United MileagePlus (Consolidated) - SFO-Manila, 17 hrs of flight time w/ Domestic Config.

I just flew SFO-MNL via HNL and GUM (over 17 hours of flight time, not including connections) and am truly shocked that United is operating this route with all domestically configured aircraft, particularly the longest 8.5 hr segment from HNL-GUM.

While MNL might not be the highest yield destination in Asia, business travelers still fly it often and the fact that United is using a domestic premium cabin is entirely beyond me. My seatmate was GS and he does this route from IAH, so make that around 19 hours of flight time for him; he was also disappointed that United is using the 777 2 cabin bird for this run.

38" of seat pitch, no footrest and no personal IFE made this trek pretty unpleasant. Can I have my GPU back please?

Why did you take a 2 stop flight on UA when you could take a nonstop from SFO on Philippine Airlines or a 1 stop on Delta with a connection in NRT or a 1 stop on numerous Asian airlines? I don't believe you have any one to blame for your discomfort but yourself :p Business travelers aren't flying UA on that routing as UA has decided not to compete on it. If they can get a few passengers like you that choose them in order to use GPU's that's a bonus. I hope at least you hit the liquor pretty hard on that flight!

There are numerous options to take UA to NRT, HKG or ICN and connect on one of Asian Airlines. Your GPU will only work on United transpac, but it sure beats double connection and domestic F config.

By the way, CX from HKG to Manila is under 2 hours - no big deal to do in Y.

I flew last month from HKG to LAX on the same route (via GUM and HNL) for my holidays. I had great time on these flights much cheaper than the direct ones (good for my mileage plus account also). In addition, they served french champagne in the 2 segments HKG/GUM & GUM/HNL). Next time you should try the SFO-NRT (UA) and NRT-MNL (NH) route.

I have never flown SFO-MNL but do fly MNL-SFO a few times a year. The old UA.COM, gave you the option of taking UA TPAC & NH between MNL-NRT. A o/w D fare was very cheap (compared to most D fares from Asia)
Now that .com does not show the NH flight, I buy it thru Expedia but a UA agent can book it as well

SFO(UA)NRT(NH)GUM - you would save a few hours + have intl C class TPAC (NH's C is not bad at all on the 767 if your buying C )

Seems if they GS ppl flying it, hey why bother changing if ppl will fly it... Don't fly the route and they'll change it.. UA only understands $$$

There are numerous options to take UA to NRT, HKG or ICN and connect on one of Asian Airlines. Your GPU will only work on United transpac, but it sure beats double connection and domestic F config.

By the way, CX from HKG to Manila is under 2 hours - no big deal to do in Y.

And CX in C is not that expensive HKG-MNL. Burn your GPU to get to HKG and enjoy a service/lounge upgrade for the last leg of your flight.

I have never flown SFO-MNL but do fly MNL-SFO a few times a year. The old UA.COM, gave you the option of taking UA TPAC & NH between MNL-NRT. A o/w D fare was very cheap (compared to most D fares from Asia)
Now that .com does not show the NH flight, I buy it thru Expedia but a UA agent can book it as well

It certainly does show it - just tried a search for one-way MNL-SFO on Aug 20th. Partner flights (including NH) are shown below the UA options.

38" of seat pitch, no footrest and no personal IFE made this trek pretty unpleasant. Can I have my GPU back please?

It may come as a shock to you that many travelers - most, in fact - actually make these journeys in coach.

I just flew SFO-MNL via HNL and GUM (over 17 hours of flight time, not including connections) and am truly shocked that United is operating this route with all domestically configured aircraft, particularly the longest 8.5 hr segment from HNL-GUM.

While MNL might not be the highest yield destination in Asia, business travelers still fly it often and the fact that United is using a domestic premium cabin is entirely beyond me. My seatmate was GS and he does this route from IAH, so make that around 19 hours of flight time for him; he was also disappointed that United is using the 777 2 cabin bird for this run.

38" of seat pitch, no footrest and no personal IFE made this trek pretty unpleasant. Can I have my GPU back please?

