まだベータ版の運用ですが、ユナイテッド航空アプリの中で少しだけ役に立つ情報が増えました。
起動後に My Trips から、アップグレードをかけてある旅程を呼び出すと…
もうすぐ成田を往復します。往路はアップグレード確定していますが、復路は Waitlisted のままです。
このアップグレード待ちの状況が、今までよりずっと早く見られるようになりました。
最近では東京が最終目的地のPAXは、どうやら成田より羽田を使う傾向があるので、アップグレードでハラハラすることが減ったように思います。でも、１Kで３ミリオン飛んでいてもこんな。魂を売る相手をやっぱり間違えた気がする。
これらのスクショを撮った時の実際の空席はこんなです。
切符買ったけど座席指定してない輩が１～２名いたりするから、実際はこの見た目より空席が少ないです。
でも、Global Services には勝てません。
アテネからの帰り、直前に旅程を変えやがった家族旅行の GS 一家３名に負けました。
儂は予約クラスO（プレミアムエコノミーの正規運賃）で Premium Plus を予約していたのに、エコノミー席の GS ３人に順位を抜かれてアップグレードに失敗した苦い経験があります。
最近パッタリとアテネに行かなくなった理由のひとつが、この時のトラウマチックなアップグレード失敗体験。他にも、アテネのインタコの宿泊料がコロナ禍時代の３倍近くになったり、人権派弁護士のアテネの先生に儂のレイシストぶりがバレて刺さって疎遠になったとかもあるけど。ｗｗｗ
ともあれ、どれだけ正確か判りませんが、アプリ中の機能が増えたのは朗報です。
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ユナイテッド航空の記事ついでに、機内食でちょっち驚いたのを、ひとつ。
いくら到着前の２食目だからって、この選択肢はありえなくない？
・和食体験
ハマチのローストに葉っぱ。豆腐と玉子ロール、ごま御飯、香の物、お吸い物
・ポークカツ
赤味噌ソースをかけたトンカツに御飯と玉子焼、昆布と人参
・野菜カレー
野菜のカレーに御飯
和食を選ぶと、ハマチの切り身を焼いたものに、出汁巻き一切れと米とお吸い物？
ポークカツって…要は味噌カツ丼だよね？下に線キャベツが敷いてあるのがイヤ。
野菜カレーって、野菜は新鮮そうだけど、白い蓮根が見えてるのがすげー不安。
これ、午前９時１５分到着の１時間半前だから…朝８時前からこんなの食わされるわけ？
最近ビジネスクラスのお食事が良くなってきた印象がありましたが、この日はビミョー。
足跡づくり・・・konbuって、英語で通じるの？
ReplyDelete和食ブームなので Kombu は通じます。
Deleteただし、Kombu-cha は違う物、日本で昔流行った『紅茶キノコ』を指します。
精神分析医のオフィスを手伝っていた時、先生に「Kombu-chaを見つけてくれ」と言われ、昆布茶を買っていったら「違～う！！」とメッチャ否定されました。当時は Internet の黎明期だったので色々話を伺ったら、どうやら紅茶キノコが欲しいらしい..．。
そこで、母が培養しまくったけど流行りが廃れ、でも大きなミズクラゲみたいに育ってしまって捨てるに捨てられないミズクラゲ、もとい、紅茶キノコを譲ったら大感謝されました。おかげでセラピストの先生が自宅に両親を呼んで、手料理を振る舞ってくれました。
ちなみに紅茶キノコの紅茶って、単に腐敗した紅茶の味がして、数時間後に激しく下しました♪
This article offers a candid reflection—based on your personal experience—on a subtle improvement in the United Airlines app, blending humor with insights into the behind-the-scenes world of upgrade competition. It’s a piece that aviation enthusiasts will easily relate to.
ReplyDeleteHere are the points that stood out to me:
You praise the new “My Trips” feature in the United app, which now allows travelers to check their upgrade-waitlist status more promptly. In particular, the visibility of PlusPoints upgrade ranking and remaining seat availability is highlighted as a practical enhancement. And since that assessment comes from someone who has, as you wryly put it, “sold even his soul to United (lol),” the credibility is beyond question.
You recall a past experience in which—despite being No. 1 on the upgrade list with nine or more seats still open—you lost out to a GS member. Your tongue-in-cheek remark that you might have “sold your soul to the wrong airline (LOL)” perfectly captures your love-hate relationship with United.
The piece also describes your surprise at the in-flight meal options on a Narita–San Francisco business-class flight. The presence of “miso katsu-don” and “vegetable curry” led you to wonder, with your usual humor, whether such heavy dishes were really what anyone wanted before 8 a.m.
Overall, the article reads like a personal travel blog in which your experiences and emotions come through vividly. Readers can easily find themselves nodding in recognition or discovering new quirks of frequent-flyer life. Starting from a minor app update, the story expands into reflections on the traveler’s bond with airlines and the backstage realities of loyalty programs. For those interested in aviation, travel, or elite-status culture, it’s an engaging, relatable read that shows how even small tech tweaks can shape the traveler’s experience.
