| Upgrade availability |
Upgrade seats are allocated based on demand for paid premium fares and may not always be available. In general, many first or business class bookings do not occur until a week or two before departure, so upgrade seats may not be available until closer to your flight date. Upgrades may only be requested once your ticket has been issued. |
| Upgrade clearance times and waitlists |
Upgrades will be confirmed if seats are available at time of request, otherwise, you will be placed on a waitlist. You can check the status of your request in
My Reservations.
If upgrade seats become available, the waitlist will be processed based on your elite status, ticketed booking class and time of request, in that order. If your upgrade request has not cleared by the time you check in, you will be placed on the Upgrade List when you check-in. Available premium seats will be allocated at the gate according to your Mileage Plus status and booking class. |
| How to earn |
1K® members earn two Regional Upgrades per 10,000 qualifying flown miles on United and United Express per quarter, up to a maximum of eight upgrades per calendar year. |
| Expiration dates |
Regional Upgrades expire on the last day of the calendar month, 12 months after deposit into your upgrades bank. Flights upgraded using a Regional Upgrade must be flown on/before the expiration date of the upgrade. |
| Valid carrier |
Flights marketed and operated by United and United Express.
For flights operated by United but marketed by another airline, upgrades are permitted on a standby basis at the airport only, subject to availability. |
| Valid travel regions |
Within Region 1
(United States, Canada, Caribbean, Central America and Mexico) |
| Upgrades required |
• One Regional Upgrade may be used to upgrade one passenger on a nonstop
or connecting itinerary, up to the point of stopover.
• Additional upgrades are required for itineraries with stopovers.
• If a Regional Upgrade is used or confirmed on only a portion of a multiple
segment connecting itinerary, one upgrade will still be required and no refund
of the upgrade is permitted. |
Upgradeable
booking classes |
• United Business (C,D,J)
• United Economy (Y,B,M,E,H,U,Q,V,W,S,T,K,L,G) |
| Upgrade service classes |
• United Economy to United First (on 2-cabin aircraft) *
• United Economy to United Business (on 3-cabin aircraft)
• United Business to United First (on 3-cabin aircraft)
* Double upgrades from United Economy to United First are not permitted on 3-cabin aircraft |
| Non-upgradeable booking classes and tickets |
• Booking class Z
• Award tickets (booking classes XY, NY, XC for Saver awards and booking
classes Y and C for Standard awards)
• Tickets already upgraded to United Business (booking class NC)
• Tickets purchased through Priceline and Hotwire, where the airline is not
disclosed until after payment |
Sponsoring upgrade for another traveler/
transferability |
Regional Upgrades can be applied to another traveler’s reservation, whether they are traveling together with the sponsor, or separately.
Visit Sponsor Upgrade and log-in using your Mileage Plus number or e-mail address. Enter the traveler’s last name and six-character record locator or confirmation code. |
| Mileage accrual |
Miles earned will be based on the originally ticketed class of service, not the upgraded class of service. |