I agree. I flew the same route in Jan and could not believe how horrible the "first class" experience was from HNL to GUM especially. That's the flight where I learned the meaning of "Ghetto Bird" and, in fact, it was my first introduction to all the horrible experiences that would await us under $mi$ek's UA later in the year. On the CO-operated leg between GUM and MNL, they wouldn't clear my GPU, whereas it did clear on all the UA operated segments, and also on the CO-operated leg, they kept taking away my seat assignment repeatedly and moving me to random locations (sound familiar to anyone?). And we were delayed at MNL for MX while we sat in the plane for hours waiting for a mechanic to drive to the airport from his house. This is precisely why I've had the opinion all along that the problems we're all facing now with this leadership were truly the standard CO way of doing business because on that flight I experienced a sample of almost all of the issues that are now destroying the entire system.

I go to MNL around once per year (paid C) and would never even consider the GUM route. Last flight was on ANA with a very nice seat on their new configuration out of LAX, returning via SFO connecting in NRT. I also did the HKG option with CX in economy a couple times already. Its a short hop and not a big deal.
Not sure why that GS would punish himself rather then going a different option.

I go to MNL around once per year (paid C) and would never even consider the GUM route. Last flight was on ANA with a very nice seat on their new configuration out of LAX, returning via SFO connecting in NRT. I also did the HKG option with CX in economy a couple times already. Its a short hop and not a big deal.
Not sure why that GS would punish himself rather then going a different option.

SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL does appear on the map to be a more direct path than SFO-NRT-MNL, which causes back-tracking. That's why I chose it. And, on UA metal, you can in theory use a GPU the whole way, and if you're shooting for GS, get GS qualifying miles the whole way.

SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL does appear on the map to be a more direct path than SFO-NRT-MNL, which causes back-tracking. That's why I chose it. And, on UA metal, you can in theory use a GPU the whole way, and if you're shooting for GS, get GS qualifying miles the whole way.
I don't disagree with your argument especially if you have to buy Y and hope for an upgrade. The relative lousy F seat is still better then a Y seat.
The total travel times though are about the same even if the actual distance is probably shorter.
But I would assume that a GS is allowed to fly paid C and then I would not touch this flight with a broomstick. Also since he started at IAH he can go direct to NRT and then connect to the ANA flight and save quite some time.
For me I will abandon GS in order to keep my comped EXP and therefore just book ANA for the much nicer seat (and I do like their Japanese meal better).

I don't disagree with your argument especially if you have to buy Y and hope for an upgrade. The relative lousy F seat is still better then a Y seat.
The total travel times though are about the same even if the actual distance is probably shorter.
But I would assume that a GS is allowed to fly paid C and then I would not touch this flight with a broomstick. Also since he started at IAH he can go direct to NRT and then connect to the ANA flight and save quite some time.
For me I will abandon GS in order to keep my comped EXP and therefore just book ANA for the much nicer seat (and I do like their Japanese meal better).

Bottom line: My argument makes sense in theory. Your argument makes sense in reality. I learned that the hard way. ;-)

SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL does appear on the map to be a more direct path than SFO-NRT-MNL, which causes back-tracking. That's why I chose it. And, on UA metal, you can in theory use a GPU the whole way, and if you're shooting for GS, get GS qualifying miles the whole way.

It "looks" shorter on the map, but it's actually a lot longer :

SFO-MNL 6987mi great circle
SFO-NRT-MNL +0.4%
SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL +11.6%

It certainly does show it - just tried a search for one-way MNL-SFO on Aug 20th. Partner flights (including NH) are shown below the UA options.

It won't show it for me (I'm looking the other way (MNL-NRT-SFO) in D class (or any business class fare). Expedia shows it right away.

The GUM-MNL route is not there for Mainland-MNL passengers really, it is mostly targeted at O/D traffic.

The HNL-GUM flight will have the PS C seats in the near future.

Next time, go via NRT or HKG or TPE. If you are adamant with sticking on UA metal all the way, then don't expect nice international style business class seats. They want GUM-MNL traffic, not mainland US to MNL traffic on those flights.

It certainly does show it - just tried a search for one-way MNL-SFO on Aug 20th. Partner flights (including NH) are shown below the UA options.

In my experience, the NH-included routings via NRT do show it but you will get an error message at the final confirmation screen about 75% of the time. I spent over 6 hours across 4 or 5 calls with the Premier (2P) desk trying to book three tickets: DEN/WAS/RDU-IAH-NRT-MNL and MNL-GUM-HNL-SFO/IAD/RDU A huge hassle to book. That said, the 2P desk agents I worked with were excellent.