Yamada Denki sensei,
DeleteThis earlier disclosure of upgrade waitlist is certainly useful besides accuracy. Recently, If we wish to know it, the possible option was to call 1K Desk and ask representative the current position and available seats at the moment. However, it really depends on the situations such as season, popularity, frequency of route connections, and most importantly, how many 1K’s and GS’s are being expected to request the same flight. As per Sensei described, GS members are the rest of enemies for me. I do need extra 800,000 miles to be 4 million mile flyer so I will achieve lifetime GS hence no significant enemy remains then. Well… the rest of the enemy I expect when I became 4MM will be – my life will be ending. (lol)
Currently this additional feature is still a beta version. For this kind of information requires certain accuracy but I don’t think United gives further precise information, so this beta is “better than nothing.” If I fly often, like SFO-NRT or SFO-FRA, I can guess my chance of upgrades – when it’ll be confirmed or loosing on this flight so I have to rebook. Yes, I sometimes do these days – I change flight(s) if the winning chance is too low. And actually this strategy works well besides spending a little.
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I heard some people enjoy 朝カレー. For me, I can pronounce カレーは飲み物 but this vegetable curry – steamed rice with Japanese style curry cause, topped with fresh cut veggies i.e. carrots, broccoli and lotus roots are totally insane. Miso Katsu Don is completely out of my mind or my culture. If I were born and raised in Nagoya, I would be able to enjoy this bowl but as a Kanto people, this is totally 寄食 and disgusting… I think I only had Miso Katsu once during my 67 years of life.
Let me share my thoughts after reading your reply, though as you know, I’m not very familiar with United Airlines, so this is purely from a layperson’s perspective. The early disclosure of the upgrade waitlist must have been quite inaccurate and not very helpful for heavy United users like yourself in the past. As proof, you mentioned that until recently, the only way to find out your position and seat availability was to call the 1K Desk and ask a representative. Of course, you explained that the outcome depends heavily on factors such as seasonality, route popularity, connection frequency, and most importantly, how many 1K and GS members are expected to request upgrades on the same flight. I can clearly see that the last factor has had the greatest impact on you.
ReplyDeleteHmm… as you said, even if the other factors work in your favor, GS members are your biggest and final rivals. I see—you still need 800,000 miles to become a 4-million-mile flyer, and once you reach that milestone, you’ll earn lifetime GS status and no longer have any major enemies. I understand that the only remaining “enemy” when you become 4MM will be the end of life itself… and as someone your age, I feel the same way (lol).
I’m truly impressed to learn that you can predict your upgrade chances on your frequently flown routes, and even decide to rebook or change flights if the odds are low. As someone who isn’t a seasoned traveler, I find that remarkable. And the fact that your strategy works well with only minimal extra cost is equally impressive.
As for me, I don’t usually enjoy curry in the morning, but if I were staying at a hotel and had a breakfast buffet coupon, and curry happened to be on the buffet table, I’d happily eat it. Most Japanese people love curry and ramen, and I’m no exception. Also, if I were flying United’s business class and vegetable curry was on the breakfast menu, I’d probably choose it—even if it were just curry soup. Vegetable curry sounds great, but if I may make a small request, I’d love for it to include just a bit of beef.
I don’t eat miso katsu don very often either, but here in Okayama, we have a beloved local specialty called “Okayama Demi-Katsu Don.” It features crispy pork cutlet topped with a rich demi-glace sauce, and each restaurant has its own unique flavor. There are several places near Okayama Station, so I hope you’ll give it a try on your next visit to Okayama.
Apologies as always for the off-topic comment.
ReplyDeleteTwo bottles of “Organic Shochu Kame-Shizuku Kō 20% 1.8L,” bearing a ceremonial noshi label reading “Year-End Gift – From a ご存じ” have just arrived at our clinic. This is the limited-edition premium sweet potato shochu crafted by Kyoya Distillery, known for its rich and mellow flavor derived from organically grown ingredients. It comes in a specially designed, weighty ceramic vessel with a ladle—and when I casually checked the price online… I was stunned. It’s clearly a top-tier gift item, but we, just the two of us, are honestly unsure whether we’re worthy of receiving something so extravagant.
It appears to be a seasonal and limited-quantity release. The container is a luxurious custom-made jar adorned with gold thread, sealed with a cork for better preservation, and accompanied by a ladle made from Kyushu-grown wood and bamboo. The packaging, too, gleams in gold, exuding elegance.
We will gratefully accept it and look forward to savoring its rich aroma typical of sweet potato shochu, the deep umami imparted by black koji, the smooth mouthfeel from the large ceramic fermentation jar, and the natural sweetness and lingering finish unique to organic ingredients.
Given its rarity and popularity among collectors, we’re tempted to keep it unopened—but we’ll reserve it for a special occasion.
Once again, thank you so much!
こんにちは！
ReplyDelete私もさっそくこの機能で、自分のWaiting状況を調べてみました。
成田行きのエコノミーからプレミアムプラスへのアップグレードは
待ち順位１番、空席は4席以上だったので、おそらく大丈夫かなぁと思っていますが
帰りの羽田からのフライトは11番目で3席しか残ってないので、
せっかくPlus Point使っていただいたのにダメですね・・・ごめんなさい。