climmy

Many threads come up every week about “Is it worth it?”

Well, I figure it would be more streamlined if we simply put all of these questions into one thread. This would accomplish 3 things:
(1) It’s provides a single location where posters can find answers to their various questions
(2) It would reduce clutter in the forum
(3) It prevents searchers from going through 50 different threads to find the answer to their specific question.

To posters with new questions, simply insert the blue question mark emoticon (radio button below your post screen) with your post. This will allow us to screen through all of the posts to see the questions easily.

climmy

I'll go first...

Is it worth burning an SWU simply to gain access to the FRA First Class terminal on a 4 hour layover?

Notes:
(1) Flying paid biz so It's not really about the seat on this flight
(2) Flight is SFO-FRA-DXB with 4+ hours in FRA

All things equal, I'd rather keep the SWU but the 4 hour layover scares me. Should I keep the SWU and simply waste away in the Senator lounge?

K_M_McMahon

I know there has been a decline in P.S. so this may be an easy "no" but I'll ask anyway.

I typically travel IAD (or BWI) to LAX direct. If my schedule permits, the fare is almost the same to travel IAD-JFK-LAX on the outbound and still come back direct to IAD.

My company only pays for discounted Y so I can upgrade into C on this flight. Since I would likely burn miles to upgrade anyway, is P.S. C still worth the hassle of this routing? (assuming I can confirm at booking?)

Thanks!
-Kevin

mahasamatman

If it's in January and the SWU is about to expire? Sure. If it's a long-expiring SWU and you have more international travel planned for the year where you want to upgrade from Y to C (far more important than C to F in my mind), I'd say no. If you always pay for C anyway, I'd probably say go for it.

The first thing I would do is see if there's a 3-class IAD-LAX. If not, and you have the time, I would probably do it for the seat (and the extra EQM).

climmy

IF, and only IF you can confirm your upgrade at time of ticketing, I'd say yes, it's worth it.

Bear in mind that PS routes are hard to upgrade as a lower status on a lower fare. If you need to waitlist, fuggeddaboutit.

I recenlty flew PS via SFO-JFK and onto IAD because all of the 3-class widebodies are gone from the non-stops this time of year. When departing SFO, there was something like 15 names on the list when biz checked full. On the return, same but only perhaps 6 or 8 names didn't clear.

Lastly, bear in mind that IAD-JFK is prone to delay. If you miss you're connection, you might be relegated to coach anyway. On my return, I missed my scheduled flight [2hr WX dealy] and was lucky to get protected on the next flight in biz (GS desk again). You would not get afforded the same protection.

SFflyer123

I would not burn the SWU. Keep it.

The key is to first eat at the Senator lounge and fill up. Then go to the Business lounge, which is much more spacious and relax over there. The Senator lounge is cramped beyond belief, despite its being the "higher tier" lounge. ^

brahms77

Excluding 1Ks...

I am sure there are several of 1Ps, 2Ps, 3Ps, and General Members out there asking this question.

Common Scenario:

Booked on UA C or F due to no availability on partners on the dates desired.

Upon research closer to the departure, one finds a space on NH, TG, OZ, SQ (superior C and F products on partner) for a segment or two (long haul).

A: If it's short haul, less than seven hours, stick with what you have.

A: If it's a long haul and you get NH, OZ, TG, or SQ F, then it's worth the change fee.

Again, the answer to the question/scenario will vary from person to person.

UA_Flyer

While I agree with your answers in general, but I would also consider the routing and the type of plane used. For example, if the choice is between SQ744/772ER and UA new F and C seats, then I may not switch.

climmy

Tx. I'll keep the SWU for a later purpose of more value-add.

dhammer53

SkiAdcock and DeaFlyer reported great things about the 1st class lounge in FRA. The Senator lounge reminded me on an ordinary RCC.
Four hours is a long time.

If you can confirm the upgrade, I'd do it. As was said above, extra miles and a nice ride transcon.

PTSBrian

Concerning the general concept of this thread:

I disagree with the need for a consolidated thread on "Is it worth it?" Indeed, I think there is too much tendency toward consolidation of threads in this forum. It is incredibly difficult to access information through the search functions on FT, and when a thread grows to hundreds of entries it might as well not exist at all. There is really no harm in there being even a dozen threads each day that say "Is it worth it?" -- those who don't wish to work their way through repetitive information can simply avoid clicking on those threads.

So I suggest that the moderators not treat this thread as an all-encompassing place to move people's simple straightforward questions that pertain to a particular situation.

climmy

How about we let it go for a bit and then decide? I for one don't like seeing these types of threads posted very regularly, mostly along the same vein. I think they should be all in one place.

Plus, just about every one starts with the same "I searched but couldn't find the answer..." stuff. If there's only one thread, it's an easy pointer, right?

Benny8444

I agree with this. It will take away a lot of clutter from the 72,000 threads already here.

hobo13

What happens when 5 people ask different questions simultaneously? It will be very difficult to follow the discussion, and more importantly, nearly impossible to access the accumulated information later.

Part of the beauty of the UA forum is that it is hugely active! If a thread isn't popular, it fades away quickly.

If you really want to improve the situation, I'd suggest lobbying for a better search function, or volunteering to help improve the Wiki by aggregating a list of 'is it worth it questions' that link directly to the relevant thread. Don't get me wrong, I think the UA wiki is by far the best on FT, but it could always get better.

PTahCha

I would say go for p.s. if it's confirmable. Then again, I'm a big fan of p.s. still - still the best domestic product offered by United. However, I still like 947 IAD-LAX on 777.


In my experience, JFK-SFO is harder to upgrade than JFK-LAX, probably because of the international connections and high concentration of 1Ks in SFO. Then again, as a 1P for the last 2 years, I've had pretty good track record in getting upgraded on p.s. flights using miles.

ur, sorry to rain on your GS parade, but I've had my upgrade honored or protected on alternate routing when things went awry that would cause me to misconnect, WX or not.