thebluejean

Hello all, I have one simple question. Yesterday I booked a pair of tickets from LAX to NRT using Avianca/Taca LifeMiles for traveling next August. I have United PNR number and can see the option to select seats. However the system said the seats can't be assigned and only be available when check-in at the airport.

I called United and agent told me the seats "may be" available to select later when "they are open to be selected". I don't believe she is correct but would like to know if there are other ways to assign seats on United when using other partner's miles.

WineCountryUA

Normally with UA PNR you should be able to select seats (even for partner awards). UA does have certain economy seats not available for selection unless you are an UA elite or have purchased access to those seats. UA's name for this is Economy Plus (E+). If all of the non-E+ are assigned or blocked , you than may not be able to select a seat. Additionally, very far out flights may have not yet opened up the seat map yet -- but that should happen fairly soon after the flight appears on the schedule (this maybe your situation).
If E- is truly filled, then closer to travel and perhaps as late as the gate additional E- (non-E+) seats will likely open up (some seats are blocked for the disable and for families until closer to departure). If E- is filled, you will be seated in E+ (at no extra cost) but that will not happen until the gate.

Your options are to wait or purchase E+ access.

joshwex90

Interesting - never booked a OW award, so never knew there was a difference. I also didn't know there was a difference in the terminology between "layoever" and "stopover."

thebluejean

Thank you for your quick reply! Indeed that's what agent told me that the flight just showed up yesterday (I grabbed the seats when they first become available since 787 business class seats to Japan are hard to come by) that I need to check back in few months.

I don't know about few months but be sure I will check again in few weeks...

polandspringuy

Update: after one HUCA the 2nd supervisor was nice enough to open up saver GF on my preferred flight. Now I won't feel so bad if I don't end up scoring LH and will be happy to pay the fee if I do.

vmgandhi1

Hello -
A newbie question on United MP - do the PQM earned for getting to a status level reset to zero for the next level?
In other words, once I earn 25K PQM for Silver, do I have to earn 50K MORE for Gold or 25K more?
In Cathay's Marco Polo, seems like miles reset to Zero.

Thanks.

jackal

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

25K more. If you fly 50K total in a calendar year, you'll earn Gold.

cloudsurfer1

Didn't realize this was an option.
So.... I have awards booked in C for two but need three. I just call in and see if they could open the rest up for me ?

Or do I book in Y and hope C opens up and they let me upgrade ?

polandspringuy

cloudsurfer1 - not sure if you read my original post, but to clarify I was originally booked in one cabin but was downgraded due to an equipment swap. Essentially I reserved GF but was put in BF because of the swap. This is not a case where I convinced the agent to open up saver space simply because there was no availability at the time.

In your case I'm not sure what options you have other than reserving Y now and waitlisting for C.

Flugzeug75

Greetings! Main questions:

1) Should someone have to pay more than one change fee within 24h of paying a fee/making a change to an award ticket over the phone?

I'm booking a not-so-complicated Asia award, and I spoke to no less than four UA agents yesterday who each picked a different reason (often contradicting the others) as to why I needed to pay a $25 change fee originally (even though I was eliminating a stopover and NOT changing O/D) and then asked me to pay it again four hours later when I tried to alter the itinerary again (this time legitimately changing my final destination, but I had already paid a fee a few hours earlier.)

2) Is it perfectly legal to have two open jaws and a stopover on this itinerary? The last doozie of an agent made me LOL when she said I couldn't add a stopover unless I was going and coming from the same place, but many posters have said UA allows this. THANK YOU!

PHL-IAD-FRA-PVG-TPE (STOP)
PVG-DPS (DEST)
RGN-BKK-ICN-JFK (DOUBLE OPEN JAW)

sbm12

Yes. The 24 hour thing is only for new bookings, not for change fees.

Yes, but...

It is theoretically valid but the system will rarely price it and there are some issues with jumping across zones in certain circumstances. In your itinerary above you have three open jaws (TPE/PVG, DPS/RGN, JFK/PHL) so it is not valid, but for different reasons than what the agents are telling you.

Flugzeug75

Darn, I made a mistake. Meant to type TPE-DPS, so it is not a triple open jaw.

A related question: Should I have been charged at all as a Gold for the original change of eliminating the stopover when destination (TPE) wasn't being changed?

WineCountryUA

if was purely a routing change, no. A change to origin / destination / stopover, yes

goalie

Just to add that starting in 2014, there will also be a spend requirement in addition to flying the required PQM's for a given status level and as to the qualifying clock re-setting, that happens every January 1st

wildviper

I am thinking this is the best place to ask this question.

I am trying to get a One-way Business Class ticket for my dad. I already have him going to BOM but this is for return.

I would like the route to be (for 60K miles):

BOM-SIN-DXB-LHR (less than 24 hour hold) - LAX. This would be for December/Jan

I am not even sure this route can work...there is availability in different airlines between each segment...but can't make this happen on the United website.

The reason I want it this way is this enables him to experience SIN biz and I need him to get out of the airport in LHR to buy my chocolates.

I didn't want to call before I check here.