I'm not excited about the flights on the way back (MNL-GUM-HNL-SFO) but with two friends in Y, an ipad, battery extender, and 2-5-2 seating, I'm considering not shelling out the $550 co-pay to upgrade. I'm also considering waiting until the GUM-HNL flight fills in C (if it ever does) and then doing the upgrade, taking a chance that the longhaul flight won't clear and that my HNL-SFO will clear, essentially for free (if the refund is processed ...). I sure hope the GUM and HNL United Clubs are stocked for my layovers!

It "looks" shorter on the map, but it's actually a lot longer :

SFO-MNL 6987mi great circle
SFO-NRT-MNL +0.4%
SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL +11.6%

Cool. How did you do those calculations? Can you do the same thing for SFO-FRA-DEL vs SFO-EWR-DEL, for example and SFO-LHR vs SFO-IAD-LHR or SFO-DFW-LHR?

In my experience, the NH-included routings via NRT do show it but you will get an error message at the final confirmation screen about 75% of the time. I spent over 6 hours across 4 or 5 calls with the Premier (2P) desk trying to book three tickets: DEN/WAS/RDU-IAH-NRT-MNL and MNL-GUM-HNL-SFO/IAD/RDU A huge hassle to book. That said, the 2P desk agents I worked with were excellent.

I'm not excited about the flights on the way back (MNL-GUM-HNL-SFO) but with two friends in Y, an ipad, battery extender, and 2-5-2 seating, I'm considering not shelling out the $550 co-pay to upgrade. I'm also considering waiting until the GUM-HNL flight fills in C (if it ever does) and then doing the upgrade, taking a chance that the longhaul flight won't clear and that my HNL-SFO will clear, essentially for free (if the refund is processed ...). I sure hope the GUM and HNL United Clubs are stocked for my layovers!

The D fare is very reasonable if starting in MNL (MNL-NRT-SFO-EAST COAST). You can upgrade a D fare using a GPU'S, it's a fully changeable fare and the NH flight in C (D) non stop MNL-NRT is a hell of a lot nicer then UA's MNL-GUM-NRT mess

The D fare is very reasonable if starting in MNL (MNL-NRT-SFO-EAST COAST). You can upgrade a D fare using a GPU'S, it's a fully changeable fare and the NH flight in C (D) non stop MNL-NRT is a hell of a lot nicer then UA's MNL-GUM-NRT mess

Am I missing something when I try to search on united.com with specific fare classes? I almost invariably get the following:

! The class of service entered is not valid. Please enter the class in the format Y, H, K. See the help page for class of service for more information.

Thanks, however, for the "D" tip.

Am I missing something when I try to search on united.com with specific fare classes? I almost invariably get the following:

! The class of service entered is not valid. Please enter the class in the format Y, H, K. See the help page for class of service for more information.

Thanks, however, for the "D" tip.

If you want fares upgradeable with a GPU, enter the string:

y,b,m,e,u,h,q,v,w

in the "Enter specific class of service field" and you'll get the lowest upgradeable fare available. It could be that the specific fare you entered isn't available or isn't defined for that route. The string above covers all bases.

If you want fares upgradeable with a GPU, enter the string:

y,b,m,e,u,h,q,v,w

in the "Enter specific class of service field" and you'll get the lowest upgradeable fare available. It could be that the specific fare you entered isn't available or isn't defined for that route. The string above covers all bases.

Thanks.

Thanks.



Sure. P.S. If you check the "MileagePlus Upgrade Award" box, you'll also see which itineraries have upgrade inventory.

Cool. How did you do those calculations? Can you do the same thing for SFO-FRA-DEL vs SFO-EWR-DEL, for example and SFO-LHR vs SFO-IAD-LHR or SFO-DFW-LHR?

Great Circle Mapper (http://www.gcmap.com/)

Type in the airport codes, just like have above (or copy/paste) and Voila @:-)

It "looks" shorter on the map, but it's actually a lot longer :

SFO-MNL 6987mi great circle
SFO-NRT-MNL +0.4%
SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL +11.6%

I'm flying that way in November for the miles :eek:

EmailKid

Great Circle Mapper (http://www.gcmap.com/)

Type in the airport codes, just like have above (or copy/paste) and Voila @:-)



That's really cool, thanks. I always knew it was best to fly direct to Europe from SFO but this shows exactly how much better that is compared with changing on the east coast.

What happened to the OP?

What happened to the OP?

