Originally Posted by
N0LID
I have an award flight scheduled for 9/22, SUX-ORD-MUC but a schedule change makes it a SUX-DEN-ORD-MUC with an impossible connection in ORD. Arrival is scheduled for 23:57, the LH flight ORD-MUC has a departure time of 21:10. To add to the drama Skywest most likely will no longer service SUX by Fall. FSD is the next closest airport, I could cancel the flight and reschedule at FSD but the flight times for the same miles are 24+ hours and 2 stops. There are plenty of reasonable award flights out of FSD the flight but the miles required are much more than I originally used. What would be the best strategy, try to change the departure to FSD, keep SUX as the departure, change the schedule, and hope Skywest is operational. Thank you in advanced.
First don not make the changes yourself -- because of the UA? schedule change you have certain "rights", waivers. One of those is UA will reschedule, at not increase costs to you, a valid itin. A complication for awards is UA can not open award space , if not available, on partner flights BUT will / can open space on UA/UX operated flights.
A second benefit is you can change you origin or destination airport by 250 miles for free (SUX-FSD is just under 100 miles)
With those benefits in mind, find a couple of options (for now search the paid options, not awards) an be prepared to suggest those to the agent, Don't wotry about UA award availability or price, either of those matter.
UA has a DEN-MUC and ORD-MUC that can work for either SUX or FSD -- that's the direction I would go
The service issue for SUX may still be unresolved by Sept but changing to FSD might be the safer bet.
Some call a schedule change like this a golden ticket to get a better itin