How to Upgrade United Airlines flight: A Complete Guide - The airline ticket upgrading process has become more complicated (and restrictive) on most airlines, but United’s upgrade process is often more convoluted than most others.
There are multiple types of upgrades, a confusing maze of fare classes, priority hierarchy, and assorted rules for different planes and routes to sort through. For those who don’t have elite status with the airline, it may seem more impossible than ever to secure a seat in the front of the plane. While we can’t guarantee you an upgraded seat on United Airlines, we can help you understand the upgrade process and increase your chances of securing a premium seat.
United Airlines has several options for securing an upgrade, including options earned as a Premier elite member, using miles to upgrade, qualifying for complimentary upgrades, or purchasing a full-fare economy ticket that upgrades instantly.
|
MileagePlus Upgrade Awards: |
Upgrades using miles on
flights operated by United and United Expresss |
|
Complimentary Upgrades: |
Upgrades for Premier elite
members on a space-available basis on select United-operated domestic
flights. |
|
PlusPoints Upgrades: |
Upgrades purchased with
PlusPoints earned by Premier Platinum and Premier 1K members that can be used
on United and specific United global partner airlines. |
|
Star Alliance Upgrade
Awards: |
Upgrades using miles on
select flights with certain Star Alliance network partners |
|
Instant Upgrades: |
Upgrades granted at the
time of ticketing on full fare Y economy and B fares for Premier members;
Premier 1K members may receive instant upgrades when purchasing M fares
(subject to availability) |
We’ll cover more on how priority order works for these upgrades shortly, but first, let’s find out how to determine if there is upgrade space available.
The best way to see if there are seats available for an upgrade is to search for tickets using United’s expert mode. To activate expert mode on your account, start at the United.com home page and sign in to your MileagePlus account.
Select the option to go to your Profile, then select Search Preferences. Under search preferences, you’ll find the expert mode option. Just click that you acknowledge the considerations, save, and it will be activated.
When searching for a flight in expert mode, you’ll be able to see the fare class you’re purchasing and the available fare classes for that flight by clicking on the Details tab.
The fare classes available on this flight from highest to lowest are J, C, D, Z, P (business) and Y, B, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W, S, T, L, K, G (economy). In expert mode, you can see how many seats are available in each class to help determine your chances for an upgrade.
The number next to the fare class represents the number of seats available for purchase, mileage awards, or upgrades in that fare class bucket. The number 9 is the highest and represents that 9 or more seats are available.
Although United doesn’t publish a list of what each fare code represents, the availability for upgrades is generally found in these classes:
The Importance of Elite Status
Getting upgraded from economy to a premium seat will depend on the level of elite status you have with the airline and whether you’re using earned PlusPoints, paying for upgrades, or using miles to upgrade.
United has several tiers of elite airline status with the following ranking order when it comes to upgrade determination:
Whether you have elite status or not, you’ll be placed on a waitlist with other travelers who have requested an upgrade if your upgrade cannot be confirmed immediately.
The computer system automatically clears the person who is at the top of the list for their upgrade until 3 hours before departure, when the gate agents take over and manage the upgrade list. The priority list for upgrades is as follows:
MileagePlus Premier Members are eligible for complimentary Premier Upgrades when traveling on a United-operated flight. Primary cardholders of the following cards, who are also Premier members, qualify for this type of upgrade on award tickets:
If you have a United-branded credit card, sign in to your MileagePlus account before searching for flights, as elite members and cardholders receive expanded search access.
It is possible to upgrade your flight using United MileagePlus frequent flyer miles, either while you’re purchasing a ticket or on an existing reservation, but it is not always the best value. However, all fares can be upgraded with miles or miles with a co-pay.
Here’s how to find out how much an upgrade costs using miles and whether using the miles and co-pay option is worth it. Be sure to sign in to your MileagePlus account before your search to receive better search results.
If you’ve already purchased your ticket and want to upgrade that ticket to a premium cabin, you can process the upgrade yourself within your existing reservation, call United to request the upgrade, or request an upgrade at the airport.
To process the upgrade yourself online, sign in to your MileagePlus account and access your existing reservation. Select Redeem upgrade to view your options. You will see the option to buy up to a premium cabin, use PlusPoints if you have these available, or have the option to use miles and co-pay for the upgrade.
Scoring an upgrade is complicated, and not just because there are so many factors involved in the process. It’s also because the system doesn’t always work as planned. You can be dropped off the upgrade waitlist for no apparent reason or experience other anomalies that can complicate the process further. Understanding that anomalies happen regardless of the airline and knowing how the process works can provide you with the leverage to secure the upgrades you deserve.
The bottom line to securing any complimentary upgrades with United is Premier elite status. Otherwise, if it’s essential to fly in business or first class, you should consider purchasing tickets in these classes or upgrading with miles, if available, if doing so is a good value compared to discounted business class.
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