Stuck in GUM :D

I just flew SFO-MNL via HNL and GUM

I flew last month from HKG to LAX on the same route (via GUM and HNL) for my holidays. ....... In addition, they served french champagne in the 2 segments HKG/GUM & GUM/HNL).

French Champ sounds like a little consolation. How was the catering/food?
Domestic F? Overseas C-style?

back a few weeks, the fare from nyc to mnl via hnl and guam was going for under $1k...great for MR purposes (depending on the profile of MRer)...lots of miles with people with limited time...great turnaround...granted the cpms were not that great.

Cool. How did you do those calculations? Can you do the same thing for SFO-FRA-DEL vs SFO-EWR-DEL, for example and SFO-LHR vs SFO-IAD-LHR or SFO-DFW-LHR?

Go to gcmap.com and plug in any routing you like :) very useful tool

Hi All,

I'm still in MNL now, so I was asleep (if you were wondering where I went!)

Some of the replies have suggested that I take NRT instead, or just fly Philippine Airlines, or that I should enjoy the domestic First product because it's nice. While I appreciate the responses, I think they're unrealistic.

1) Flying via NRT is FAR more expensive, and UA is pricing it intentionally to force you via HNL and GUM, so it's difficult to justify the added expense.

2) Fly Philippine airlines.? We're on FlyerTalk guys- why would I break my loyalty as a UA 1K and fly Philippine Airlines?

3) You get French Champagne. Well, yes- it's a nice touch, but the least they can do for charging International BusinessFirst prices, or taking a GPU. The bubbly doesn't quite make up for the seat.

Hi All,

I'm still in MNL now, so I was asleep (if you were wondering where I went!)

Some of the replies have suggested that I take NRT instead, or just fly Philippine Airlines, or that I should enjoy the domestic First product because it's nice. While I appreciate the responses, I think they're unrealistic.

1) Flying via NRT is FAR more expensive, and UA is pricing it intentionally to force you via HNL and GUM, so it's difficult to justify the added expense.

2) Fly Philippine airlines.? We're on FlyerTalk guys- why would I break my loyalty as a UA 1K and fly Philippine Airlines?

3) You get French Champagne. Well, yes- it's a nice touch, but the least they can do for charging International BusinessFirst prices, or taking a GPU. The bubbly doesn't quite make up for the seat.

If your on Flyertalk, you should know that HNL-GUA is a UA Ghetto Bird. You should've known what seat you were getting before hand. I'm sorry, you didn't do your research. Also, you should know that a 737 from Guam will also have domestic first seats. What really did you expect? You could've flown on UA,NH via NRT and arrived at 9pm. I believe 15 minutes later than what you probably did? I don't want to bash but again you should've know since your on "flyertalk". So sorry, but you get what you pay for!

Hi All,
1) Flying via NRT is FAR more expensive, and UA is pricing it intentionally to force you via HNL and GUM, so it's difficult to justify the added expense.


UA has a cheap product via HNL and GUM, so they price is accordingly. I do not understand what you are complaining about, if you are not prepaid to pay premium for NRT.

By the way, did you check HKG option? It could cheaper than NRT.

If your on Flyertalk, you should know that HNL-GUA is a UA Ghetto Bird. You should've known what seat you were getting before hand. I'm sorry, you didn't do your research. Also, you should know that a 737 from Guam will also have domestic first seats. What really did you expect? You could've flown on UA,NH via NRT and arrived at 9pm. I believe 15 minutes later than what you probably did? I don't want to bash but again you should've know since your on "flyertalk". So sorry, but you get what you pay for!


I had no idea UA was running a ghetto bird from Honolulu (HNL) to Guatemala (GUA)! How cool. Is it a non-stop flight?

:D

I had no idea UA was running a ghetto bird from Honolulu (HNL) to Guatemala (GUA)! How cool. Is it a non-stop flight?

:D

ha.. i always mess that code up!!! ALWAYS! I even once messed up SJC and SJO.....

I had no idea UA was running a ghetto bird from Honolulu (HNL) to Guatemala (GUA)! How cool.

Well, there is a Houston (not HOU, but IAH) ghetto bird to LIM, which is also in Latin America, but it's a 767-300. I've flown the first leg of the SFO-IAH-LIM journey and was happy with my u/g on the 3-4 hour flight, but it's a long way all the way to LIM.

