Why the United Airbus fleet offers easy first-class upgrades
United’s been very busy upgrading its long-haul aircraft with Polaris pods and Premium Plus seats. At the current pace, the airline, on average, is adding or retrofitting one aircraft with these cabins every ten days.
But this fleet renewal project isn’t limited to wide-body planes. The domestic workhorses are also seeing improvements. Late last year, UA introduced the passenger-friendly CRJ550. It’s also been refreshing the cabins of the Boeing 757 with some of the best economy seats in the airline’s fleet.
As one of my favorite narrow-bodies, I often find myself flying the United Airbus A320 family. And these planes are in the process of getting an elite-flier friendly upgrade that makes scoring an upgrade easier.
In line with United’s focus on premium passengers, the A319 is losing a row of Economy Plus seats in favor of another row of first class.
The old A319s have just eight seats up front, which make scoring an upgrade really hard. In fact, I haven’t once cleared an upgrade on one of these A319s this year.
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Fortunately, the refreshed A319s have 12 seats up front, which adds 33% more capacity to the cabin. But here’s the kicker: since only some of the A319s have been reconfigured, United hasn’t actually started selling the four additional seats. Instead, the airline is blocking them to avoid downgrading passengers in case of a last-minute equipment swap. (United's doing a similar thing with its retrofitted Boeing 787-8s)
Typically, those extra four first-class seats aren’t released until the gate agent working a given flight confirms that the premium-heavy A319 is actually operating it. That means that you’re basically guaranteed an upgrade if you’re one of the top four people on the upgrade list.
That’s exactly what happened to me when flying from Chicago to New York-LaGuardia. I was number two on the upgrade list with seven first-class passengers booked on the flight.
Related: How to upgrade United flights
Had the flight been operated by one of the old A319s, I would’ve missed the upgrade. Fortunately, a quick check of the seat map confirmed that I was scheduled to fly a refreshed bird, almost guaranteeing my upgrade.
Lo and behold, my upgrade cleared just 20 minutes before boarding.
Be sure to pay attention to the aircraft operating your flight if you’re looking to fly the A319. At the moment, United has reconfigured most of its A319s with 12 first-class seats, so your odds of scoring a free upgrade are quite high. However, UA assign a given aircraft to a specific route only about two days in advance, so there's no good way to predict which route will get which aircraft.
United's also making a similar upgrade to its almost 100 Airbus A320s. Though it hasn't yet started the reconfiguration, I'd expect the same to happen when those planes go from 12 to 16 first-class seats.
All in all, this is great news for top-tier elites — until United stops blocking the four extra first seats. Then, these frequent fliers will be competing for fewer Economy Plus seats.
But in the meantime, the United Airbus A319 is one of the best planes for easy upgrades. With the addition of four first-class seats that United isn’t selling yet, this is the short-haul plane that elite flyers should be seeking out.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.