Dec 15, 2014, 1:31 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Exception policy
Los Cabos, Mexico Recovery
Airports:
Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD)
Original Travel Dates: October 11, 2014 – December 20, 2014
Changing to earlier or later flights is allowed.
Final Travel must be completed by: End of Validity of ticket (one year from date of issue)
Flight Changes:
When rescheduling travel to/from Los Cabos or changing to another United destination: Travel may be rescheduled with the change fee waived, but a difference in fare may apply.
Airports:
Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD)
Original Travel Dates: October 11, 2014 – December 20, 2014
Changing to earlier or later flights is allowed.
Final Travel must be completed by: End of Validity of ticket (one year from date of issue)
Flight Changes:
When rescheduling travel to/from Los Cabos or changing to another United destination: Travel may be rescheduled with the change fee waived, but a difference in fare may apply.
United cancels flight two months in advance
Oct 23, 2014, 2:31 pm
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 24
Bunch of options to get you there on the 16th. Can your buddy run you to the airport on the afternoon of the 15th?
Nice easy one-stop through IAH.... If UA won't spring for an IAH hotel, you could probably Priceline a cheap one easily enough.
Seriously, you should be able to keep this one on UA if you want to. UA's software likely wants to auto-rebook you later, but a phone call should generate a free rebooking to the next logical itin earlier, which takes off the afternoon of the 15th (to IAH). Plenty o' seats available...
Or, if you really want to fly entirely on the 16th, you could refund UA and fly for $330 on Aeromexico. (Question for experts here: would United leave his return intact and refund an appropriate amount of fare to allow him to rebook elsewhere?)
Nice easy one-stop through IAH.... If UA won't spring for an IAH hotel, you could probably Priceline a cheap one easily enough.
Seriously, you should be able to keep this one on UA if you want to. UA's software likely wants to auto-rebook you later, but a phone call should generate a free rebooking to the next logical itin earlier, which takes off the afternoon of the 15th (to IAH). Plenty o' seats available...
Or, if you really want to fly entirely on the 16th, you could refund UA and fly for $330 on Aeromexico. (Question for experts here: would United leave his return intact and refund an appropriate amount of fare to allow him to rebook elsewhere?)
Oct 23, 2014, 2:40 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,901
I paid $711 RT. It dropped to $691 or so two days later but then shot up in price and now is obviously no longer available due to the DEN-SJD leg cancellation. There are options on United that still get me there on the 16th as I said, but they include overnight layovers. WineCountry, if United won't reimburse for a hotel but will throw some miles my way then I would be happy with that.
I think I can change my schedule around on the 15th so that I can take the 1:41pm flight from SJU to IAD, getting in at 4:42pm. I could then take a flight from IAD to SJD at 8:54am the next morning.
How many miles should I ask for? I'm not greedy, I would just like to have as many as I need to cover the hotel costs+shuttle tip. A refundable room rate at a hotel near the airport is about $75 including taxes on Kayak (did not think about Priceline), and $10 in shuttle tips is $85. According to Google, United miles are worth about 1.8-2 cents per mile, so let's call it 1.9 cents. Is this right? If so, then I should ask United for 4500 miles. Do I have any leverage here at all? I mean apparently I have the right to a full refund, so is it worth it to United to give me ~5k miles to avoid losing my fare? I guess I will find out...
I think I can change my schedule around on the 15th so that I can take the 1:41pm flight from SJU to IAD, getting in at 4:42pm. I could then take a flight from IAD to SJD at 8:54am the next morning.
How many miles should I ask for? I'm not greedy, I would just like to have as many as I need to cover the hotel costs+shuttle tip. A refundable room rate at a hotel near the airport is about $75 including taxes on Kayak (did not think about Priceline), and $10 in shuttle tips is $85. According to Google, United miles are worth about 1.8-2 cents per mile, so let's call it 1.9 cents. Is this right? If so, then I should ask United for 4500 miles. Do I have any leverage here at all? I mean apparently I have the right to a full refund, so is it worth it to United to give me ~5k miles to avoid losing my fare? I guess I will find out...
Please give us your return date - round trip prices vary greatly from day to day. There are a bunch of people here who are really good at coming up with options, but without a return date we can't price anything out.