EmailKid

I just flew SFO-MNL via HNL and GUM (over 17 hours of flight time, not including connections) and am truly shocked that United is operating this route with all domestically configured aircraft, particularly the longest 8.5 hr segment from HNL-GUM.

While MNL might not be the highest yield destination in Asia, business travelers still fly it often and the fact that United is using a domestic premium cabin is entirely beyond me.



Some of the replies have suggested that I take NRT instead, or just fly Philippine Airlines, or that I should enjoy the domestic First product because it's nice. While I appreciate the responses, I think they're unrealistic.

1) Flying via NRT is FAR more expensive, and UA is pricing it intentionally to force you via HNL and GUM, so it's difficult to justify the added expense.

2) Fly Philippine airlines.? We're on FlyerTalk guys- why would I break my loyalty as a UA 1K and fly Philippine Airlines?



So, you're shocked that when you pay less, you get less? Really?

Seems pretty obvious why UA would be intentionally pricing a superior product to cost more than an inferior product.

Hi All,

I'm still in MNL now, so I was asleep (if you were wondering where I went!)

Some of the replies have suggested that I take NRT instead, or just fly Philippine Airlines, or that I should enjoy the domestic First product because it's nice. While I appreciate the responses, I think they're unrealistic.

1) Flying via NRT is FAR more expensive, and UA is pricing it intentionally to force you via HNL and GUM, so it's difficult to justify the added expense.

2) Fly Philippine airlines.? We're on FlyerTalk guys- why would I break my loyalty as a UA 1K and fly Philippine Airlines?

3) You get French Champagne. Well, yes- it's a nice touch, but the least they can do for charging International BusinessFirst prices, or taking a GPU. The bubbly doesn't quite make up for the seat.

FYI - I have flown Philippine Airlines and they were awesome in all respects. One of the nicer flights I've ever taken. Not fancy like SQ, but comfortable and really caring service from the heart - I genuinely enjoyed it as distinct from feeling like an enemy combatant on UA flights.

I had no idea UA was running a ghetto bird from Honolulu (HNL) to Guatemala (GUA)! How cool. Is it a non-stop flight?

:D

It is a non-stop flight but it never gets off the ground. 100% cancel rate. This is their model for the future. They've pushed the cancel rate down from 30% to 50% now. Just another 50% to go and they'll all be like that.

If your on Flyertalk, you should know that HNL-GUA is a UA Ghetto Bird. You should've known what seat you were getting before hand. I'm sorry, you didn't do your research. Also, you should know that a 737 from Guam will also have domestic first seats. What really did you expect? You could've flown on UA,NH via NRT and arrived at 9pm. I believe 15 minutes later than what you probably did? I don't want to bash but again you should've know since your on "flyertalk". So sorry, but you get what you pay for!

I did my research in advance, and was well aware of the equipment used. My point here is that United is using this type of product for an incredibly long route, and on an international trans-pacific run.

United is forcing you to use the HNL/GUM connection points by virtue of a lower price over NRT (for all cabins of service by the way). Why would you pay a premium to connect in NRT over that of UA's competitors? If you fly via HNL/GUM, you're paying the same fares as one would on a UA competitor with a superior product.

Clearly you don't understand the argument being made here, but I wouldn't expect you to - unless of course it was you flying that route in domestic F for 17 hours, then you'd likely understand the point being made! :D

So, you're shocked that when you pay less, you get less? Really?

Seems pretty obvious why UA would be intentionally pricing a superior product to cost more than an inferior product.

Come on, you must know by now that price is only a minor determinant of product quality when it comes to air travel.

SFO-NRT-MNL and vv is priced exactly the same as SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL and vv in business class if you pick your dates properly. They are both about $3270 round trip. One has flat bed seats most of the way (and NH recliners the rest) and the other is the ghetto bird domestic F.

Regarding Philippine airlines, the service in the higher classes is great. The seats suck and that is critical to me.

I had no idea UA was running a ghetto bird from Honolulu (HNL) to Guatemala (GUA)! How cool. Is it a non-stop flight?

:D

That's OK - try taking Bangkok Airways to Ko Samui and end up arguing w them when they tell you they have NO non stops to Alaska (USM. UAX, UAM They all look like the same codes to me :D:D

The info is out there. I'd like to fly flat bed F non-stop everywhere I go, but sometimes you don't have a choice. You have to weigh your options and make a choice. If it were me, I'd do it through NRT. There are a bunch of options for NRT>MNL (inluding *A), and it's a short enough flight that that you can always do that bit in Y if price is in over-riding concern.

