Location: BKK, formerly Irvine, CA, UA 1-k-MM, Hilton-gold, Gold Starwood
Posts: 3,182
I have found the best consolidator in Asia for UAL and many others especially out of HK is www.travelsexpert.com They also do business and first, they dint take any credit card details until you book.
I also found out that if you don't type in the www. first it does not go through.
I've always had good experiences with Benz Travel in London, who consolidate for UA among others. There website booking engine is no good, but they are OK on the phone. A good thing is that if you get to know one of the res. staff, they will hold seats.
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Priority Club Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, National Exec Elite
Posts: 362
Wendy in Dallas
Based on information in this thread, I decided to purchase my next IND-ORD-NRT-BKK RT ticket for 04-08 from a consolidator. The lowest fare .bomb had was around $1800 Q fare. Below I will detail what I did for research, who I ended up buying from, and other tips I picked up along the way. I hope this info will help save other FTers money. Personally, I think this thread should be a sticky.
To begin, I of course did a search on .bomb. My dates were depart anytime from Sunday, 3/30 to Sunday, 4/6 and return on 4/29, so I had somewhat flexible dates. At the time I was searching, the price coming up was a Q fare for about $1800. I see as of today they have a special going bringing the price down to $1594.
My next step was to do the same search on bt-store.com. I found this website via posts on FT. bt-store had fares in the $910 range + taxes & fees. Once everything was added up, it came to about $1175. However, the routes/times provided by bt-store were not very good, and I could not find a way to try my preferred IND-ORD-NRT-BKK route (their routes all went thru IAD, which I try very much to avoid on international flights).
So then I discovered this thread and called a couple consolidators. I tried the Boston one and somebody answered the phone, but it was not Wendy. I left a message but she never returned my call.
I then called Wendy in Dallas at 817-939-0204 (lot of Wendys in the Asia travel agency field!! ) She answered her phone immediately. I told her I heard about her in FT and she immediately perked up and was extremely helpful. I had seatcounter.com opened up and knew the exact flights I wanted so I could confirm upgrades. I gave her the flight numbers and she came back with a fare of $1176, very similar to the bt-store.com fare, but on the exact routes I wanted. I asked her if the fare would earn miles and was upgradeable with SWUs, she confirmed yes to both.
Having never used a consolidator before, I wanted to verify that the ticket would get EQMs and was upgradeable with SWUs. What I did was have her make the reservation and email it to me so I could verify it's validity before actually purchasing it. Once I received the email, which came with a PNR, I called the United 1P line and asked them if that PNR would earn miles and if it was upgradeable with a SWU. The United agent confirmed both, so I called Wendy back and purchased the ticket. I'm now waiting for my 1K friend to apply the SWUs for me.
.bomb wanted $1800 for IND-BKK in Q. Wendy got me W for $1176. The itinerary is showing up as a W fare on .bomb now (I of course had Wendy put in my MP number on the reservation), and I was able to select E+ seats online while waiting for my buddy to give me a couple SWUs.
Although I've only purchased from a consolidator this one time, I will definitely do it in the future. Wendy told me that they only do International travel, not domestic. And I figured out if .bomb is showing a W fare, than that is the same price as the consolidators get, but if .bomb shows anything higher, they can probably beat it. To be honest, even though I'd get 500 miles for booking online, I'll probably use Wendy for all my international travel just to give her the business since she was so helpful.
I hope this helps other FTers out.
Update 11/28/07: My buddy applied my SWUs and every segment that showed upgrade availability on seatcounter.com (5 out of 6) is now confirmed in C & F! I think I can handle IND-ORD in an exit row.
So this just re-affirms that these consolidator W fares are perfectly fine for EQMs and upgrades!
Last edited by frekwentflier; Nov 28, 07 at 6:42 pm..
Reason: Added upgrade confirmed section
..... find a way to try my preferred IND-ORD-NRT-BKK route (their routes all went thru IAD, which I try very much to avoid on international flights).
I then called Wendy in Dallas at 817-939-0204 (lot of Wendys in the Asia travel agency field!! )
I hope this helps other FTers out.
frekwentflier,
Great post. I agree, FT should sticky this
I think I will give her a call re travel to China.
Appreciate your detailed info - fares, upgrades, etc.. Super helpful!
I suppose "Wendy-in-Dallas" does not have a web site. Right?
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Priority Club Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, National Exec Elite
Posts: 362
Quote:
Originally Posted by PS22
Thanks for the great story, frekwentflier. Sounds like you have got a great consolidator. Do you have any idea whether the ticket purchased there is refundable/changable, at least subject to the same rules .bomb has? I am thinking about a trip next summer, but have some uncertainties as to the exact dates. My local travel agent which I used in the past would hate me if I ever make a change to the ticket once issued.
