US Airways tickets via StudentUniverse
Mar 13, 2012, 4:57 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AA Gold, FB Gold, ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 3,294
US Airways tickets via StudentUniverse
Kayak sometimes pops up cheaper US tickets via StudentUniverse ... by cheaper, I mean cheaper than via usairways.com or the standard travel sites like Expedia.
Anybody had experiences -- good, bad, or indifferent -- by booking through them?
My preliminary take is:
Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I'm torn between "Who needs the aggravation?" and "Hey, for a couple of different clicks, why not save some money?"
Anybody had experiences -- good, bad, or indifferent -- by booking through them?
My preliminary take is:
- Well, of course you are supposed to be a student, but a bit of dummy booking suggests that anyone with a .edu e-mail address ought to get through their screening, and what with alumni associations and what-not, not too great a barrier to entry. There is some boilerplate saying that you should not misrepresent yourself and so on, but they are linked to Kayak, so ...
- There is an additional change fee of $60 above and beyond what US would charge you. But that's less than the ticket price savings.
- For sure US would credit miles.
- So I guess the real question is what happens in the case of IRROPS?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I'm torn between "Who needs the aggravation?" and "Hey, for a couple of different clicks, why not save some money?"
Mar 13, 2012, 7:12 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
I can't quote what off the top of my head, but some irrops benefits aren't available for tickets bought through certain sites - especially consolidators and the like. So I'd be careful assuming it would carry protections like any other ticket.
Jim
Jim
Mar 13, 2012, 9:47 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: DCA
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But, if said ticket holder was Preferred, would those protections step in?
Mar 13, 2012, 12:15 pm
#4
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
I would think it's depend on the specific benefit. Preferred get access to better res, relief from some fees, etc but not reversal of policies. This is just the first restriction that I ran across in the CofC:
US Airways will not refund tickets purchased through third-party ticket discounters or others who are not duly appointed agents of US Airways.
Jim
US Airways will not refund tickets purchased through third-party ticket discounters or others who are not duly appointed agents of US Airways.
Jim
Mar 13, 2012, 4:32 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: BGM/ PHL
Programs: US (Silver, *A Silver), AA, Starbucks (Gold)
Posts: 2,242
My understanding is that Student Universe tickets are in the same bucket as Hotwire - i.e.enot eligible for preferred upgrades or even DM credit.
Mar 13, 2012, 7:21 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,970
Not sure about US, but in the past I purchased Student Advantage tickets that AA gave me full miles for and even allowed me to upgrade.
Jul 5, 2012, 4:32 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/1MM, DL DM/2 MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 11,970
Anyone have any other recent experience with similar StudentUniverse tickets and mileage earning?
Jul 6, 2012, 9:51 am
#8
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 200
I don't have recent experience but I did buy a couple of tickets through Student Universe when I was a student or under 26 (at the time those were the conditions). All the tickets were on American, not USAir, and I got miles for them. I wasn't ever asked for student ID by American, although they could tell my age from my DL.
Jul 6, 2012, 10:01 am
#9
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: BGM/ PHL
Programs: US (Silver, *A Silver), AA, Starbucks (Gold)
Posts: 2,242
I've done a few searches on SU and it always comes back with the same fares offered on usairways.com