I did my research in advance, and was well aware of the equipment used. My point here is that United is using this type of product for an incredibly long route, and on an international trans-pacific run.

United is forcing you to use the HNL/GUM connection points by virtue of a lower price over NRT (for all cabins of service by the way). Why would you pay a premium to connect in NRT over that of UA's competitors? If you fly via HNL/GUM, you're paying the same fares as one would on a UA competitor with a superior product.

Clearly you don't understand the argument being made here, but I wouldn't expect you to - unless of course it was you flying that route in domestic F for 17 hours, then you'd likely understand the point being made! :D

No. UA is not "forcing" you to do anything. You chose the cheaper routing which patches together a hodgepodge of flights which are focused on O&D traffic quite willing to fly the domestic F configuration in order to save money over the nicer service via NRT. The latter is priced higher, both because it's true intl. service and because there's greater demand. Thus, your argument that people are "forced" the ghetto two-hop is just plain wrong.

You can also fly part of this same route (the HNL-GUM) piece on a 737 which makes 5 stops along the way (see "Island Hopper").

You traded price for comfort. Apparently a good deal for you, not for the bulk of others who choose NRT.

I did my research in advance, and was well aware of the equipment used. My point here is that United is using this type of product for an incredibly long route, and on an international trans-pacific run.

United is forcing you to use the HNL/GUM connection points by virtue of a lower price over NRT (for all cabins of service by the way). Why would you pay a premium to connect in NRT over that of UA's competitors? If you fly via HNL/GUM, you're paying the same fares as one would on a UA competitor with a superior product.

Clearly you don't understand the argument being made here, but I wouldn't expect you to - unless of course it was you flying that route in domestic F for 17 hours, then you'd likely understand the point being made! :D

But routing thru GUM is a CO-MKE route, it has been like that for ages. PMUA never had this option before, but PMCO think this is a viable option so it is what it is. On the other hand, I have no problem finding Z fare thru NRT departing in couple weeks for $3275 ($30 more than GUM due to tax/fee). So I don't see any premium when routing either way. Must be the SFO-NRT Z bucket was 0 out on the day of your travel. No point buying up D fare since no upgrade possible on GUM route.

Your argument is similar to why bunch of us willing to play W-fare upgrade lottery on UA744. If upgrade didn't clear, we are paying premium stuck in a craptacular seat for 14+ hrs.

Come on, you must know by now that price is only a minor determinant of product quality when it comes to air travel.

SFO-NRT-MNL and vv is priced exactly the same as SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL and vv in business class if you pick your dates properly. They are both about $3270 round trip. One has flat bed seats most of the way (and NH recliners the rest) and the other is the ghetto bird domestic F.

Regarding Philippine airlines, the service in the higher classes is great. The seats suck and that is critical to me.

I flew Philippine airlines last year MNL-HNL in Business and the service was great but I agree about the seats. I think I would rather endure bamboo under my nails than do one of these long flights in a partially reclining seat.

No point buying up D fare since no upgrade possible on GUM route.

Or do you mean you're already in an F seat ;)

If upgrade didn't clear, we are paying premium stuck in a craptacular seat for 14+ hrs.

One advantage of Ca$h and miles u/g - you don't have to shell out the big bucks (and why I remain a lowly Plat :p ). In fact the last four of my TATL were in a 747 exit row :eek:

EmailKid

Clearly you don't understand the argument being made here, but I wouldn't expect you to - unless of course it was you flying that route in domestic F for 17 hours, then you'd likely understand the point being made! :D

I survived SFO-SYD-MEL-SYD-SFO-SYD-MEL-SYD-SFO (~14 hours at SFO in the middle of the trip) in REGULAR Y during the Twitter fare sale. That's 62 hours BIS.
Pardon me for not having much sympathy for your situation. :D

I survived SFO-SYD-MEL-SYD-SFO-SYD-MEL-SYD-SFO (~14 hours at SFO in the middle of the trip) in REGULAR Y during the Twitter fare sale. That's 62 hours BIS.
Pardon me for not having much sympathy for your situation. :D

With all due respect, you choose a non-upgradeable twitter fare. I intentionally purchased an upgradeable fare in order to use a GPU. Different circumstances.

