Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability

[donedeal12]

I guess my question is, if it states this directly on its website how could they refute it?

I had a conversation with an agent today that was trying to convince me it was about revenue ticket upgrades.

https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/mileageplus/benefits/mileageplus-air-awards.html

Waitlisting for travel awards is permitted in premium cabins on flights operated by United, and will be automatically confirmed, if the waitlisted cabin is available, based on the status of the account holder.
Waitlisting may be requested for travel in a premium cabin up to 24 hours before flight departure. If the waitlist does not clear, you will automatically be added to the airport standby list upon check-in.
Waitlisting for certain inventory types is not permitted.
Ticketed customers may waitlist for travel in a premium cabin for an alternate flight. Reservations where all segments are waitlisted without any confirmed segments are not permitted.
Connecting flights: Customers may waitlist on only one leg of the connecting flights and the flight must meet the required minimum connecting time.
Nonstop flights: Customers can waitlist on only one flight per direction. Alternate dates and times are allowed.
You may use miles for travel in United First®, United Business® or United Polaris® business class, even if the space is not available. In these cases, United Economy in the same award type must be confirmed, and the front cabin will be waitlisted. If the courtesy waitlist does not clear, it will expire 24 hours before itinerary departure, and you will automatically be added to the airport upgrade standby list upon check-in. In these cases, you will be confirmed on a space-available basis by a United airport representative at the gate once the flight has closed for check-in. For United Polaris business class and United Business travel awards, the difference in miles will be refunded when the United Polaris business class or United Business class segment of the trip cannot be confirmed. Waitlist requests may only be made over the phone with your local United Customer Contact Center.

[YOSSI170]

I guess my question is, if it states this directly on its website how could they refute it?

I had a conversation with an agent today that was trying to convince me it was about revenue ticket upgrades.

The reps claim that the information on the website is outdated, since they changed to dynamic pricing it is no longer an option.

[Dan]

The reps claim that the information on the website is outdated, since they changed to dynamic pricing it is no longer an option.

HUCA

[donedeal12]

The reps claim that the information on the website is outdated, since they changed to dynamic pricing it is no longer an option.

Finally, after much HUCA, I found an agent who painstakingly went with me to the webpage that says it can be done, then she worked back and forth with the ticketing office to find what the required mileage would be, (she calculated 8-10k more than I think its supposed to be) but she then waitlisted me and deducted the points from my account.  FYI this was over the phone.

 

[Spoon]

Finally, after much HUCA, I found an agent who painstakingly went with me to the webpage that says it can be done, then she worked back and forth with the ticketing office to find what the required mileage would be, (she calculated 8-10k more than I think its supposed to be) but she then waitlisted me and deducted the points from my account.  FYI this was over the phone.

 

That was the easy part

[donedeal12]

and now its just a waiting game?

That was the easy part

[Spoon]

and now its just a waiting game?

24 hrs before If it does not clear you will be taken off the list. You have to get an agent to manually put you on with PR1(or somewhere between PR1 and PR2) status

[donedeal12]

If at the 24-hour mark your removed from the list, what records are you going by to be put on PR1 or PR2? Can they see that you were on the waitlist and removed? and that you "paid" for the higher fare class?

Phone agent? or only Airport agent?

24 hrs before If it does not clear you will be taken off the list. You have to get an agent to manually put you on with PR1(or somewhere between PR1 and PR2) status

[efflpetzel]

If at the 24-hour mark your removed from the list, what records are you going by to be put on PR1 or PR2? Can they see that you were on the waitlist and removed? and that you "paid" for the higher fare class?

Phone agent? or only Airport agent?

At that point you can try calling the 1k line as a displaced biz passenger but most likely you'll have to convince a gate agent to put you in pr1 which is highly unlikely.

Make sure you have a good economy seat as you'll probably end up there.

[Dan]

the new gg code:

Still in use, https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1324831-consolidated-waitlist-award-seats-questions-issues-113.html#post35135039

[coffeebean]

Is it possible for an agent to change an existing reservation that was booked in economy without paying the new (more miles) economy saver price in case upgrade falls through?

[shmuels2]

Has anyone tried plan B with a non-saver economy seat?

Excuse the dumb question but I was hoping that with all the talk of doing away with the charts, maybe that could sneak past?

[shmuels2]

Has anyone tried plan B with a non-saver economy seat?

Excuse the dumb question but I was hoping that with all the talk of doing away with the charts, maybe that could sneak past?

An update on this: I got through to a supervisor via chat who waitlisted me properly for EWR>LAX. Because it was his first time and he he had just learned the procedure I thought I'd see if he could do the same for ORD>TLV which was not booked saver... No dice. Spent a few minutes trying to book and came back saying it's not possible. I don't know if the system stopped him or if he noticed.

[shmuels2]

Can an airport agent correctly waitlist you as PR1 on the second leg of a trip before the first flight?

e.g. CLE>ORD>TLV can the CLE agent waitlist you correctly for the ORD>TLV segment?

[nocknock]

HUCA

are you sure about this

spoke with serval agents all claim since dynamic pricing it doesn't work anymore

[El Capitan]

Hey all,

Considering to attempt my first plan B.

Would be for 7/11/23 UA 41 or 509. 1 PAX

Do any of these flights have an advantage over the other in terms of likelihood to clear an upgrade? Aside from the obvious aircraft difference.

What are the odds in general these days? Super slim?

And lastly, my pm is always open to tips from pros and rookies like myself


Thank you to this amazing community

[Dan]

[Spoon]

Question is where did he fly from

[Dan]

Question is where did he fly from

[baron]

Had recently that it’s waitlisted but not deducted until it clears. Is that how it is these days? Used to deduct the miles right away, No?