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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 577108 times)

Offline Dan

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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 iwlw2

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1801 on: December 10, 2015, 11:07:02 AM »
Thanks Dan, a couple people actually reached out to me on PM to ask me where you mentioned it! Do you have any thoughts on my question in terms of how many seats are booked on average in BF on the EWR-TLV and back route?

Offline efflpetzel

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1802 on: December 10, 2015, 08:06:52 PM »
Damn damn united reps, squashed in middle seat separated from my wife .

Had PR1 status but got kicked off because GS members (ahem)come first  .

Those gate reps make up the rules as they go along.

Offline AJK

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1803 on: December 11, 2015, 01:35:27 AM »
Damn damn united reps, squashed in middle seat separated from my wife .

Had PR1 status but got kicked off because GS members (ahem)come first  .

Those gate reps make up the rules as they go along.
Don't get me started. Seriously.
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Offline D93

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1804 on: December 11, 2015, 02:33:34 AM »
CMIIW, but wasn't it discussed upthread and concluded that GS does indeed come before displaced business class passengers?

Offline ilherman

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1805 on: December 12, 2015, 06:23:12 PM »
They don't come before any displaced business class pax when they wait to *upgrade*. When a GS is standby for business class because he is a displaced business class pax then he would indeed go before others.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline D93

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1806 on: December 13, 2015, 01:24:04 AM »
They don't come before any displaced business class pax when they wait to *upgrade*. When a GS is standby for business class because he is a displaced business class pax then he would indeed go before others.

Got it. Thanks!

Offline iwlw2

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1807 on: December 14, 2015, 09:50:40 AM »
I have a question for those that have successfully used Plan B at the airport side, first off, it seems from United's upgrade priority list that there is an advantage to checking in online 24 hours before because at that point you get some priority (if anyone is on equal priority it seems they prioritize based on time of checkin) is that in fact the case?
Also, if I do in fact check in and find my name at the top or near the top of the upgrade list (and assuming there is some availability showing so that theres at least a chance of getting upgraded) do I need to/is there any benefit to going back to the lounge agent/gate agent and asking about my status, I guess what I mean to ask is what happens then, will they just call my name if they decide to upgrade me, how do I know? (You see, I'm trying to think positively to try to make it happen...  ;)). Thanks!

Offline iwlw2

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1808 on: December 15, 2015, 10:53:50 AM »
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/64083
Strangely enough, this is no longer working for me, when I try to change the date in the url I get back a message "Invalid date requested". Is anyone else finding this and is it possible United "fixed" it?

Offline ushdadude

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1809 on: December 16, 2015, 07:54:16 PM »
If I have a flight booked in J and want to change to a flight that has Y saver, do I change it to y online and call to implement plan b or have phone rep do it all?

My q is based on what Dan wrote:

Quote
We held the 85K coach saver award online and used the callback line to setup the 140K business saver award with all segments waitlisted for business class.

Offline rileywiles23

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1810 on: December 16, 2015, 08:20:00 PM »

Strangely enough, this is no longer working for me, when I try to change the date in the url I get back a message "Invalid date requested". Is anyone else finding this and is it possible United "fixed" it?
Worked for me last week.
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Offline ilherman

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1811 on: December 16, 2015, 08:28:47 PM »
If you change it online the system will refund  the difference in miles that's not what you want to do here. Call them up have them change you to the date with economy availability and ask them not to refund the miles and just wait-list the I class.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline ushdadude

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1812 on: December 16, 2015, 08:34:46 PM »
If you change it online the system will refund  the difference in miles that's not what you want to do here. Call them up have them change you to the date with economy availability and ask them not to refund the miles and just wait-list the I class.

thanks. new flight is actually more miles because different origin

Offline iwlw2

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1813 on: December 16, 2015, 09:45:26 PM »
Worked for me last week.
worked for me last week too, but this week no, have you tried it in the last couple days?

Offline ushdadude

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1814 on: December 16, 2015, 11:08:14 PM »
thanks. new flight is actually more miles because different origin

Success!

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1816 on: December 17, 2015, 07:04:36 AM »
Way to go!

Guess this means I'm not coming to visit

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1817 on: December 17, 2015, 09:26:43 AM »
Guess this means I'm not coming to visit
True, but that's better for you.

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1818 on: December 22, 2015, 08:31:54 PM »
Did Plan B, it is showing I class requested and at the bottom of the page it says the correct amount of miles which was redeemed but on the receipt it is still showing the old price. Is this normal?
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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #1819 on: December 22, 2015, 08:41:27 PM »
Did Plan B, it is showing I class requested and at the bottom of the page it says the correct amount of miles which was redeemed but on the receipt it is still showing the old price. Is this normal?
Did you email the itinerary to refresh the receipt?
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.