I survived SFO-SYD-MEL-SYD-SFO-SYD-MEL-SYD-SFO (~14 hours at SFO in the middle of the trip) in REGULAR Y during the Twitter fare sale. That's 62 hours BIS.
Pardon me for not having much sympathy for your situation. :D

did you have any time to shower other than the 14 hours at SFO ?? :o:o

i'd definitely would have developed DVT by the 3rd leg

62 hrs in y? Ouch!

With all due respect, you choose a non-upgradeable twitter fare. I intentionally purchased an upgradeable fare in order to use a GPU. Different circumstances.

And you chose an itinerary that only included flights with domestic F.
I honestly don't see why you are complaining about a product that you knew was inferior to other routings.

With all due respect, you choose a non-upgradeable twitter fare. I intentionally purchased an upgradeable fare in order to use a GPU. Different circumstances.

Also, another thing with HNL-GUM, is that they really need the extra capacity, and if they put an international bird on the route they will be grossly under-supplying the market. UA has to balance it out, but the GUM customers [who pays bricks to fly on UA] have been very vocal about the significant product downgrade. I'd bet they were one of the biggest drivers that got UA to reconsider and commit to upgrading the F seats to the PS C seats.

That seems to be the best strategy going forward for UA, give them a similar seat they are accustomed to and maintain the capacity they need to meet the demand for this market.

did you have any time to shower other than the 14 hours at SFO ?? :o:o

i'd definitely would have developed DVT by the 3rd leg

Should have been time in SYD each way.

And you chose an itinerary that only included flights with domestic F.
I honestly don't see why you are complaining about a product that you knew was inferior to other routings.

The fact is, United is taking the hit here. Fellow passengers were complaining and even the purser remarked that it was ridiculous.
Yes, I knew in advance what the product would be, but I think it's a poor reflection on United's "commitment" to improve their on board experience when decisions like this one are made.
My point doesn't seem to resonate with everyone here, and I respect your opinions on the matter. Just wanted to share my thoughts on what I felt to be a poor decision on the part of United.

My point doesn't seem to resonate with everyone here, and I respect your opinions on the matter. Just wanted to share my thoughts on what I felt to be a poor decision on the part of United.

Fair enough :)

I survived SFO-SYD-MEL-SYD-SFO-SYD-MEL-SYD-SFO (~14 hours at SFO in the middle of the trip) in REGULAR Y during the Twitter fare sale. That's 62 hours BIS.
Pardon me for not having much sympathy for your situation. :D

I'm sorry but you must be bloody insane or seriously constipated after that trip :p Sounds like the trip from hell.

The fact is, United is taking the hit here. Fellow passengers were complaining and even the purser remarked that it was ridiculous.
Yes, I knew in advance what the product would be, but I think it's a poor reflection on United's "commitment" to improve their on board experience when decisions like this one are made.
My point doesn't seem to resonate with everyone here, and I respect your opinions on the matter. Just wanted to share my thoughts on what I felt to be a poor decision on the part of United.

I really doubt mgmt. cares. I think the HOU crew were looking at increased cargo capacity of the 777 vice the 764, and the self loading cargo can suffer.

ugh, does sound unpleasant. I generally fly direct to HK and then connect on CX to MNL which I find my more pleasant.

I always thought the old Guam route was was set up for military with connections to MNL and Okinawa. I think it was called Continental Micronesia and was run separately from mainline Continental.

Speaking of routes, it seems to me that the new SFO-TPE route will be a good option as well, since TPE is closer to MNL than NRT.

And you chose an itinerary that only included flights with domestic F.
I honestly don't see why you are complaining about a product that you knew was inferior to other routings.

+1 - I could fly E-145s / CRJs from NYC to SFO if I really wanted to and bash United for it, but that would be silly since that's not how it "should" be done

The most surprising thing to me about this thread is that anyone would choose the HNL and GUM route to get to MNL from SFO. That would never even have occurred to me. If I were keen on flying *A and getting UA miles, I would have chosen NH for the whole trip (SFO-NRT-MNL). Better routing, better seats, better food, and FAR better service from the cabin crews.

Come on, you must know by now that price is only a minor determinant of product quality when it comes to air travel.

SFO-NRT-MNL and vv is priced exactly the same as SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL and vv in business class if you pick your dates properly. They are both about $3270 round trip. One has flat bed seats most of the way (and NH recliners the rest) and the other is the ghetto bird domestic F.