Oct 23, 2014, 2:47 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 24
I bought this RT itinerary as I said to avoid having to pay for hotel rooms, because I can sleep on planes. Other airlines that I saw such as American, their most reasonably priced itineraries include overnight stopovers. I do have some miles with American but I'd now have to use 45k miles (17.5k going and 27.5k returning plus hotel room cost) if I want to go that route. It was 35k miles before but the United price was a slightly better deal.
Oct 23, 2014, 2:47 pm
#19
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,570
Honestly, I think UA is just going to rebook you: not give you extra miles. You can try, but don't be surprised to get a form letter and no miles.
However, to United's credit, I've had several occasions where I've phoned their web support desk after a schedule change (even reasonably minor ones) and been rebooked to a much better itin than I had originally bought. You had this crazy 2-stop thing through Jersey to get to Cabo. Now you can dump that, go one-stop through IAH, and get into Cabo a few hours earlier than you'd planned. In December when snowstorms are possible, I'd much rather be in a hotel bed in Texas than a redeye flight to the delay-prone NYC area.
Surely somewhere on Flyertalk is a "What do I do with one night in Houston?" thread.
However, to United's credit, I've had several occasions where I've phoned their web support desk after a schedule change (even reasonably minor ones) and been rebooked to a much better itin than I had originally bought. You had this crazy 2-stop thing through Jersey to get to Cabo. Now you can dump that, go one-stop through IAH, and get into Cabo a few hours earlier than you'd planned. In December when snowstorms are possible, I'd much rather be in a hotel bed in Texas than a redeye flight to the delay-prone NYC area.
Surely somewhere on Flyertalk is a "What do I do with one night in Houston?" thread.
Oct 23, 2014, 2:49 pm
#20
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: BOS, BWI, DCA, IAD
Programs: American, Delta, JetBlue, United
Posts: 2,049
I paid $711 RT. It dropped to $691 or so two days later but then shot up in price and now is obviously no longer available due to the DEN-SJD leg cancellation. There are options on United that still get me there on the 16th as I said, but they include overnight layovers. WineCountry, if United won't reimburse for a hotel but will throw some miles my way then I would be happy with that.
I think I can change my schedule around on the 15th so that I can take the 1:41pm flight from SJU to IAD, getting in at 4:42pm. I could then take a flight from IAD to SJD at 8:54am the next morning.
How many miles should I ask for? I'm not greedy, I would just like to have as many as I need to cover the hotel costs+shuttle tip. A refundable room rate at a hotel near the airport is about $75 including taxes on Kayak (did not think about Priceline), and $10 in shuttle tips is $85. According to Google, United miles are worth about 1.8-2 cents per mile, so let's call it 1.9 cents. Is this right? If so, then I should ask United for 4500 miles. Do I have any leverage here at all? I mean apparently I have the right to a full refund, so is it worth it to United to give me ~5k miles to avoid losing my fare? I guess I will find out...
I think I can change my schedule around on the 15th so that I can take the 1:41pm flight from SJU to IAD, getting in at 4:42pm. I could then take a flight from IAD to SJD at 8:54am the next morning.
How many miles should I ask for? I'm not greedy, I would just like to have as many as I need to cover the hotel costs+shuttle tip. A refundable room rate at a hotel near the airport is about $75 including taxes on Kayak (did not think about Priceline), and $10 in shuttle tips is $85. According to Google, United miles are worth about 1.8-2 cents per mile, so let's call it 1.9 cents. Is this right? If so, then I should ask United for 4500 miles. Do I have any leverage here at all? I mean apparently I have the right to a full refund, so is it worth it to United to give me ~5k miles to avoid losing my fare? I guess I will find out...
United will not pay directly or indirectly for tips etc. They may offer some miles as a good-will gesture, but they won't negotiate with you about miles. Your first priority should be to reschedule your trip, and trying to bargain about miles will not enhance your prospects of doing that to your satisfaction.
