Award Frustration
Dec 17, 2012, 9:06 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: NYC
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Posts: 3,123
Award Frustration
I have been pricing a US-Asia-Africa-US award redemption and get reasonable choices in J (including Singapore Airlines) when building it as three one-ways. However, when I try to put it together as a multi-destination trip, I get completely different options (and very poor ones, at that).
Question is...if I call in, will an agent be able to piece together the exact flights I'm seeing as one-ways and get it at the free stopover rate (120K total)? This is very frustrating.
Question is...if I call in, will an agent be able to piece together the exact flights I'm seeing as one-ways and get it at the free stopover rate (120K total)? This is very frustrating.
Dec 17, 2012, 9:11 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: IAH / HOU
Programs: UA GS, DL-Plat, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Hyatt Somethingist, Marriott Titanium Lifetime
Posts: 2,853
I have been pricing a US-Asia-Africa-US award redemption and get reasonable choices in J (including Singapore Airlines) when building it as three one-ways. However, when I try to put it together as a multi-destination trip, I get completely different options (and very poor ones, at that).
Question is...if I call in, will an agent be able to piece together the exact flights I'm seeing as one-ways and get it at the free stopover rate (120K total)? This is very frustrating.
Question is...if I call in, will an agent be able to piece together the exact flights I'm seeing as one-ways and get it at the free stopover rate (120K total)? This is very frustrating.
Sometimes you can get the website to find different options by changing various criteria, such as entering an exact departure time vs leaving it open for anytime.
Dec 17, 2012, 9:13 pm
#3
Moderator: United Airlines
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Dec 17, 2012, 9:59 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
Programs: UA Gold, MM, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 85
Sometimes you can get your desired option to show up by changing the "number of flights to display" in the multiple destinations window from default to "50".
Dec 17, 2012, 10:05 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Seal Beach, CA, USA
Programs: UA GM
Posts: 471
The agent can piece it together and also waive the phone fee.
Dec 17, 2012, 10:10 pm
#7
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
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Dec 17, 2012, 10:11 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,393
Dec 18, 2012, 4:02 am
#9
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Dec 18, 2012, 7:44 am
#10
Join Date: Nov 2011
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Dec 18, 2012, 1:03 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: NYC
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Thanks for all the tips. I tinkered with display options, times, etc. and no love from UA. The first leg is available (EWR-HKG) as a one-way, but the multi-segment trip won't show it. Displays standard awards via LHR and other places.
Guess I'll be writing everything down and calling. Thankfully, no phone fee for me, but it's still annoying having to call in this day and age.
Guess I'll be writing everything down and calling. Thankfully, no phone fee for me, but it's still annoying having to call in this day and age.
Dec 18, 2012, 1:07 pm
#12
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bad advice - a complicated itinerary is more likely to get rejected by an agent, claiming all kinds of things wrong with it.
You need to book the framework online, have it price and ticket, and call in to change flights, just say the website wasnt giving you these options.
You need to book the framework online, have it price and ticket, and call in to change flights, just say the website wasnt giving you these options.
Dec 18, 2012, 2:40 pm
#13
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Couple months ago, I have booked 2 award reservation, with stopover, flight by flight with the help of an agent. No problem at all.
Dec 18, 2012, 2:42 pm
#14
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IME, its much better to change an existing itinerary than to try to build a new one from scratch with an agent.