Is it normal that a schedule change in a multi-airline reservation cause a disconnect that the passenger - and apparently the airlines - are not aware of? Post-COVID, I’ve had 2 such instances with UA and NZ and both caused problems because the airlines were not communicating with each other in a way that a reservation agent could decipher. Here’s a summary; more details below if you want them.

In both cases, resulting in 3 potentially disrupting issues (including both ends of a RT), reservations were made through UA involving connections with NZ at AKL, UA handling the long-haul from/to SFO. The flights were immediately ticketed and appeared on both UA and NZ apps. In both cases, NZ made a schedule change to a connector between ticketing and departure date. In one case, I was notified; in one I was not. The changes resulted in both tickets either being “out-of-sync” or “not issued”, which may be the same thing, without the airlines being aware of it. In fact, looking at the record, they insisted that that nothing was wrong until either I pointed out an obvious problem (1 Outbound below) or I couldn’t check in at the airport (1 Inbound and 2 below).

Maybe this kind of thing happens frequently, but surely this can’t be normal. In such a situation, is it necessary for a passenger to disbelieve online RAs’ assurance that their flights are OK and show up at the airport extra early anticipating that something will have to be fixed, carrying a phone with the airlines’ numbers and hoping that call wait times will not be horrible? Is there a United channel where is is possible that someone will actually listen to a quick description of this problem?

MODs: I’m guessing that this is mainly a UA problem or one UA should fix with NZ, and, aside from abysmal customer care, likely not an NZ one, so I put it in the UA rather than the NZ Forum.

Details
1. RT SFO-AKL-XXX starting at SFO (PP upgrade to J both directions)Outbound: NZ connecting departure changed to a time earlier than my arrival at AKL. Absolutely no notification of change from UA or NZ. Clues that something’s wrong: unable to check in online with UA app and unable to get an NZ BP at SFO (“That’s normal,” said the RA; it is not). Finally I noticed that the baggage tag had a different NZ flight number than the itin. Three different UA RAs insisted that all was fine and I was still booked on the impossible connection. Called Premier Line and bucking up to a supervisor confirmed that the reservation was not in sync. They fixed this while I was en route to AKL.

Inbound. UA didn’t fix it entirely. Clue that something’s wrong: unable to check in online with the NZ app. I was unable to check in with NZ at the airport. A senior NZ RA - the only person in the airport who could fix this - very grudgingly did so, calling UA, finding that the ticket was still not in sync, and getting a new ticket number. Barely made the flight.

2. One-way XXX-AKL-SFO (paid J)

NZ originating flight moved an hour earlier with a notification on the UA app, which I OK’d. Clue that something’s wrong: no longer able to access the reservation on the NZ app. Called both UA and NZ and was told that all is fine and even that my seat assignment on the NZ flight was preserved. Just in case, I go to XXX early to be told by NZ that the ticket has not been issued and, by the way, it is your problem; NZ refused to help in any way. Called the PL, got a competent agent, dealt with a supervisor, and the ticket was finally issued. I made the bag check-in cutoff with 3 minutes to spare. (My seat was not preserved.)