A reader recently asked me to explain the difference between a pending upgrade and a waitlisted uprade on United Airlines.
It’s really quite simple: pending means that you are outside the time limit for a waitlist to clear. Waitlist means you are within the time limit and if an upgrade seat were available, it would have been confirmed.
Taking a step back, on United you need NF fare bucket space if you are trying to upgrade to first class or NC space if you are trying to upgrade to business class. You can check availability using tools like KVS or ExpertFlyer or by setting your Mileage Plus profile to "advanced" and performing an award search (only an award search, when you are logged in to your Mileage Plus account, will show NC and NF space). If you are using miles, a systemwide upgrade, or a regional upgrade you are eligible to clear immediately if NF or NC space is available. If there is not space available, you will immediately be waitlisted for the upgrade.
But under United’s unlimited domestic upgrade program (like the old e500 upgrade system before it), upgrades do not clear automatically even if there is upgrade space–they only clear at a specified point before each flight.
| Status | Prior to departure, confirmed as early as |
|---|---|
| United Global Services | 120 hours |
| United Premier Executive 1K | 100 hours |
| United Premier Executive | 72 hours |
| Continental Presidential Platinum | 72 hours |
| Continental Platinum | 72 hours |
| Continental Gold | 72 hours |
| United Premier | 48 hours |
| Continental Silver | 48 hours |
So while an upgrade is automatically requested on your behalf when you purchase your ticket if you are a United elite, your upgrade will be displayed at "pending" instead of "waitlisted" until you reach your upgrade window. Once you have reached your window, your upgrade will either be confirmed or waitlisted.
Occasionally, you might find an "upgrade denied" message next to your flight. Just ignore it. I haven’t seen one lately, but it is just a glitch. Even if you are #42 on the upgrade list with zero seats remaining, you won’t be kicked off the upgrade list.
This gets a bit off-topic, but status appears to trump all when it comes to an upgrade. A Premier Executive trying to use a SWU to upgrade a LAX-IAD flight would be passed over for a 1K, even if that 1K’s upgrade was complimentary. As a holder of top-tier status I appreciate this, but I often wonder why United is so cautious to restrict upgrade space prior to travel, such that many (myself included) have no shot at using upgrade instruments including miles or SWUs to score a premium seat and must hope for a "free" upgrade using the unlimited domestic program. I would think UA would rather have travelers burn those than give away the upgrades for free…
When you do an award search be sure to click “Standard Award” when you search for upgrade space. Otherwise (most likely) the date you are searching for won’t show up, won’t show all the flights which would be otherwise available for purchase and could show some unique connections,
I have a hypothesis regarding why UA doesn’t release more confirmable upgrade space in advance:
With UDU in place, they have essentially committed themselves to filling every empty seat in F on most domestic flights anyway, so they don’t really care whether someone has used an upgrade instrument or not.
That means that they might as well give those seats to the folks with both status and high fare classes, since those customers probably (on average) generate the most revenue. But these folks are prioritized higher on the UDU waitlist anyway, so by restricting confirmable space they can both hold out hope that all of those F seats can be sold, as well as take care of their best customers by eventually giving them upgrades (albeit within the UDU window or at the gate).
I’m speculating here, and indeed this hypothesis breaks down at times because you may have people willing to spend miles (plus a possible co-pay, if they are non-elite) to upgrade in advance, and this is a cheap way to get miles off the books. But maybe the trade-off is worth it in that they generate more revenue this way from customers who purchase F close-in than the savings they get from getting miles off the books?
@Michael: great point.
@MDR: I think you are spot-on. Great analysis.
Personally, I am glad that UA holds out upgrade space, as late last night I booked a seat for tomorrow, and if they just gave them out immediately I would have no hope of even getting an upgrade on my midcon
MDR:
That’s what I think (re: full first cabin) but I was on a flight with a full coach and two seats open in first a few nights ago. Maybe out of +100 people no one had any status??
I sort of wish they held out a few more seats for battlefield upgrades at the gate. I no longer do same-day changes since first is generally zeroed out day of.
I have another theory based on two recent trips I went on the past couple weeks on United. I was in Waitlist status for a couple days ahead of my travel date with no upgrade confirmation.
Literally minutes after checking into my flight I received an EasyUpdate notification confirming my upgrade. Total coincidence? Or is the upgrade confirmation somehow linked to trigger minutes after you actually check in to the flight you are waitlisted on?
@MAB: That’s very interesting. I’d say it was a coincidence, but next time I have a waitlisted upgrade I will see what happens after I check in.
@Matthew: Agreed it’s probably coincidence but I’ll let you know if it happens tonight as I am waitlisted for a flight tomorrow night that I’ll be checking into tonight. What complicates things is I’m flying with my wife so it would be the two of us. Although as of right now there are appears to be 10 open seats in First.
Speaking of which, when you are flying with a companion on your ticket do the upgrades work in such a way that its either both of you get an upgrade or none of you? Or would they upgrade just me if there was one seat available?
You folks seem pretty knowledgable. I just started a new job where I get a per diem to make my own travel arrangements and I was shopping around to see what airline I should consolidate most of my travel with.
How often do Premier level customers get domestic upgrades pulled through? I realize a lot depends on routes and times, but is it something you have to wait until Premier Executive to take advantage of outside of a blue moon, or is it reasonable to see an upgrade occur if you are flying from more obscure locations like Reno to Phoenix, ect.
@Jade: Premier upgrades are tough, but not impossible. I flew from Los Angeles to Chicago the day after Christmas on a midday A320 (12 first class seats) and there were at least two Pemiers that were upgraded.
Nevertheless, I’m not going to lie: it is difficult to score an upgrade as a Premier, although Reno and Phoenix should be easier than Denver or Washington Dulles.
Phoenix is actually a good upgrade chance, because most people who live in Phoenix fly wither US or Southwest. Reno your issue will probably be aircraft type, as anything smaller than a CRJ-700 or E-170 will not have upgrades.
In general, if you are flying to a city that has heavy mainline service (more than 3 a day) then your chances are slim unless you fly outside of Monday mornings, Thursday afternoons, and any time on Friday
I don’t see where you can change your profile to advanced.
@putz: Click on “my profiles” at the top of UA’s homepage, then login and click on the “my travel information” tab. Under the “display preferences” box, from the “availability format” drop down tab, choose expert.
Matthew,
Thanks!! No wonder I couldn’t find it, it’s so intuative. LOL.
My pleasure!
I’m about a 40k a year flier… nothing spectacular and only fall under the Premier category. Today was the first time that I’ve seen ‘waitlisted’ on the checkin site so that’s how I came across this.
I will tell you even at this low level I am automatically upgraded to first 90% of my flights. That includes the ones I take from LAX to Hawaii. Or DC to Denver.. into and out of Chicago… I have no clue how they calculate this.
So in actuality being waitlisted is nothing to worry about. Because I ended up here when I recently was on united site showing a friend our upcoming itinerary for Hawaii trip and our first two flights say waitlisted phl to Chicago then Chicago to Hawaii and I became concerned