sheepherder

I'm silver with US and 1K with UA.

Now that it appears you can't get preferred seating on US with *gold, if I made my reservation with my US FF number and then changed it to my UA number would I be reseated? I only kept US silver so I could get exit row seating.

dirkman

Fair is fair, afterall. It's not like United gives preferred seating to *Gold members from other airlines either. If you're a US Silver, you should still be able to get preferred seating on US.

tommyleo

I must disagree with you on this one, Dirkman. If we don't think it was right for UA to remove preferred seating for *A pax, then how can we condone US doing the same? ("Two wrongs don't make a right"?) US's reaction seemed very spiteful. Luckily, the rest of the *A has not yet been as spiteful, for I found out that I will still be eligible for preferred seating on an upcoming Air New Zealand flight.


As for the OP's question. If you want preferred seating on US while getting miles on UA, here's how I've been told to do so. Reserve the preferred seat with your DM number when you book the ticket. Then, when you get to the airport, go to the kiosk and change your FF# to your UA number. Your seat assignment will not change.

I'd like to see someone else confirm this strategy because the recent res system migration may have rendered the strategy useless.

EnvoyBoy

You probably won't loose your outbound preferred seat but you may very well loose the return seat when a computer sweep bumps you out. I can confirm from personal experience that you WILL immediately loose any upgrade you got based on your US status.

tommyleo

Good point about losing the upgrade, but the OP seems to be referring only to preferred coach seating.

As for the comuter sweep, what if, upon landing after the outbound flight, the OP called the DM number and told them to apply his DM number to the return flight? That should hold his preferred seating assignment. Then the OP would have the option on the day of his return flight to change the FF number to UA's if he so desires.

Fiumicino

In my experience, you won't loose your preferred seating.

EnvoyBoy

I'd be curious if anyone knows the answer to this.

I'm thinking it won't because the few times I've switched my FF numbers, I was asked if the flight in question was my outbound. It's led me to believe that once the trip has begun that such a change can no longer be made.

But I could be wrong.

Random_Flyer

Eh, UA will allow you to pre-reserve any standard Y seat on the plane. Sure, you can't reserve a E+ seat, but given that US doesn't have E+ there's no reciprocal benefit that it can offer to UA's elites.

When both airlines offer the same configurations, then you'd be more likely to see crossover. But when airline A offers a feature airline B does not, why should airline A give that feature away to airline B's customers when airline B has nothing to offer airline A's customers?

tommyleo

Your point about US not offering an E+ equivalent is well taken. However, US does have exit rows and bulkheads (legroom!). Granted, there aren't a whole lot of those seats, but other *A members offer their exit rows and bulkheads to *Golds.

dirkman

We can agree to disagree on this point, tommy. The change occured in the middle of the benefit year and I haven't purchased a UA ticket since. Why should US being doing UA any favors? Makes little sense to me.

LAX1K to AmWest

Here is my take on why.... The alliance is to encourage you to have one flight program. If you fly a lot in the US you need to choose US or UA... and UA should see US Elite's as great customers. All *GOLD are a warm market for UA to encourage them to fly their metal.. the reason why?? REVENUE FOR UA.... why not exploit a market you have waiting for you.

fly747first

United is the founder of Star Alliance. If it can't set a positive example, then why US Airways go out of its way to honor preferred seating requests from UA flyers? Not to mention the fact that United is a lot bigger than US Airways, next thing we know UA elites are taking away out exit row seats. I love seat 10A on the new US East A319 configuration.

fly747first

Bingo!

ElementK

I was told by a gate agent in 2006 that once you can't change your ff number at your connection airport. But you can have one ff number outbound and another return.

As for first class travel with a UA number -- it IS possible. (Or was possible.) Thanks to my messy desk I have here in my hands a bp for travel CLT-SFO Sept 2006, seat 3F (First) and it has my UA number and reads "United Premier UA*S-Star Alliance Silver".

So, at the time at least, it could be done. If I remember how this happened I had called US the day before my flight because I wanted to check on my upgrade (I was a Silver at the time). For some reason my status wasn't in the system, he fixed it, the computer gave me a first seat and I said "What would happen if you put in my UA #?" He (and I) thought it would take my seat away, but he tried it and to our surprise I kept the seat.

alliance

I was able to get a preferred seat at booking on a US flight this last Sunday with my UA # in the reservation since booking.