When do upgrades clear?
 

As a 1K I'll be flying LAX-SYD in Aug and want to use a confirmed systemwide upgrade. I have been waitlisted for all the flights. When do these usually clear?

They can clear anytime Inventory Management opens up the upgrade seat (NF or NC) buckets, and you are next in line on the PA waitlist. Or maybe it will clear at the gate, or maybe not at all...

I'm sure folks that make that run a lot might have some wisdom on your chances based on day-of-week, what's going on with events in that part of the world, etc.

Please see: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...&postcount=233

mauiUAflyer is right. You're a 1K, and with the SWU you are "officially in the cue." Nothing much more you can really, except wait for it to clear.

In my experience with Asia routes, the airplanes can be quite full, so very hard to try and predict/game the system. United seems to do a good job keeping track of your request in the system.

I believe the only two things in your way for the upgrade is someone purchasing a tickect in F or C (whichever cabin you are upgrading to), or a USG submitting a SWU for the PA waitlist. You may not know about your upgrade until you are at the gate (this has happened to me several times in 2008).

Thank you very informative

I think you mean queue...

PA is (supposed to be) first-come, first-served. The lists aren't supposed to get rearranged until the DM list goes into effect (usually 4 hours before the flight). At that time, any disserviced passenger, GS, or any 1K who paid more than you would be ahead of you.

Unless the GS calls frequently and get the Res Agent to call IM and get it cleared of the others on the PA list

That's interesting on the PA first-come, first-serve item. I had not thought about that.

Once ticketed I just request the SWU, and wait to see what happens. I may be one of the few, but I never call the GS desk, just wait to see what happens. I have had more that a few clear at the gate, so I guess that was off the DM list.

That's the "supposed to" part...

Yeah...thats me spelling out one of the "supposed to" part :D

I booked ROC-IAD-PEK on UA in coach back at the end of April, leaving July 26 and returning August 27. I then went on-line to upgrade to business class.

The departing trip cleared almost immediately. The flight back cleared just a couple of days ago.

I think I was probably one of the first on the list for upgrades (at least that's what I keep telling myself) since I don't have any special status with UA.

-Eric

Thanks for the info. I was hoping for a definate answer that they cleared earlier, since I wanted to request kosher meals for business class, which is a whole lot better than the coach meal. I guess I will call a few times and see if they can push it through. Or maybe reserve an extra business class kosher meal??:confused:

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8800/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I upgraded a friend using a CR1 and it cleared at the gate just before boarding commenced. I've only had one upgrade go to the gate and I was only a 1P at the time. They mostly clear at least a couple days prior.