Last edit by: WineCountryUA
The way of the Dodo? - 1K upgrades, PP or CPU
#76
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NYC, FLL
Programs: UA PP 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy LTTE, BA Gold
Posts: 6,676
Comparing an $1800 domestic leisure flight to a near-essential smart phone, whose cost you can pay over time, is flawed.
#77
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 5,187
I don't have one and don't use a smart phone for business communication and my business is booming. "Near-essential" is pure hyperbole. It's a luxury item-you can get a $200- smartphone that does 80-90% of what an iPhone does.
#78
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 57,932
Excepting routes that still have limited demand due to covid restrictions, they've never been so difficult to use before for long haul international. Mostly because UA now as a matter of unpublished policy only rarely opens space in advance and in most instances only clears them inside T-24.
#79
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NYC, FLL
Programs: UA PP 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy LTTE, BA Gold
Posts: 6,676
And the majority of people don't spend $1800 EWR-LAX. I stand by that.
Excepting routes that still have limited demand due to covid restrictions, they've never been so difficult to use before for long haul international. Mostly because UA now as a matter of unpublished policy only rarely opens space in advance and in most instances only clears them inside T-24.
#80
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,161
Well could be. I have been watching since the beginning of the year a few dates for a TATL for the first week of June (first international business trip since COVID), and though the price has gone up from $4k to $6k, I have not once seen any PZ on direct or connections. Yet a month out, business class is generally only about 1/3 full. I already have good flights on AF/KLM saver awards, but plan to watch UA and see if they are releasing PZ at the end.
#81
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: PIT
Programs: OZ Diamond, UA Gold
Posts: 10,449
Excepting routes that still have limited demand due to covid restrictions, they've never been so difficult to use before for long haul international. Mostly because UA now as a matter of unpublished policy only rarely opens space in advance and in most instances only clears them inside T-24.
#82
Flyertalk Evangelist, Moderator: United Airlines MlleagePlus
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,966
Especially considering leisure travel which is usually not extremely frequent... I'm not going to dig up exact recent figures, but the top 0.01% of households each earn about $10 million a year. That would be like a $10 ticket for the median family.
Then top 1% was around $500k in 2021 and with a $200k income you missed being the in the top 10% by a hair.
We could get into a long digression about what is responsible to spend on a vacation as a fraction of household income, but I would posit that certainly a few percent of households could easily afford that flight, and perhaps more than 10% could certainly manage it if they desired.
Perhaps the broader thesis of the thread is exactly that - people are finally coming to the realization you don't need to have private-jet levels of wealth to be comfortable on a commercial aircraft.
#83
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,448
#84
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: LAX
Programs: UA
Posts: 1,782
$1800 for LA to East Coast in First actually seems cheap to me given current prices; I just paid $1100 for a multi-city LAX-PHL,BOS-LAX in June and got an upgrade offer for all 4 segments for a total of $800.
#85
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 11,141
$1,800 roundtrip is a pass for me; one-way? Not a chance.
I am sitting on an AS transcon flight now I bought for under $200 roundtrip; comp upgraded to F both ways at the 75K window - G fare (lowest non-BE fare bucket). JFK to SFO did leave with 30 people on the UG list, one person cleared at the gate.
Food was actually edible in comparison to the crap UA serves.
I am sitting on an AS transcon flight now I bought for under $200 roundtrip; comp upgraded to F both ways at the 75K window - G fare (lowest non-BE fare bucket). JFK to SFO did leave with 30 people on the UG list, one person cleared at the gate.
Food was actually edible in comparison to the crap UA serves.
#86
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 57,932
And that's a historically low fare. While it's still possible to fly J on the premium t-cons for under $1500 RT, those fares are getting harder and harder to find, as the airlines push back towards the $3200 base fare that was the norm before B6 introduced Mint and blew up the market.
11 years consecutive experience as 1K during which I've upgraded dozens of long-haul lights and advised many others in this forum on how to use their GPU/PP. I've been unable to use PP for long-haul since early 2020. Based at SFO/PHX, IAD-BRU does nothing for me.
11 years consecutive experience as 1K during which I've upgraded dozens of long-haul lights and advised many others in this forum on how to use their GPU/PP. I've been unable to use PP for long-haul since early 2020. Based at SFO/PHX, IAD-BRU does nothing for me.
#87
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 5,187
$1,800 roundtrip is a pass for me; one-way? Not a chance.
I am sitting on an AS transcon flight now I bought for under $200 roundtrip; comp upgraded to F both ways at the 75K window - G fare (lowest non-BE fare bucket). JFK to SFO did leave with 30 people on the UG list, one person cleared at the gate.
Food was actually edible in comparison to the crap UA serves.
I am sitting on an AS transcon flight now I bought for under $200 roundtrip; comp upgraded to F both ways at the 75K window - G fare (lowest non-BE fare bucket). JFK to SFO did leave with 30 people on the UG list, one person cleared at the gate.
Food was actually edible in comparison to the crap UA serves.
#88
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 61,103
Here's a perfect example.
PHX-SFO next Monday. Upgrade list just became visible. 1K, W fare, PlusPoints applied, and I'm 5/33, with 3 F seats available. UA wants $140 for the upgrade (on top of a $202 fare).
So I bought a Y ticket for $138 on an AA flight departing 90 minutes later. EXP complimentary upgrade cleared about 15 minutes post-purchase.
PHX-SFO next Monday. Upgrade list just became visible. 1K, W fare, PlusPoints applied, and I'm 5/33, with 3 F seats available. UA wants $140 for the upgrade (on top of a $202 fare).
So I bought a Y ticket for $138 on an AA flight departing 90 minutes later. EXP complimentary upgrade cleared about 15 minutes post-purchase.
#89
Flyertalk Evangelist, Moderator: United Airlines MlleagePlus
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,966
And that's a historically low fare. While it's still possible to fly J on the premium t-cons for under $1500 RT, those fares are getting harder and harder to find, as the airlines push back towards the $3200 base fare that was the norm before B6 introduced Mint and blew up the market.
#90
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 57,932
2. AA is more generous with upgrades than UA, demonstrated by their upgrading an EXP 15 minutes post-purchase, whereas UA makes everyone wait until inside T-24.