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How does the 20K transatlantic upgrade award work?

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Old Jan 23, 2002, 4:07 pm
  #1  
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How does the 20K transatlantic upgrade award work?

How do these work? Do you really have to wait until within your Preferred Level upgrade window to redeem this award? Or can I shell out 40K and confirm Envoy at the time of reservation if seats are available? I seem to remember that when upgrading with miles was restricted to B&C fares, you could upgrade at the time of reservation.

The reason I ask is because I'm going to be needing two tickets to Europe in March for a friend and I. I want both of us to go Envoy somehow, so I'm debating whether to use miles for two Envoy award seats, or to buy two coach tickets and upgrade either with miles or the new 1/3/7-day SWU's, or a combination of award ticket and upgrade. Any advice on this?
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Old Jan 23, 2002, 7:16 pm
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ThisFlightNoFuel:
How do these work? Do you really have to wait until within your Preferred Level upgrade window to redeem this award? Or can I shell out 40K and confirm Envoy at the time of reservation if seats are available? I seem to remember that when upgrading with miles was restricted to B&C fares, you could upgrade at the time of reservation.

The reason I ask is because I'm going to be needing two tickets to Europe in March for a friend and I. I want both of us to go Envoy somehow, so I'm debating whether to use miles for two Envoy award seats, or to buy two coach tickets and upgrade either with miles or the new 1/3/7-day SWU's, or a combination of award ticket and upgrade. Any advice on this?
</font>
After the above question is answered, what is the 1/3/7 day SWU?
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Old Jan 23, 2002, 8:42 pm
  #3  
PHL
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1/3/7 SWU =

Silver can redeem within 1 day
Gold can redeem within 3 days
CP can redeem within 7 days

(just like the upgrade window for North American upgrade certs.)

The same applies to the 20,000 point restricted award.

This is what the CP liason told me.

So, basically you can't upgrade with the SWU's at the time of booking anymore. you have to wait according to your tier status, which is the way it should have been all along.
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 6:17 am
  #4  
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Unless you have a "full-fare" ticket (B, Y, C, J I believe are the classes), then you can still upgrade any time in advance.
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 7:05 am
  #5  
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Unlike the 7/3/1 day window that exists for Preferreds upgrading transatlantic flights with the new SWU's, the 20k one-way upgrade award does NOT require waiting until the 7/3/1 day window. It can be done in advance.

The 20k transatlantic one-way applies to M/K/H/Q fares with V fares not eligable. The 10k one-way transatlantic upgrade award applies to the higher B/Y and higher fares.
 
Old Jan 24, 2002, 7:20 am
  #6  
 
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1004:
Unlike the 7/3/1 day window that exists for Preferreds upgrading transatlantic flights with the new SWU's, the 20k one-way upgrade award does NOT require waiting until the 7/3/1 day window. It can be done in advance.</font>
Sounds like my new strategy will be to use the SWU's for domestic travel (coast-to-coast) and the 20K one-way upgrade awards transatlantic to GUARANTEE upgrades on trips purchased far in advance.
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 7:21 am
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1004:
Unlike the 7/3/1 day window that exists for Preferreds upgrading transatlantic flights with the new SWU's, the 20k one-way upgrade award does NOT require waiting until the 7/3/1 day window. It can be done in advance.

The 20k transatlantic one-way applies to M/K/H/Q fares with V fares not eligable. The 10k one-way transatlantic upgrade award applies to the higher B/Y and higher fares.
</font>

IT can be done in advance...however there needs to be seats available, it pulls from the same inventory as an advance SWU does now.
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 7:32 am
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Does US pull the 20,000 miles for the upgrade at time of upgrade confirmation or at check-in time?
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 7:55 am
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1004:
Unlike the 7/3/1 day window that exists for Preferreds upgrading transatlantic flights with the new SWU's, the 20k one-way upgrade award does NOT require waiting until the 7/3/1 day window. It can be done in advance.

The 20k transatlantic one-way applies to M/K/H/Q fares with V fares not eligable. The 10k one-way transatlantic upgrade award applies to the higher B/Y and higher fares.
</font>
I guess you might be right. If this is really the case, the new Systemwides are even less useful, but that's okay

Guess folks will be upgrading with miles then trying to swap *in* a new SWU when they check in now.

Really, I'm not complaining, it's just strange how the new system will work compared to the old.
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 8:00 am
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
Guess folks will be upgrading with miles then trying to swap *in* a new SWU when they check in now.

[/B]</font>
Actually, those customers using miles to upgrade will have a certificate printed when they checkin, this allows people to standby, and if they can't get into envoy on that flight USAIR will redeposit the miles with no charge. The reservations agent said this will be clearly noted on the PNR so they can print a coupon. These seems like it resolves beckles issue.
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 8:04 am
  #11  
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by catwood:
Actually, those customers using miles to upgrade will have a certificate printed when they checkin, this allows people to standby, and if they can't get into envoy on that flight USAIR will redeposit the miles with no charge. The reservations agent said this will be clearly noted on the PNR so they can print a coupon. These seems like it resolves beckles issue.</font>
Right, but what causes the printing of that coupon? I'm thinking when you check-in they probably will see you are upgraded and may not see how exactly you *said* you were going to upgrade (depending on how it was noted and how observant the check in agent is) and ask "How are you upgrading?". If that's the case I know I'll be trying to ditch my SWU's to save 40K miles at my earliest possible convenience.
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 8:33 am
  #12  
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1004:
Unlike the 7/3/1 day window that exists for Preferreds upgrading transatlantic flights with the new SWU's, the 20k one-way upgrade award does NOT require waiting until the 7/3/1 day window. It can be done in advance.
</font>
Has anyone confirmed this? The fine print would *SEEM* to indicate that using miles in advance to upgrade an intl. segment will still require a 1/3/7 day window according to tier status.
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 8:55 am
  #13  
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PHL:
Has anyone confirmed this? The fine print would *SEEM* to indicate that using miles in advance to upgrade an intl. segment will still require a 1/3/7 day window according to tier status.</font>
Which fine print? That's what I thought too, but then I went backed and looked and they might be right, it is at anytime in advance ...

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Old Jan 24, 2002, 9:06 am
  #14  
 
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I called the other night to upgrade two seats on a flight to Madrid in March and apparently I would have been able to do it that far in advance had the upgrade seats been available at the time. But they weren't, so now I'm on the waitlist, and I'll find out at the airport if they clear. The miles get deducted in advance, but if I end up not upgrading, the miles get redeposited (at no cost).
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Old Jan 24, 2002, 9:37 am
  #15  
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I spent several minutes on the phone the other night while the intl. agent checked to see if my transatlantic flight (K fare) was available for upgrade using the 20k award(s). These flights are not for several weeks. She confirmed that the new SWU's will have the 7,3,1 day Preferred windows but the new mileage awards could be done in advance. Both, btw, come from the same "O" inventory.
 


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