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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 507423 times)

Offline MillValleyMom

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1360 on: May 22, 2015, 06:16:11 PM »
When's the flight?

July 3rd UA #903 to TK #1588

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1361 on: May 22, 2015, 06:25:42 PM »
July 3rd UA #903 to TK #1588
Have United call you. The agents at that line can help you set up plan B better than when you call them. And yes, you should be able to set it up because TK J is available now.

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1362 on: May 25, 2015, 06:10:38 AM »
You cannot do Plan B.

1) Your second flight is on TK metal; Plan B is only available on UA metal.
2) Your international flight will be confirmed in J, so "Plan B" is irrelevant - even if it were UA metal, and your waitlist would clear for the international segment (but not the domestic), the Plan B would be considered "successful", despite the fact that you would be in the exact situation you find yourself right now. So either way, you're already at the "finish line" of Plan B, so to speak.

What you can do is request a simple, plain old-fashioned "waitlist". And it mentions it right there on the UA site (http://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/awards/travel/types.aspx):

Quote
You may redeem miles for travel in United Global First, 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. 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 Customer Contact Center.

You won't get any mileage refund if it doesn't clear, but everything else about that paragraph should be true.

Offline 3yummyboys

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1363 on: June 01, 2015, 11:06:16 AM »
If there is saver award availability, does that mean that X or XN has to be open?

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1364 on: June 01, 2015, 11:22:27 AM »
If there is saver award availability, does that mean that X or XN has to be open?
Yes

Offline 3yummyboys

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1365 on: June 01, 2015, 02:00:45 PM »
Thanks. I'm trying to get to know he expert mode.

Reading the blogs makes it look like plan b is a sure thing. In anyone's experience, what would you say the percentage of plan b bookings do NOT end up flying business/first?

Offline AJK

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1366 on: June 01, 2015, 02:45:53 PM »
Thanks. I'm trying to get to know he expert mode.

Reading the blogs makes it look like plan b is a sure thing. In anyone's experience, what would you say the percentage of plan b bookings do NOT end up flying business/first?

That's like asking what percentage of flights will have award availability.
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

Offline 3yummyboys

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1367 on: June 01, 2015, 02:52:51 PM »
Seems like I have a knack for these kinds of questions.

I'm just taking an unofficial poll of people's experiences

Offline Platinum

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1368 on: June 01, 2015, 04:10:52 PM »
Can I do a plan b from J to F if the first two legs are on non UA metal and the first two legs don't have F cabins?

Offline AJK

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1369 on: June 01, 2015, 05:19:33 PM »
Yes.
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 #1371 on: June 01, 2015, 07:15:09 PM »
If i did plan b 4 months before my flight, when am i expected to see if i got the seats? Cud it be a week or more before the flight or is it always a day or two before? Thanx!

Offline chucksterace

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1372 on: June 01, 2015, 07:22:19 PM »
If i did plan b 4 months before my flight, when am i expected to see if i got the seats? Cud it be a week or more before the flight or is it always a day or two before? Thanx!

Upgrades are unpredictable. Can be anytime from 1 day after requesting  to 5 minutes before the flight to none at all.
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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1373 on: June 02, 2015, 10:27:41 AM »
Thanx chucksterace

Offline 3yummyboys

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1374 on: June 03, 2015, 12:58:27 PM »
2 Qs

1) If I book a business class award that is mixed cabin, if the second leg in business opens up will I get automatically upgraded?
2) If not, would it be better to book the saver economy on plan B? If I do, since there is availability on one leg, would I automatically get upgraded on that leg?

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1375 on: June 03, 2015, 01:41:53 PM »
2 Qs

1) If I book a business class award that is mixed cabin, if the second leg in business opens up will I get automatically upgraded?
2) If not, would it be better to book the saver economy on plan B? If I do, since there is availability on one leg, would I automatically get upgraded on that leg?
I think those are great questions! If anyone knows...

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1376 on: June 03, 2015, 01:46:03 PM »
2 Qs

1) If I book a business class award that is mixed cabin, if the second leg in business opens up will I get automatically upgraded?
2) If not, would it be better to book the saver economy on plan B? If I do, since there is availability on one leg, would I automatically get upgraded on that leg?
If you book a mixed cabin award and space opens on the Y leg you can probably call and get moved to J, but it won't happen automatically. This isn't related to Plan B.

If you book Plan B and there's room on one leg, you should be put into J on that leg and automatically upgraded to J if room opens on the leg without J availability. I believe they will set it up for you like that. I know it works for sure when one leg isn't UA but has J availability and the UA leg doesn't.

Either way you'd end up spending more miles for J. In the first case because you booked a mixed cabin knowingly and in the second case because you flew in J on at least 1 segment.

Offline 3yummyboys

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1377 on: June 03, 2015, 03:12:24 PM »
Thanks so much. Are you saying that if I book mixed cabin and something opens up I'll have to pay extra miles?

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1378 on: June 03, 2015, 03:14:42 PM »
Thanks so much. Are you saying that if I book mixed cabin and something opens up I'll have to pay extra miles?
If you book a mixed cabin you pay the price of the higher cabin. If you do Plan B correctly they take the price of the higher cabin out of your account at the time it's set up, so either way it's the same.

Offline 3yummyboys

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1379 on: June 03, 2015, 05:54:46 PM »
Got it thanks