Originally Posted by
cfischer
yep, 1 year from the original issue date, that's correct
Incorrect, for United at least.
A partially used ticket is good for one year from the date travel commences, regardless of the date of issue.
A wholly unused ticket is good until the later of:
- 1 year from the original issue date
- 1 year from any reissue date
On a completely unused ticket, each reissue resets the validity period, so you can reissue tickets indefinitely.
The relevant section of the Contract of Carriage is as follows:
any eligible Ticket issued by UA or its authorized agent on UA Ticket Stock will be valid for transportation for one year from the date on which transportation commences at the point of origin as designated on the original Ticket or, if no portion of the Ticket is used, one year from the date of issuance of the original or reissued Ticket, whichever is later. When an unused published fare Ticket is completely reissued, the new Ticket validity on the reissued Ticket will be determined from the date the Ticket was reissued.
It is theoretically possible for United to override ticket validity rules in the fare rules for a given ticket, but I haven't seen it in practice on the fares I usually deal with.