MrsCompanion

<kind of a rant>


Who should I contact? What should I expect?


I’m a long time lurker, first time poster. I’m a little annoyed with an experience on a recent flight from SFO to HAN via ICN and would like your collective seasoned opinions on whom to contact and what (if anything) I should expect. Other bits: husband is UA Premier 1K, Million Miler, SA Gold, currently working on fulfilling a GS challenge.


We booked biz class tickets from SFO to Hanoi via Incheon through United. Since my husband was working on a GS challenge, we paid a premium to book through United. We were scheduled to fly first leg United (Polaris – awesome!), second leg Asiana with a 3 hour layover. Shortly before our flight left we were notified of a 4 hour mechanical delay for the Asiana flight.
Although United was unable to get a hold of Asiana before our SFO departure once landed in ICN, the Asiana desk was able to get us on a Korean Airlines flight leaving just 20 minutes later than our originally scheduled flight, also business class. While I am very grateful that they were able to walk us to a similar flight, I’m annoyed that:


· * Asiana would not allow us to use their lounge despite husband’s SA Gold status and our originally booked Asiana tickets. They said it was because we were no longer booked on an SA flight. We explained the re-ticketing to the desk agent and her supervisor and they refused. Although our new flight was scheduled just outside of the lounge we instead had to walk over to the other end of the terminal (that airport is huge!) to the much busier Korean Air lounge. Not a lot of fun after a full fare 12.5 hour flight.

· * We were really looking forward to experiencing the Asiana product. We paid for a 5* product, didn’t receive it and definitely feel we did not receive 5* treatment with the lounge use issue.

· * Since we were moved to a non SA airline, we will not receive mileage credit.

I know these are first world problems but, any thoughts as to whom I should contact about our experience? Thanks for hearing me out.

mduell

1) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...2016-a-15.html

2) KAL is pretty much the same as AAR. Also you chose to fly UAL for most the trip, let's drop the pretense about 5* anything.

3) You can request Original Routing Credit from UA.

sbm12

Ask for original routing credit and you can get the ICN-HAN segment credited to your MileagePlus account.

Everything else is what the obligations are and what you should expect. You also could've waited the 4 hours instead of switching to the KE flight if you still wanted the OZ service and lounge.

MrsCompanion

@ sbm12. Thanks, I appreciate the response and advice. I know you don't always get what you want. Its the reasonable expectation part I'm not always so clear on.

chuck1

I personally agree with the first poster.
There really isn't much difference between the lounges at ICN.
And while yes, I do agree, there is a difference between the seats on the A330 KE uses ICN-HAN and the 77W OZ uses ICN-HAN (especially if you are seated in the first two rows where they have F seats sold as J), you were protected in the same class of service.

There is hardly an airline around where they take into consideration quality of seat when they are protecting you into the same class of service. I'd even go so far as to say most of the airline agents don't have any idea about the difference in seats between the different carriers.

Call MP and get the credit but I don't think you should ask for anything else. You could have waited in the OZ lounge for the better aircraft but chose not to.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Re-booking on KAL gave you KAL lounge access. Access to *G lounge requires departure on *A flight. You were not deprived of lounge access. Would have been nice to use *A lounge, but it shouldn't have been an expectation. A complaint to UA might get sympathy miles. The denial toounge was made by Asiana people and that were going by the rules. Not much to complain to United about aside from their broke-a plane

bluedemon211

As a side note, if your husband was on a Global Services challenge the OZ flight wasn't going to help him at all. GS only pertains to United and United Express flights. SA flights are not considered.

MrsCompanion

@ IAH-OIL_TRASH & all others - thanks for the helpful responses. I'm getting a clearer, more realistic view... and that's exactly why I come here and turn to you all.

findark

Also, you had a flight take a 4h mx delay and got (more or less proactively) OAL-ed onto a non-alliance flight leaving within 20m of original schedule, in your original class of service. Most of us would consider that excellent service

Kacee

Not sure where the UA issue is here. The complaint should be directed to OZ.

Further this wasn't really a downgrade (except for lounges) - KE is a more reliable airline and hard and soft products are very similar.

The OZ lounge is much better. KE lounges at ICN suck.

OP could have used Priority Pass to access the OZ lounges. Or used one of the several paid lounges at ICN.

Yup. Doesn't affect the GS challenge, only UA metal counts for that.

TonyBurr

I would have been THRILLED if they moved me to another non alliance airline, in Business which left only a little after my original flight. I would have considered that fantastic service. You could have waited the 4 hours and spent a lot of time enjoying the OZ lounge. I would rather have been in my hotel room in HAN.

Hipplewm

From the OP post:

We booked biz class tickets from SFO to Hanoi via Incheon through United. Since my husband was working on a GS challenge, we paid a premium to book through United. We were scheduled to fly first leg United (Polaris – awesome!),

So, from SFO-ICN was United metal on a 016 ticket, which will count towards challenge, just not the hop from from ICN to HAN

warreng24

You can actually credit twice for this.
1) Ask for original routing credit through UA to get your MileagePlus miles.
2) You could have attached a SkyTeam number to your KE flight and gotten credit there also. Usually for IRROPS rebooking it books into full J/C or Y or F so you get the bonus miles as well.

CappuccinoAddict

Well yes but OP and husband flew UA metal on an 016 ticket SFO-ICN, which does count for GS evaluations and is the best they could do and is what they paid a premium for ... UA does not fly to HAN, which was their final destination.

Artpen100

I once had an AF lounge decline to admit me when my business class AF flight was cancelled and I was put on DL instead, but they relented and let me in, probably because it was practically empty at the time.