Oct 23, 2014, 3:01 pm
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,901
Here's one option leaving on the 15th and taking a redeye on the 10/11 on the way back. Only one stop each way, and actually less than your original fare, so UA should owe you some money which would help pay for the Hotel in IAH the night of the 15th:
Dec 15 UA 1560 SJU 1:41PM IAH 4:42PM 5h 1m Boeing 737 Economy (K)
Layover in IAH 16h 12m
UA 342 IAH 8:54AM SJD 10:52AM 2h 58m Airbus A320 Economy (K)
Jan 10 UA 435 SJD 12:02PM IAH 3:29PM 2h 27m Airbus A320 Economy (L)
Layover in IAH 8h 21m
UA 1281 IAH 11:50PM SJU 6:05AM 4h 15m Boeing 737 Economy (L)
$683.00
Dec 15 UA 1560 SJU 1:41PM IAH 4:42PM 5h 1m Boeing 737 Economy (K)
Layover in IAH 16h 12m
UA 342 IAH 8:54AM SJD 10:52AM 2h 58m Airbus A320 Economy (K)
Jan 10 UA 435 SJD 12:02PM IAH 3:29PM 2h 27m Airbus A320 Economy (L)
Layover in IAH 8h 21m
UA 1281 IAH 11:50PM SJU 6:05AM 4h 15m Boeing 737 Economy (L)
$683.00
Oct 23, 2014, 3:03 pm
#22
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,570
Two crazy ideas:
(1) Refund entire trip.
(2) Rebook UA, Dec 15-Jan 10, both one-stop through IAH. Much more pleasant and less weather-risky travel all around. $682 plus costs in IAH on the outbound.
- or -
(1) Refund entire trip.
(2) Rebook AA 17.5k award + UA one-stop back through IAH. $371 plus 17.5k AA plus costs for a cheap hotel near DFW.
Near-wintertime in the U.S....you don't want these unnecessary routings through United hubs like Chicago or Newark. Although *I* like NYC and Chicago and could probably have fun in either city during a blizzard, I'd be annoyed if I was stuck in one for a few days when I was just trying to get from PR to Mexico. Keep this whole thing in Texas if possible.
(1) Refund entire trip.
(2) Rebook UA, Dec 15-Jan 10, both one-stop through IAH. Much more pleasant and less weather-risky travel all around. $682 plus costs in IAH on the outbound.
- or -
(1) Refund entire trip.
(2) Rebook AA 17.5k award + UA one-stop back through IAH. $371 plus 17.5k AA plus costs for a cheap hotel near DFW.
Near-wintertime in the U.S....you don't want these unnecessary routings through United hubs like Chicago or Newark. Although *I* like NYC and Chicago and could probably have fun in either city during a blizzard, I'd be annoyed if I was stuck in one for a few days when I was just trying to get from PR to Mexico. Keep this whole thing in Texas if possible.
Oct 23, 2014, 3:04 pm
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 24
Honestly, I think UA is just going to rebook you: not give you extra miles. You can try, but don't be surprised to get a form letter and no miles.
However, to United's credit, I've had several occasions where I've phoned their web support desk after a schedule change (even reasonably minor ones) and been rebooked to a much better itin than I had originally bought. You had this crazy 2-stop thing through Jersey to get to Cabo. Now you can dump that, go one-stop through IAH, and get into Cabo a few hours earlier than you'd planned. In December when snowstorms are possible, I'd much rather be in a hotel bed in Texas than a redeye flight to the delay-prone NYC area.
Surely somewhere on Flyertalk is a "What do I do with one night in Houston?" thread.
However, to United's credit, I've had several occasions where I've phoned their web support desk after a schedule change (even reasonably minor ones) and been rebooked to a much better itin than I had originally bought. You had this crazy 2-stop thing through Jersey to get to Cabo. Now you can dump that, go one-stop through IAH, and get into Cabo a few hours earlier than you'd planned. In December when snowstorms are possible, I'd much rather be in a hotel bed in Texas than a redeye flight to the delay-prone NYC area.
Surely somewhere on Flyertalk is a "What do I do with one night in Houston?" thread.
Will they let me change my return flights for no change fee as well? Not changing the day, but two legs of it. By the way, I meant to write IAH as my destination airport in the earlier post for the December 15th flight, not IAD. Right now here is my return itinerary:
SJD Sat, Jan 10th at 4:00pm on UA868, getting into SFO at 6:15pm. Leaving SFO at 11:10pm on UA995 , getting into ORD at 5:06am on January 11th. Leaving ORD at 8:20am on UA1668, getting into SJU at 3:05pm.
Would like to change it to SJD Sat Jan 10th at 4:00pm on UA1240, getting into SFO at 6:14pm. Leaving SFO at 10:31pm on UA1568, getting into IAD at 6:33am on January 11th. Leaving IAD at 8:10am on UA1743, getting into SJU at 12:54pm.
