Originally Posted by
IAH-OIL-TRASH
You bought non-refundable tickets for a specific set of flights. A risk is assumed by the buyer in buying advance-purchase, discounted, non-refundable fares. Unless UA changes the schedule flight(s) significantly, your desire to change flights can incur significant costs and/or loss of flexibility. You are complaining about the risk you took on in buying the non-refundable ticket.
The purchase I made was for an entirely different itinerary, which was cancelled by the airline. I was allowed to choose this itinerary as a replacement, but the limitations in this new itinerary were not disclosed. The married segment was not disclosed. To the contrary, at the time of purchase (December 2021) the flexibility of this booking was emphasized. Similarly the flexibility of the booking was emphasized when the new itinerary was selected.
The flight I am scheduled for is currently being cancelled 50% of the time. There are more than 5 other flights with open seats and much lower cancellation rates available that I am restricted from buying a seat on.
In any circumstance where a consumer pays for a service in advance of its provision, an element of risk is taken by the consumer. The acceptance of that risk does not absolve the service provider from their responsibility to make reasonable efforts to provide the service.