Right. I would think that at slack times with low demand for the SFO-NRT segments and high demand for the SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL route that could cause that- you'd want to fill up the SFO-NRT planes in January, for instance. Of course, we don't always fly at slack times.

But if UA could consistently make more money selling premium seats on a route on a international-config plane, instead of stuffing the plane full of Y pax and cargo, they'd fly a plane with more premium seats that meets the demand to GUM. The fact that that isn't the case to be expected. SFO-HNL and subsequent island-hopping is hardly a premium-heavy market (at a point in time when AS is making a mint flying 738s to all of Hawaii from the West Coast, with an F product that makes a lot of FTers :rolleyes:), and the days of 747s to Hawaii complete with lounges are long past us...

+1 - I could fly E-145s / CRJs from NYC to SFO if I really wanted to and bash United for it, but that would be silly since that's not how it "should" be done

You could also fly CRJs from HNL to GUM and bash United for it. That would also be silly. But, these days, UA gives us so many legitimate reasons to bash them, there's no reason to make up silly reasons.

The most surprising thing to me about this thread is that anyone would choose the HNL and GUM route to get to MNL from SFO. That would never even have occurred to me. If I were keen on flying *A and getting UA miles, I would have chosen NH for the whole trip (SFO-NRT-MNL). Better routing, better seats, better food, and FAR better service from the cabin crews.

No GPU. Remember, not long ago, those used to be worth something.

I'm sorry but you must be bloody insane or seriously constipated after that trip :p Sounds like the trip from hell.

The things we do for 1K :D (I started with no status, and couldn't get the miles from the first trip to post in time to get E+ the second time around)
Of course, being able to sleep in a regular Y seat helped. I did cheat a little the second time around though since I bought a C class upgrade SYD-MEL just so that I could sit on the upper deck and take off looking backwards :)
I wonder what they had said if I had turned around in SYD and cleared immigration twice in two days. Can you say "mule"...

Perhaps the better question to OP is: Given your assertion that there is a market for international premium service on HNL-GUM, which other premium intl. route would you cancel in ordere to supply the aircraft for the route you want?

Put another way, UA (and all carriers) use their aircraft arrayed in a most profitable fashion. UA could pull intl. 777's of the TPAC route and use them between LAX & SFO if it chose, but is that the highest and best use of the aircraft?

The HNL-GUM crowd can complain, but it doesn't appear to cut the pax loads (although we have no idea what the per pax revenues are). On the other hand, the non-O&D traffic such as OP, can choose other routes if they wish.

I think it was called Continental Micronesia and was run separately from mainline Continental.

Believe that was a long, long time ago. CO Mike was pretty much fully integrated into CO well before the merger.

And in reply to another post, IIRC there were quite a few making the down under turn to earn miles / status. Someone hit 1K by March that year :eek:

I was very, very sore about seven or so years ago when CO popped out a $650 IAH-MNL via HNL. Stayed in Phils for four days (including a hop on upper deck of 747 on Phillipine Air to Cebu, first time for me on upper deck :D), but boy, was I hurtin' on the HNL-IAH leg :(

EmailKid

Believe that was a long, long time ago. CO Mike was pretty much fully integrated into CO well before the merger.

Well... CO founded CO Mike in 1968 and both airlines have been closely integrated for many years, but had separate operating certificates, unions, etc. CO Mike was fully integrated into CO on Dec 22, 2010.

CO Mike was fully integrated into CO on Dec 22, 2010.

CO Mike was pretty much fully integrated into CO well before the merger.

OK, before the merger :p

EmailKid

The most surprising thing to me about this thread is that anyone would choose the HNL and GUM route to get to MNL from SFO. That would never even have occurred to me. If I were keen on flying *A and getting UA miles, I would have chosen NH for the whole trip (SFO-NRT-MNL). Better routing, better seats, better food, and FAR better service from the cabin crews.

I've actually flown this in reverse all the way to Newark (MNL-GUM-HNL-SFO-EWR) knowing full well I'd get domestic products on the CPU eligible flights. UA's routing rules to Asia are quite generous about where you can connect.

Not sure why that GS would punish himself rather then going a different option.

Was thinking the same exact thing. I assume the route isn't meant as a long-haul but more for local traffic. Unless of course that route is cheaper.