Nearly all tickets expire 1 year after they are issued. The issued date is typically the day (or near the day) you PURCHASED the ticket and not the travel date. This rule generally applies to both refundable and non-refundable tickets. The issue date can change and may be reset if the ticket has to be reissued due to a change (either voulantary or involuntary).
I'd say you're pretty much SOL unless you can sweet talk someone to bend the rules.
As a note, every fare has its own rules and that is where the expiration terms are expressly defined. I don't think there is much if any variation in this particular term with UA. As fastair notes, the way the fare was constructed also matters and the fare rules will generally detail how to calculate partial refunds.
Last edited by kenn0223; Apr 16, 2013 at 7:27 am