gold23

Ok, please move this to the appropriate thread (I have no idea where this goes!). I made two separate reservations from KOA to EWR. KOA-SFO, then SFO-EWR a few hrs later. I am booked in J (paid) KOA-SFO and Y SFO-EWR (787, sitting in PY seats). KOA-SFO is a red eye on a 737 Max. Wife is flipping out, refusing to fly. Flight is late August.

Any chance UA allows me to call in and switch connections? I'd of course love KOA-HNL-EWR up front, but understand that I'll ask and be told no. But there is KOA-DEN-EWR that works. Chance they allow me to cancel my 2 reservations and turn into one in J for that routing?

findark

I'd rate it as extremely unlikely, given that the 39M fleet is currently grounded by the FAA so you will only be flying on one if it's been cleared to fly later (otherwise they'll find you a different aircraft).

rickg523

I'm no expert on UA but I think this is going to be a tough ask. Though I would certainly ask.
August is a long way off and I'll bet the airline will respond by saying they fully expect their MAX fleet to be fully safety-certified and in service by then. And if it doesn't work out for the MAX, they'll probably either have replaced them or will offer the same kind of accommodation they're offering for changes now. But in June or July.
Also, though it might be futile, I would mention to the wife that once they get sorted out, it's likely the MAX will be under such scrutiny that it's likely to end up being the SAFEST plane flying.

WineCountryUA

The MAX 9 is 100% grounded and will not fly until the present uncertainties are resolved, And no one is going to do that until everything is triple certain.

In the meantime, another aircraft will be used. That probably will not be clear until closer to the flight. You can probably get united to cancel the flight that was MAX9 but very unlikely there will change the separate reservation,

MSPeconomist

findark

I would expect KOA-NYC in F to be significantly more expensive that what OP booked, especially because of the premium for lie-flats and an 11-hour nonstop (HNL-EWR). OP is also getting a nice free lunch by paying for Y on the 78J and essentially getting domestic F.

TomMM

And his wife is refusing to fly. So how much money is being saved!

Often1

It's unclear to me that the reservations are within the 24-hour cancellation period. If so, cancel and book what you want.

But, do understand that the MAX won't be your aircraft until & unless it is recertified.

gold23

Thanks all....Apologize for posting and then being offline for a few days! So.....yes, the reason I booked two separate itins is that we wanted to maximize comfort while maintaining a little restraint on cost. A relatively inexpensive F fare from KOA combined with a very cheap Y fare on a 787 where I could seat my family in a legit premium Y cabin for no cost made it considerably more cost efficient for me....

So, what UA WAS able to do for me is move me into KOA-DEN-EWR on 757's up front. This was a pure win. The combined fare buckets were somewhat close (they weren't when I booked a week or so ago for some reason) to what I paid in total for the two reservations. They waived the change fees (which would have been enormous considering it was technically 8 separate reservations), and I ended up paying a little less than $300 total for the increase in fares. This was through the 1k line, and I ended up being tossed to two separate individuals throughout the duration of a 30 minute or so call. I was told that they were sensitive to the Max issue, and that they were trying to accomodate people. I think it helped that the two flights we switched into were wide open (no idea why they were so much more expensive a week earlier, but oh well).

When your wife sees a plane type crash twice in the span of two months and is flying with her two children, rational discussion about safety and regulations is fruitless. We have a good friend who is mainline UA captain and he spent a good half hour at dinner a week or so ago explaining what he thinks happened, why he thinks most experienced pilots would have corrected or recognized what was happening in time, and the fact that Boeing is going to create a fix in near term (while every pilot who flies the aircraft will be well aware of how to handle any future situations). Rational, intelligent people still had fears....probably because they cannot control it.

dmurphynj

findark

Excellent outcome! Definitely one for the bucket of "it never hurts to ask"

gold23

Yes- 757-2 on both legs. Fantastic outcome, no doubt. I did get her name. She was fantastic. Started off "I don't think I can help you with what you want, but let's play around to see what can be done"

worldclubber

dmurphynj

That's great customer service! A nice kudos note from you would go in her file, and go a long way. Simple stuff like that actually has an impact - which is nice to hear.

chavala