

This may not be confirmed until a few days before the flight or may even happen at the gate just before departure. Overwhelmingly, your upgrade won't clear at the time of booking, so you'll end up on the waitlist for an upgrade. In my experience, M-, B- and Y-fare economy-class tickets are often more expensive than first-class tickets. In addition, customers applying miles or a certificate to move up to the next cabin will also be able to confirm the upgrade instantly when the necessary fare buckets (above) are available. For Premier 1K and Global Services members, full-fare economy tickets clear into the PN fare and are applicable to M fares as well. United Premier members traveling on the two highest-priced economy-fare classes - Y and B - are eligible for an instant upgrade when ticketing on select flights (assuming PZ inventory is available). United's upgrades are split into two categories: Instant upgrades at the time of ticketing You also need to understand the order in which your upgrade will be processed in case it doesn't clear when you book. Just finding upgrade inventory is only half of the puzzle. United Airlines Polaris business class on the Boeing 777-300ER. Generally speaking, you'll have the most luck finding upgrade inventory far in advance or just before departure.

PN: Upgrades for Global Services members using PlusPoints, and instant upgrades for GS and Premier 1K members.Īrmed with this information, turn to United's "expert mode." While expert mode didn't work properly on for several months, it seems to be back in our tests.Īfter enabling this hidden feature, you'll see how many seats are available in each fare bucket when searching for revenue flights on United.PZ: Upgrades to domestic first class or Polaris business class for PlusPoints (issued to Premier Platinum and 1K members), upgrades using miles and instant upgrades for Premier Platinum members and lower.RN: Upgrades to Premium Plus for all passengers.United uses three different fare classes to denote upgrade inventory, as follows: This is based on United's fare classes, which you can review in this comprehensive guide. Searching for upgrade inventoryīefore you can score a better seat on your next United-operated flight, you must find seats the carrier has designated for upgrades. We'll walk through everything you need to know about upgrade eligibility, priority and more for United Airlines. That said, despite upgrades becoming less common, they are not impossible, and there are several ways for United Airlines passengers to land a better seat. We often recommend booking the seat or hotel room you want with points to avoid being disappointed if an upgrade isn't available.

With increased ticket prices and the same reduced pandemic-era status requirements in 2022, many United Airlines MileagePlus members have recently qualified for Premier status.Īs a result, it's becoming harder to score flight upgrades.