Oct 23, 2014, 3:20 pm
#24
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,901
Oct 23, 2014, 3:34 pm
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 24
Are they really less expensive though? Seems like they're around $680-$690 plus the cost of a hotel room if I get in at 6am on the 11th, whereas right now if I have United change my flights for no fees then it's still $711 total plus the cost of a hotel room. Getting in at 6am on Jan 11th doesn't work for me unfortunately because my buddy isn't free to pick me up that day until at least noon. Seems like the best option then might just be having United change my flight to the one-stop through IAH on the 15th that pinniped mentioned earlier, and then also having them change my flights on January 10th to get in a couple hours earlier? Sounds like I have to eat the costs of the hotel/shuttle on the 15th with no miles to show for it but in the other alternatives I'd have to do so as well (using AA miles I'd have to pay for a hotel either coming from or going to Cabo as well). :-P Am I missing anything? There is the weather concern mentioned, but if I change my returning flights I would be returning through Dulles instead of Chicago, not sure if that matters.
Oct 23, 2014, 3:40 pm
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 24
There are certainly worse places to be for Christmas than Cabo...
Oct 23, 2014, 3:46 pm
#28
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,901
Are they really less expensive though? Seems like they're around $680-$690 plus the cost of a hotel room if I get in at 6am on the 11th, whereas right now if I have United change my flights for no fees then it's still $711 total plus the cost of a hotel room. Getting in at 6am on Jan 11th doesn't work for me unfortunately because my buddy isn't free to pick me up that day until at least noon. Seems like the best option then might just be having United change my flight to the one-stop through IAH on the 15th that pinniped mentioned earlier, and then also having them change my flights on January 10th to get in a couple hours earlier? Sounds like I have to eat the costs of the hotel/shuttle on the 15th with no miles to show for it but in the other alternatives I'd have to do so as well (using AA miles I'd have to pay for a hotel either coming from or going to Cabo as well). :-P Am I missing anything? There is the weather concern mentioned, but if I change my returning flights I would be returning through Dulles instead of Chicago, not sure if that matters.
What I was pointing out is that the cost of the UA tickets, isolated from everything else, could be less expensive if you cancel and rebook the entire trip. Which is why I said that you'd have some money toward a hotel room, not that the difference would cover the room entirely.
In terms of the return, the option I gave above and several others I found put the return through Houston, not IAD.
Oct 23, 2014, 3:51 pm
#29
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORF, RIC
Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum
Posts: 6,956
Here is a possible solution. You can enjoy NYC for 12 hrs and avoid the overnight stay by flying redeye from SEA to IAH. But this is a very, very long trip. UA agent should accommodate this. If not, hang up and call again. Good luck.
SJU-EWR, dep. 1:58 a.m. Tue., Dec. 16, arr. 5:15 a.m., UA1208
EWR-SEA, dep. 5:47 p.m. Tue., Dec. 16, arr. 9:06 p.m., UA1100
SEA-IAH, dep. 11:00 p.m. Tue., Dec. 16, arr. 5:06 a.m. +1 Day, Wed., Dec. 17 UA1129
IAH-SJD, dep. 10:46 a.m. Wed., Dec. 17, arr. 12:45 p.m., UA1452
SJU-EWR, dep. 1:58 a.m. Tue., Dec. 16, arr. 5:15 a.m., UA1208
EWR-SEA, dep. 5:47 p.m. Tue., Dec. 16, arr. 9:06 p.m., UA1100
SEA-IAH, dep. 11:00 p.m. Tue., Dec. 16, arr. 5:06 a.m. +1 Day, Wed., Dec. 17 UA1129
IAH-SJD, dep. 10:46 a.m. Wed., Dec. 17, arr. 12:45 p.m., UA1452
Oct 23, 2014, 3:57 pm
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 24
You're conflating two things.
What I was pointing out is that the cost of the UA tickets, isolated from everything else, could be less expensive if you cancel and rebook the entire trip. Which is why I said that you'd have some money toward a hotel room, not that the difference would cover the room entirely.
In terms of the return, the option I gave above and several others I found put the return through Houston, not IAD.
What I was pointing out is that the cost of the UA tickets, isolated from everything else, could be less expensive if you cancel and rebook the entire trip. Which is why I said that you'd have some money toward a hotel room, not that the difference would cover the room entirely.
In terms of the return, the option I gave above and several others I found put the return through Houston, not IAD.