Originally Posted by
angelfish11
Thank you - this is AMAZING!
I had read that there were more FFC options by calling, but I thought that meant routes not prices!
Glad I could help. I don't think that United is really trying to say that you're supposed to call to get a lower price; I think their system is just broken, and there's little incentive for them to fix it.
Originally Posted by
angelfish11
Maybe we can even add on final leg of trip MEX-GDL (Mexico City to Guadalajara) within the FFC with this lower fare? I plan to ask agent whether there is a way to add on to the MEX-FRA leg to make it a GDL-MEX-FRA leg (and same for rest of family traveling to meet daughter on 12/21/22 FRA-MEX LH 498 to make it FRA-MEX-GDL leg (likely requiring overnight in MEX airport hotel before MEX-GDL) and then fly together GDL-MEX-FRA on Jan. 2, 2022. All the FFC system gave me was to go not to Guadalajara (GDL) but Colima (CLQ), which is not an option. The regular search engine just gives me an error message. I might be asking too much. . .?
OK, so if I understand the situation correctly:
1 - You're starting your trip from Frankfurt, with a destination of Guadalajara
2 - Your daughter is starting her trip in Guadalajara, will return with you to Frankfurt, and then will end the trip in New York.
I see a price of €885 / $1044 for FRA-MEX-GDL on Dec 21 LH 498 / AM 264, returning on Jan 2, GDL-MEX-FRA, AM 421 / LH 499. This ticket is eligible to be issued on UA; it's an L fare on the outbound and an S fare on the return. The way that I'd ask for these flights is to say, "I see a flight departing on Lufthansa at 1:35 PM, going through Mexico City on Lufthansa." The agent may try to route you through Houston on United instead, but often if you give them specific flights you want, you can overcome that. (If they insist, explain that you don't want to go through US immigration and customs).
Similarly, I see a price of $1200 for GDL-MEX-FRA, returning on FRA-JFK.
No overnight stays are required, and this isn't too much to ask for. There's really only complication that I see as being particularly likely -- there are occasional reports of people getting pushback when they try to change the origin country of a ticket as part of a change. I don't see anything in the rules that should make this complicated; it's just that some people have reported it. If that happens, I don't recommend arguing or asking for a supervisor; just end the call and call back to try again.
Originally Posted by
angelfish11
FInal question: What do you think a good time to call United for this is? I also have to divide out daughter's reservation and she turns 18 only in September 2022 (online FFC system does not calculate this and still won't allow separate booking for her in December 2022), so I worry this might be a complicated call. . . Thank you so much, jsloan!
At one point, the best agents were generally considered to be the Hawaii-based agents, who you'd get in the evenings Hawaii time (very early morning CET). However, if you're calling from Germany, I'd probably just call the German number (06950-985-051, 8 AM to 8 PM):
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly...ns/europe.html .
Good luck