<<You just need to get your upgrade sponsor to the airport and sign a document and get a copy of it. Right???..

Thanks mrw for all your help -- I am completely mystified for this part. On a trip to Hawaii a year ago the same friend upgraded me and the upgrade went through at the airport, no mention of certificates/coupons, etc. Is this a new policy? I couldn't discern that from the flyertalk link.

It won't be a problem -- my friend will be going to Hawaii in the next couple of weeks (staying at our condo, which is partly why he is so generous with the upgrades :)) -- and thus will be at the airport. But I will ask him what he knows about all this.

there is quite a bit of recent anecdotal evidence that UA is now requiring the sponsor to have signed a "bluey" sponsor form and that they will try to call the sponsor if the U/G doesn't clear till the airport.

Thanks mztery -- I emailed my friend; he thinks most of it is handled on line now but will check when he heads to Honolulu this weekend. Will report back.

I don't know how old that info at ft is but I think they keep it up to date. It is worth verifying with UA if anything else needs to be done. Your itin info above certainly looks right.

I tried to use a SWU for my brother but he didn't get the upgrade. This was for PIT-ORD and I new it would expire otherwise. This was 1 to 3 years ago. When I called, after the fact, I think they told me that I had to come to the airport or something.

One thing (maybe) different between the sponsored upgrade that cleared for your domestic flight is that it could have been a CR1 and not a SWU. I don't know if/why that would make a difference, tho.

Thanks again; my pal is checking on this for me since he is flying tomorrow, to see if he needs to do anything. He also checked the space available on my flights; the FCO-IAD segment has 20 spaces in business; the domestic legs have 12 and 13 spaces in First respectively. He thought that looked pretty good. He and his mom are flying over a few days after I do, and they don't have their upgrades yet either. Of course if they use the passenger's status and not the sponsor's, he may well get his and I will not. Fingers crossed!

So the update: I did keep the Business Class O'Hare-Rome (nice lie-flat bed on a 777).

I did not get upgraded for the SFO-O'Hare segment as predicted.

For the return trip, I had to come back early due to a family emergency, so I booked with miles a First Class ticket from Rome to IAD and then had E+ from IAD-SFO, for 67,000 or so miles.

I had bought trip insurance through United and should be getting a refund for the unused segment from Rome-IAD (that still had not upgraded).

Thanks all.