I've always been told that Type A discounts can't be combined with our corporate discount, which requires a tour code and a Type A fare modification (percent off). It only makes sense that you can't modify the fare again with another discount.

What was puzzling me is why I couldn't apply a Type B voucher to pay part of the discounted fare using a corporate discount, when people seem to be able to combine 1 Type A coupon with 1 Type B voucher.

Upon further detective work, I find out that our agency has actually had the DBC 'bump vouchers' returned as inapplicable to our corporate discount. The specific reason cited by the ARC (not UA) is that these vouchers are 'non-combinable.' I guess that this use apparently is onsidered 'combining'.

We can and do use MCOs, which are akin to an unrestricted Type B voucher, against corporate discount fares all the time. If the single coupon Travel Certificates do not say 'non-combinable' then I might be able to use them, but I haven't held one in my hands long enough to read it.

The travel agents clear guidance was that any combination of discounts and vouchers was best handled in a CTO preferably, or a ticket counter, and not at a travel agent. The travel agent is likely to get burned (debit memo) if they accept an invalid combination even when UA verbally approves (as they did in some cases above). UA won't be debiting their own agents.

I think this question is basically settled, at least until the day I get a personal audience with someone in authority at UA to get a comprehensive policy. Frankly, I figure the ual.com website will implement whatever policy they want to enforce (combining Type A and B or not) once all this becomes usable electronically.

If we can use bump vouchers online against the web fares, without any tricks, and web fares stay at discount levels, then this largely becomes a moot point. Until that day, we scheme.

Charles