change united trips w/no fee if we have war...

Seems I could not get into the United forum just now (is there something wrong with it?) but then, this may apply to more than one airline anyway...

This just in the inbox: Apparently, if we go to war, United will allow current bookings to be postponed if you wish, and with no change fees. That is actually... a good thing. And that was actually kind of nice of them to do.

So, though one might not necessarily want to think of the REASONS as to why we can do these easier (old-school styled) re-bookings, one could also consider actually BOOKING one's travel on United now BECAUSE you will be allowed to change it without a fee!...

Of course, this makes me wonder:
(A) will other airlines offer this and when, and (B) so does this mean they realy dont HAVE to charge those aweful fees unless they want to??? Thought so!!!!! [I HATE fees!]

Read on:

Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 18:47:53 From: "United News" | Subject: United News: Book future travel with confidence

Dear *ME*:

In response to questions a number of our Mileage Plus® customers have about United's policies and the unsettled international environment, we want to share a copy of a United press release issued last week.

United customers can book future travel with confidence

March 6, 2003 - United Airlines today announced changes to its travel policies to address the needs of customers who want to purchase tickets for future travel but are concerned about the unsettled international environment. "We want our customers to know that they should feel confident about booking future business trips or spring vacations," said Chris Bowers, senior vice president — Sales and Reservations. "If a military conflict should begin, United Airlines will be providing support and flexibility for customers to change plans." United's policy changes, if a war begins, are as follows: For customers who choose to postpone travel, the full value of the unused ticket will be applied toward the purchase of a new ticket with no change fee. Future reservations will be subject to availability and applicable fare rules.

Customers with domestic itinerary tickets issued before the start of a military conflict may postpone their travel through September 1, 2003.

Customers with international itinerary tickets issued before the start of a military conflict may postpone their travel through December 31, 2003.

To be eligible, customers whose travel falls within qualifying travel dates and who choose to postpone their travel will need to contact United prior to their originally scheduled departure.

For customers en route who want to change their travel plans, United will assist with rebooking and will waive change/cancellation fees for a specified period of time.

Specific travel dates will apply to these policies and in the event of war, United will communicate publicly the effective dates of the airline's revised travel policies. United will continue to monitor the situation and make appropriate changes to its policies as necessary. United works closely with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to ensure customers the highest level of safety and security standards.

For elite Mileage Plus members, United will extend elite status by one year for US National Guard and military reservists called to active duty and for members of the military who are deployed. Also, military personnel holding valid tickets for dates during which they are expected to report to active duty may have those tickets changed or refunded without incurring a service charge. This includes Mileage Plus award tickets.

We have established these guidelines to assist you should the international situation change and you find your travel plans need to be adjusted. If a military action begins, we will send you another email update, and details of United's travel policies will be available at united.com. We appreciate your business and are committed to providing you with safe, dependable and convenient service.

Sincerely,

Scott Praven Senior Vice President Marketing

©2003 United Air Lines, Inc.

While this email address is unable to accept replies, please contact us at our dedicated Customer Relations email address: [email protected]

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© Copyright 2003 United Air Lines, Inc. All rights reserved.


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