Air travel can be a hassle, but if you're sitting in a premium cabin, it's much more comfortable and enjoyable. Upgrades to business or first class are particularly coveted on lengthy international flights, on which business- and first-class tickets can sell for thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. There are two primary ways to upgrade an international ticket on United Airlines: using frequent-flier miles or Systemwide Upgrades.
Use United frequent-flier miles to upgrade your ticket. Starting Jan. 12, 2010, United is allowing passengers to upgrade international flights in almost any fare class using miles for an additional fee. The number of miles (up to 30,000 one way) and the fee ($250 to $500) depend on the fare class. You can use mileage upgrades on international flights in the Y, B, C, D, Z, M, E, U, H, Q, V, W, S, T, K and L fare classes. Award tickets, certain consolidator fares and tickets purchased from sites such as Hotwire may not be eligible.
To book an eligible fare class, go to United's website; under "More Options," go to "I would like to use this upgrade" and select the type of upgrade you need. You can also call the airline at 1-800-538-2929 and tell the agent you'd like to book an upgradeable fare, but you will be charged a fee for booking with a live agent.
Take advantage of your United 1K benefits. If you have United 1K status or know someone who does, you may use a Systemwide Upgrade to upgrade your international flight. Systemwide Upgrades can be used on many fare classes without co-pays. United Airlines gives each of its 1K elite members (those who fly at least 100,000 miles per calendar year) six electronic Systemwide Upgrades each year, and they can earn more through additional flights. United 1K members can also give their upgrades to friends and family members (called "sponsoring").
You can confirm Systemwide Upgrades when you book your ticket if there is space available. If there is no space available at the time of booking, these upgrades clear as early as 100 hours before departure according to the flier's elite status. You can use Systemwide Upgrades on C, D, J, Y, B, M, E, H, U, Q, V and W fares. Systemwide Upgrades cannot be used on award tickets. To book an eligible fare class, go to the website or call the airline at 1-800-538-2929. To upgrade yourself or sponsor an upgrade for someone else, log into your Mileage Plus account online or call the airline.
Use a United Sales Upgrade. If you are traveling on business and your company has a corporate account with United Airlines, you may be able to upgrade your flight using an electronic Sales Upgrade. Contact your corporate travel manager for details and availability.
Pay with cash at check-in. United Airlines may offer you the chance to upgrade for cash at check-in or at the gate. The availability of cash upgrades is extremely unpredictable; the price depends on the day and the route (for example, upgrades on flights between the United States and Australia will cost more than those on flights between the United States and Europe). If you want to ensure an upgrade, use miles or Systemwide Upgrades, which allow you to confirm an upgrade in advance. Cash upgrade prices are not advertised, but expect to pay hundreds of dollars.
Rely on luck for an operational upgrade. Operational upgrades are extremely rare, but they do happen. If the economy cabin is overbooked, United will sometimes move elite passengers or those in higher fare classes up to the next class of service to make room. Non-elite fliers on discounted fares hardly ever receive such upgrades, and asking about them at the gate will almost never yield results.
