Originally Posted by
gfowler-ord-1k
One "solution" is that UA will make all the zone fare so ridiculously high that no one would book them. That way they can say they are legally fulfilling their contract.
Even in the early days of the program I only occasionally found zone fares at a lower price than one would find online. The only reason I was in the program was for the e-certs and double miles. Maybe that is why the annual program was discontinued. If they had offered reasonable fares and offered a convenient way to book them it could have been a good program.
Agreed. ^ In fact, they've already accomplished that on the domestic fares IMHO. We utilized the international fares once or twice but could generally find better sale deals.
It was around the same time that Hilton stopped offering a special deal for seniors to achieve gold. I wondered if these companies simply figured out that, with many
affluent Boomers about to retire, they no longer needed to provide any special deals.
You're correct that getting the zone fares on the UA website is only half the battle though. If the fares are so high as to be of little value, what's the point, especially if you tack on the mandatory $25 fee?
From the
FAQ:
Is there a fee to use the Silver Wings Plus Travel Center to book travel?
There is a $25.00 servicing fee to book a Zone Fare or a published fare over the phone.
Is there a fee to book travel online?
There is no fee to purchase a published airfare at united.com. Zone Fares may be booked online at united.com or through the Silver Wings Travel Center for a $25.00 servicing fee.