your days rides) The information can be given at checkin time.

If UA adds an option to pay for upgrades with cash and asks people to configure their own "currency conversion" parameters, they will learn a lot about customer demand curves and so this might be very helpful for them in the long run.

UNITED959

If it's NCsomething after the 48 hour mark has passed, it's fine. Gives everybody who's using 500 milers a fair chance. If you do it before hand, it's slimey.

mahasamatman

Not everyone. If that's your criterion, you'd have to wait until T-24 hours. 3Ps clear at 36, and GMs at 24.

Lurker

I have a closely related question.

I have been "in line" for an UG using a CR1 for over 2 months and we are now just a week out.

If it does not clear by, lets say, 105 hours, I was thinking of changing the request to use e500s and then wait for the 100 hour window (I am 1K)?

Is this legal?
Can I do it online or must I use a phone agent?
Do I lose my position on the waitlist when I change instruments?

So many thoughts...

Thanks in advance

Lurker

Tom Beyersdorf

Lurker

Deleted due to a misunderstanding regarding the previous post.

Tom's answers are buried in his quote.

Sorry

Lurker

TA

note that I'm not asking about swapping upgrade methods/instrument after the upgrade has cleared, ala this thread.

What I'm asking is, if I'm on the upgrade waitlist using a CR1 (it's A319 SFO-EWR, and only 1 F fare for sale, end of June, and by the way, I had no idea they'd downsized the route this much!), and it doesn't clear, say, all the way up to a week before, should I ask to have this changed to 500 mile certificates? Will I lose my spot on the list by changing this? And should I do it just before, or after the 100 hour window?

thanks!

TA

I think I've found the partial answer to my own question:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...ht=instruments

It seems that it would have minimal effect on the upgrade, except if there are 1Ks ahead of me who requested e500 mile upgrades before I changed from CR1. I guess that's the uncertainty, especially out of SFO. I'll probably keep it a CR1 given that there's only 1 F seat left for sale... But then the other question is, inside the 100 hour window, does CR1 take priority over 500 mile certs?

1KChinito

No.

SFOtoORD

My understanding was that confirmed instruments clear off of a different priority list than 500 milers so that there is some advantage in staying with the CR1. Maybe I'm just confused. The other thing to keep in mind is that the 100 hour window really has no bearing on a CR1. The only important thing is when seats are made available by IM.

lucky9876coins

Generally confirmable instruments coming from a 1K go on the PA waitlist, while 500'ers go onto the PB waitlist. The PA waitlist clears entirely before the PB waitlist is even touched, at least until the flight goes under airport control. When the flight goes under airport control, upgrades clear by status, fare basis, and lastly time added to the waitlist. Therefore, if the flight goes to airport control and your upgrade has still not cleared, I would then switch since it really does not matter. Switching before then would cause you to lose your spot on the waitlist and go to the bottom.

jyatlantic

What do PA and PB stand for?

1KChinito

Just called 1K desk, talked with two CSRs who gave me the same answer. So I think the answer should be correct.

Both said for 1K members only, if upgrade request is within the 100 hour window period, CR-1 and 500 milers would both go on PA waitlist. For 1P and 2P, 500 milers would go on PB waitlist.

From my personal experience, when I used 500 milers instead of CR-1s, my success rate for this year is 95% successful upgrading to the next class of service. I was successful upgrading to/from HNL earlier this year using 500 milers. The only flight I was not able to upgrade when requesting with 500 milers was a short flight, cannot remember which segment, on a 737 or A319 with 8 first class seats at peak time to ORD.

lucky9876coins

Priority A and Priority B.

mrwunrfl

Am flying LAX-GUA in a week and have upgraded using a CR1 that was to expire this month. The flight is still NF9 so I assume that when I get within the 500-miler upgrade window of 100 hours that I can have the CR1 redeposited and get the upgrade using 500-milers.

I've used a couple of future-expiring CR1s that I have committed to upgrade flights in the following months. For example, I booked a flight for October and upgraded one-way using a CR1 that had a March expiration.

Question is that if I get back the CR1 for my August upgrade will it still have the original expiration date of this month? Or will it replace the March expiration?