E-Upgrade Errors on Connecting Flights
 

Has anyone had problems with e-upgrades lately ? It seems they have gone to a totally automated process for pulling the e-upgrades. Most of the time, the agent just issues the boarding passes in NF and doesn't even inquire about how I want to support the upgrade. To my suprise, while I thought I was getting a free one, the automated process has taken over and my e-upgrade summary shows what has been deducted for each flight.

Here's the problem. Many times I will have an itinerary containing conencting flights. For example, DFW-ORD-IAD. Normally, the agent will check me in all the way to IAD (if the upgrade has cleared) anddeduct 3 500 mile e-upgrades. However, the problem comes when the whole segment has not cleared. For example, if only DFW-ORD has cleared, the agent will pull 2 upgrades to ORD and put me on the waiting list for ORD-IAD. If the ORD-IAD portion happens to clear later then when the NF boarding passis issued at ORD, then the agent will pull 2 more 500 mile e-upgrades.

Now, is it fair to yank additional upgrades just because the second segment upgrade hasn't cleared all the way ? This is what seems to be happening automatically with the new process ?


M+ is telling me that you only receive the savings on the number of upgrades required if the agent can check you in all the way to your final destination and the upgrades has cleared all the way.

I am very confused and frustrated about this.

SA

Yes, it happens. Especially if you have a domestic flight connecting to an international one and were going to upgrade using a SWU. Say ORD-SFO-NRT, and your SWU was not collected at ORD and you thought you were home free - WRONG!

They collect 500 milers (4 to be exact) from me every time. I choose not to debate it with United, because I still win out over the error. You can't be too greedy you know.

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When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.

- Leonardo da Vinci

Here is the thing. If you are on the wait list in your PNR and it dosent clear before you check in the comptuer will prompt the agent what kind of certs dose the passenger want to use. If the agent tells the comptuer to use the 500 mile ecerts then you simply get your ug from dtw to ord and it pulls the 2 500 milers for the ug list out of chicago. If you clear then the computer collects them. If you dont clear...when the agents depart the flight the computer recredits the ug certs of passengers remaining on the ug list. There is not a comspericy in the works. Simply call if you have a problem once. MP can fix it.

For 1K-DFW's example...

It has always been United's 500 Miler policy to collect additional 500 Milers for any segments that clear after your first check-in that day.

You only get the first origin to final destination point-to-point calculation if all of your segments clear the waitlist prior to checking in for your first flight that day.

This has been the policy since long ago, even before E-Certs were invented.

If my ONT-DEN-IAH all clears before I first check in, it's a total of 3 500 Milers (for the ONT-IAH "point-to-point" total).

If my ONT-DEN clears before check-in but DEN-IAH does not, they deduct 2. Then if I later clear the DM list for DEN-IAH, they take an additional 2 for that, for a total of 4 (no longer qualifing for a ONT-IAH "point to point" total, but a simple but more expensive "per segment" calculation instead).

But back with the paper certs, gate agents would usually just look the other way on segments that cleared post-checkin....

Yep. One of the many reasons I miss the old system of having a paper option.

And a great reason for UA to have them be electronic! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif