MTJTraveller

I'm hoping this is the right forum for this question:

I purchased UAL RT tix DFW-HNL at a really nice fare a while back for late January 2015. My home airport is GJT so I have begun looking for tickets from my regional airport to Dallas. Prices have been between $325-$450 RT pp. I was recently given the use of miles to use on this trip and finally I have found 12,500 pp award tix for days that work with my existing tickets, putting me in DFW at 8pm for a next day 6am flight to HNL.

My question is:
Flying with two different tickets, same airline, if my first flight was by chance cancelled would I have some hopes they would work at getting me to Dallas for my 6am flight the next morning? Does it really matter that I'm with the same airline or not? The flight into Dallas arrives at 8pm from Denver...winter can be an issue. I would jump on an earlier flight if one was available for miles. Should I just book the return flights and check like mad that award tix open up on an earlier flight (on a Saturday)? Absolutely no status. Zilch.

Helpful suggestions?

Lesson learned:I don't think I'll buy tickets again unless it's from my home airport. This is a bit stressful.

mahasamatman

Airlines will generally try to work with you to get you to your destination even across tickets. However, note that they have no obligation across tickets, so more than at any other time, your attitude can mean the difference between getting where you want to go in a reasonable time and going home.

MTJTraveller

When you say across tickets that means it's different than if you bought one ticket from home airport all the way thru to your final destination?

I know about the attitude thing. I am always courteous. I was just hoping I'd be hedging my bet by having two tickets with the same airline rather than different airlines.

If by chance I was unable to get out on that Saturday for the Sunday HNL flight would I be able to do a change of the connecting flight with a change fee? Probably not that simple, huh?

Often1

You are on the last flight connection GJT-DEN-DFW, so there is no workaround, especially the case with other carriers because you are on award tickets.

But, the real question is, why are you flying GJT-DEN-DFW in order to catch UA flights on to HNL, all of which connect back through IAH, DEN or LAX? Just strikes me as a long way around an inviting IRROPS somewhere.

mahasamatman

Yes.

Reducing variables is always a good idea.

It's hard to say. So much is up to the gate agent.

MTJTraveller

I hadn't realized it would be the last flight. That certainly makes me hesitate. Ug. I bought the tickets DWF-SFO-HNL-IAH-DFW for $400 each. I was remembering that tickets from my small regional airport to HNL run around $900 and figured I could get the connecting flights under $500 for sure. I don't think I was thinking right.

So now I sit with tickets to HNL and I'm struggling trying to get to DFW. I'm certainly used to flying cirticulously out of GJT especially when on award tickets so that wasn't such a bother to me.

Brother, I feel like I'm digging myself in a hole just trying to get my husband and I a nice get away.

Baze

Can you get yourself to Salt Lake City somehow? 4.5 hour drive (but in winter who knows) then you could fly to DFW from there on maybe Delta. Or fly from Grand Junction to Salt Lake City to DFW?

What fare class are the tickets you have? are they refundable? Changeable? May have to eat some change fees or pay to get to DFW somehow.

MTJTraveller

Fare class is X.

I finally made a decision to take the flight after work on Fri Jan 30. We arrive late DFW but that gives us an extra day in DFW on Saturday to visit with friends or deal with IRROPS. We fly to HNL on Sunday Feb 1st.

I sure learned a lesson thru this. Flying from a regional airport makes it difficult to find those "great fares". It's worth the extra $$ to make it easier on myself with routing, I'm sure this will be a great trip, I'd just rather spend the extra time on the beach than in various airports.

Thanks all for being patient with me.

zombietooth

If there are any significant schedule changes, you might be able to tighten-up your transit time, since UA will generally rebook you on other flights (even on other days or at more desirable times) without charge if you call in and tell them that the schedule change will cause you a problem.

hughw

It's not so much that it's "across tickets", but that they're on separate PNRs. If they were on the same PNR, the airline has an obligation to get you where you're going even when there is a misconnect. Sometimes this isn't so easy if alternate flights are full, but at least you have a guarantee that you'll get where you want to go even if the airlines are different.

I'm not sure what you characterized as a "really nice fare" but I can see that you can GJT-DEN-HNL for around $800 RT. Perhaps it makes sense to suck it up and pay the change fee and just book the whole trip on one PNR. Of course, if you booked the original trip as two separate one ways, the change fee would double and would probably not be worth it; a good reason to book RT when you can.

Often1

It's the "tickets" not PNR which counts. It is unusual, but possible for one passenger to hold two tickets on one PNR, but that would not obligate either the originating or delivering carrier to reroute in IRROPS.

OP's problem here is simple. As originally booked, he was on the last flight out to DFW and the first flight out to HNL. No real opportunity for a reroute without losing at least a day of his vacation.