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All you need to know:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/38212

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/awards/travel/types.aspx
Click on "United air travel award rules:"
"You may redeem miles for travel in United Global FirstSM, United First®, United Business® or United BusinessFirst® , 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. For example, a Saver United First award must be confirmed in Saver United Economy to be eligible for waitlisting. 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 BusinessFirst and United Business travel awards, the difference in miles will be refunded when the United BusinessFirst or United Business class segment of the trip could not be confirmed. Waitlist requests may only be made over the phone with your local United Reservations office"


« Last edited by HolyNyc on February 02, 2015, 08:51:46 AM »

Author Topic: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability  (Read 505880 times)

Offline Dudeguy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #340 on: January 15, 2014, 07:12:05 PM »
Wow!! woulda never guessed.

Thanks one and all for your help on this!

Offline miles

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #341 on: January 21, 2014, 10:44:03 PM »
the first rep i got today on the phone did know what i need, the phone call was over an hour he got some issues to issue the ticket he told he gets an error that the price is not entered but he see the price there finally he got it done they debited the account 117k instead of 117.5k and he also entered o class requested before he issued the ticket, i ask him when he did this last time he told me over an year ago, he told me only old CO agents know bout this 
« Last Edit: January 21, 2014, 11:39:17 PM by miles »

Offline miles

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #342 on: January 22, 2014, 12:10:13 PM »
the first rep i got today on the phone did know what i need, the phone call was over an hour he got some issues to issue the ticket he told he gets an error that the price is not entered but he see the price there finally he got it done they debited the account 117k instead of 117.5k and he also entered o class requested before he issued the ticket, i ask him when he did this last time he told me over an year ago, he told me only old CO agents know bout this
Is there any chance to get the O seat, only one first class left to sell or I will be able to get I claas instead of O class ?

p.s. I booked on the flight 5 tickets in O class there was 1 more but till we decide to book the 6th its dissapeard

Offline Dudeguy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #343 on: January 22, 2014, 03:00:21 PM »
I booked a United plan B and now there is availibilty in business. The agent is telling me it's $100 to confirm the upgrade. Does that make sense? I didn't think there was a charge to get the upgrade...

Offline Dan

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #344 on: January 22, 2014, 03:02:37 PM »
HUCA.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Dudeguy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #345 on: January 22, 2014, 03:10:18 PM »
I did that. The agent started telling me that she sees I spoke with another agent who told me the same thing  :P. It seems that although in my account on united.com it says I was debited 100k for the roundtrip my account still has the 20k difference of business and coach. What do I say when they tell me either you were simply waitlisted or booked a coach ticket and now you need to pay the $100 fee?

Offline avremie

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #346 on: January 22, 2014, 04:01:38 PM »
Has anyone mastered the system why sometimes I only see LH or only TK
Also has is Austrian business? Lie flat?

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #347 on: January 22, 2014, 04:02:52 PM »
Has anyone mastered the system why sometimes I only see LH or only TK
Not sure what you're talking about exactly, but it seems like availability.

Offline avremie

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #348 on: January 22, 2014, 04:04:11 PM »
Not sure what you're talking about exactly, but it seems like availability.
recently I was looking JFK to tlv and only showing LH

Offline Dudeguy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #349 on: January 22, 2014, 04:53:07 PM »
Just to let the oilam know...I got a representative to do the upgrade. the agent didn't charge the $100 change fee "because of the misinformation"

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #350 on: January 22, 2014, 05:10:14 PM »
Just to let the oilam know...I got a representative to do the upgrade. the agent didn't charge the $100 change fee "because of the misinformation"
...The benefits of HUCA...

Offline Million Miler

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #351 on: January 23, 2014, 05:47:25 AM »
Does anyone have experience with plan b going from tlv to ewr?  Do the Israeli Ua reps know how to put the customer in PR1 status

Offline sillypainter

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #352 on: January 24, 2014, 10:45:38 AM »
Can anybody please explain to me what the difference is between doing PLAN B, and just the regular booking economy, call up to wait list for upgrade?

What I mean to ask...I have a booking on EWR-FRA in economy, and I see like 35 seats available in biz, UA will definitely release more seats closer to the flight, will I get business automatically when they release it or I need to do something.

My problem is that I booked my itinerary online already, so I don't want to cancel and wait for it to be put back in inventory, and then call for plan B. I want to just upgrade the economy leg.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2014, 10:49:06 AM by sillypainter »

Offline Dan

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #353 on: January 24, 2014, 10:51:52 AM »
First of all you'll pay the post-02/01 rate when you clear.
Second you don't get PR-1.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline sillypainter

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #354 on: January 24, 2014, 11:45:59 AM »
First of all you'll pay the post-02/01 rate when you clear.
Second you don't get PR-1.

Ok, thanks. So it's basically the PR-1 status that you gain and of course the reprice now with the devaluation, which I didn't even think about, so I am glad I asked....

So in other words (put the reprice post devaluation in the side for a moment). If somebody sees after Feb. 1 like 35 biz open seats on a UA flight, and they are sure a seat will open up, it doesn't pay to go through the hassle of Plan B, because of the HUCA'ng involved....

Offline Dan

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #355 on: January 24, 2014, 12:41:25 PM »
So in other words (put the reprice post devaluation in the side for a moment). If somebody sees after Feb. 1 like 35 biz open seats on a UA flight, and they are sure a seat will open up, it doesn't pay to go through the hassle of Plan B, because of the HUCA'ng involved....
-1,000
PR1 is how the majority clear. 35 seats empty can fill up in a week.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline miles

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #356 on: January 24, 2014, 12:45:35 PM »
-1,000
PR1 is how the majority clear. 35 seats empty can fill up in a week.
if i dont clear to O can i get I class

Offline Ergel

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #357 on: January 24, 2014, 01:41:31 PM »
Are you in the award booking service business?
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #358 on: January 25, 2014, 11:59:47 PM »
haha
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #359 on: January 26, 2014, 10:13:02 AM »
Hi! First time/long time, etc...

I was wondering what my chances are for a Plan B booking on a route that I do not see business saver availability for the entire bookable window (1-330 days). Are there some routes on which United never releases business saver space ever? Or does it just get gobbled up immediately when available by "Expert Flyers" (Ex. IAD-DXB)   I'm trying to figure this out without an expertflyer subscription.