It's a standard W fare ticket, so it's not refundable or able to change dates without a fee. There is a $200 charge to cancel/change it, but I believe that is standard for all United non-refundable international tickets. Wendy said if I went thru her to change it, she'd charge $50 additional.
Barring a family emergency, I know I'm going on this trip with 100% certainty, so my primary concern was cheapest upgradeable ticket, and that's what she got me. I wasn't concerned which dates I got, just as long as it was within a week's range. Whether I leave Sunday or Monday doesn't really matter to me.
I think in your situation, you have to make a tough decision. Do you cough up the $ for changeability or firm up your dates to 100% certainty. I am fortunate enough that I own my own businesses and can set my work schedule. Not everybody has that luxury. I will tell you that I doubt a consolidator will be able to get you a cheaper refundable fare than you can get on United, but it's worth a phone call to at least try. I've never purchased a refundable fare in my life and highly doubt I ever will. Even with the $200 fee, it's still cheaper to buy non-refundable IMHO. Of course, you do get the 1.5 EQM and EQS bonuses, so maybe that would make it worth it.
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Priority Club Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, National Exec Elite
Posts: 362
Quote:
Originally Posted by allset2travel
frekwentflier,
Great post. I agree, FT should sticky this
I think I will give her a call re travel to China.
Appreciate your detailed info - fares, upgrades, etc.. Super helpful!
I suppose "Wendy-in-Dallas" does not have a web site. Right?
You know, it never even occurred to me to ask her about a website! When you talk to her, please ask and if she does, post it. Thanks!!
The following websites are not United Specific, but all sell United Tickets. I have always been able to get miles for the United flights and have been able to upgrade them if the booking classes are upgradeable.
Japan->Anywhere (Japanese) http://abroad.air.travel.yahoo.co.jp/
this is a site where all the local japanese consolidators list their tickets. prices are very competative. i almost always use this for my travel from japan. it is possible to navigate with very little japanese knowledge and has great prices.
Last edited by dd; Nov 26, 07 at 1:46 am..
Reason: typo
I know that Asian travel is popular, both for business and MR's but does anyone have any current updates for consolidators for:
US-Europe (both coach and Business)
US-S.America [EZE] (both coach and Business)
Thanks.
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Priority Club Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, National Exec Elite
Posts: 362
Quote:
Originally Posted by JerseyJoe
I know that Asian travel is popular, both for business and MR's but does anyone have any current updates for consolidators for:
US-Europe (both coach and Business)
US-S.America [EZE] (both coach and Business)
Thanks.
Wendy in Dallas that I purchased my BKK ticket from (see a few posts back) said she can do all International travel anywhere, not just Asia. So you might want to give her a call and see what she has.
It's a standard W fare ticket, so it's not refundable or able to change dates without a fee. There is a $200 charge to cancel/change it, but I believe that is standard for all United non-refundable international tickets. Wendy said if I went thru her to change it, she'd charge $50 additional...
Is it always $200 to change/cancel a UA international ticket? It seems to me I was told by a CSR not long ago that it was a $200 charge on tickets to Europe, but not to other international destinations. I (or she) could easily be wrong, though.
Programs: CO Platinum, UA 1K, DL MM, former fan of TWA
Posts: 1,226
I've experienced a $200 change fee on a ticket USA-Asia.
It used to be pretty standard that the fee would be waived on a buy-up to a higher fare class, but that is no longer the case. I don't know if some fare rules still allow that, but it is certainly not universal.
I've experienced a $200 change fee on a ticket USA-Asia.
It used to be pretty standard that the fee would be waived on a buy-up to a higher fare class, but that is no longer the case. I don't know if some fare rules still allow that, but it is certainly not universal.
Yes, that was a very useful option. It's definitely gone now, both domestic and international? (One nice thing about award tickets on all UA metal is that one can change dates without penalty. What that isn't so when non-UA *A partners are involved in the itinerary, I don't know, but wish it were otherwise.)
Is it possible to use Type B vouchers when buying with a consolidator?
Thanks!
I very much doubt it. They have a one-year shelf life and I'm sure UA sheds no tears when they expire unused. The vouchers must be presented in person by the person whose name is on the voucher at the time of ticketing, and I think the ticketing must be done by UA. So not freely negotiable instruments, nor otherwise like cash. (I burned off mine Sunday, so no longer have it on hand to look at.)
Consolidators are in effect UA's competition, even though they may be buying from UA (at a discount) in order to resell UA seats (at a discount). Why would UA, or any carrier, encourage ticketing passengers to go through consolidators rather than UA?
) She answered her phone immediately. I told her I heard about her in FT and she immediately perked up and was extremely helpful. I had seatcounter.com opened up and knew the exact flights I wanted so I could confirm upgrades. I gave her the flight numbers and she came back with a fare of $1176, very similar to the bt-store.com fare, but on the exact routes I wanted. I asked her if the fare would earn miles and was upgradeable with SWUs, she confirmed yes to both.
