Feb 27, 2013, 5:45 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
This wiki was created to distill SDC (specifically not standby) down to a set of rules in the hopes of benefiting others.
The official "rules" can be found here. In practice, some of the rules almost always apply almost, and some are more flexible.
Note there have been reports of SDC to one segment removing confirmed CPU upgrades on downline segments. If maintaining the confirmed upgrade is important then these changes should be handled with care.
Most Frequently Asked Question: When do I call/go online to make the change?
Follow this flowchart:
Question 1: Are you within 24 hours of your first originally scheduled UA(*) operated flight that you're trying to change off of? If yes, continue to question 2. If no, continue to answer 1.
Question 2: Are you within 24 hours of the first UA operated flight you're trying to change on to? If yes, continue to to answer 2. If no, continue to answer 1.
Answer 1: No, you cannot call/go online yet to make an SDC.
Answer 2: If the answer to both questions is yes, then you can call/go online to make an SDC.
General Baseline Rules
These are the general rules that usually apply to SDC's; falling outside these rules usually requires payment of a full change fee and the fare difference:
How to SDC
SDC can be accomplished in a few different places (in rough order of likelihood of being able to get the rules bent):
NB: An SDC where the original itinerary (in one direction) has three or more segments cannot be done online.
Nuances and Loose Rules
Now for the hard part: figuring out where the flexibility is in the rules. This list is compiled from the responses to people saying "Can I do X?" where X is something that is not clearly permitted by the rules. One's likelihood of success here depends a bit on the method used for the SDC.
For each item, the following codes apply:
Y = possible using any method
A = possible using an agent (phone/counter), perhaps having to HUACA
A* = mixed reports of success with an agent (phone/counter),
N* = possible only if you find a very accommodating agent
N = little or no reported success.
If you encounter issues with an agent (phone or counter/gate), you can ask the agent to reference GG SDC. Additionally, GG SDC line 61 specifically references that fare classes are supposed to level out 3.5 hours before departure, so you might be able to use that to your advantage if fare classes have not leveled out and you're trying to ask an agent to open up the correct inventory or force you onto the flight.
The official "rules" can be found here. In practice, some of the rules almost always apply almost, and some are more flexible.
Note there have been reports of SDC to one segment removing confirmed CPU upgrades on downline segments. If maintaining the confirmed upgrade is important then these changes should be handled with care.
Most Frequently Asked Question: When do I call/go online to make the change?
Follow this flowchart:
Question 1: Are you within 24 hours of your first originally scheduled UA(*) operated flight that you're trying to change off of? If yes, continue to question 2. If no, continue to answer 1.
Question 2: Are you within 24 hours of the first UA operated flight you're trying to change on to? If yes, continue to to answer 2. If no, continue to answer 1.
Answer 1: No, you cannot call/go online yet to make an SDC.
Answer 2: If the answer to both questions is yes, then you can call/go online to make an SDC.
General Baseline Rules
These are the general rules that usually apply to SDC's; falling outside these rules usually requires payment of a full change fee and the fare difference:
- The departure time of the first segment of the old itinerary and the departure time of the first segment of the new itinerary must both be within 24 hours of the moment that the change is made.
- The ultimate origin and destination airports must remain the same.
- Routing can be changed (addition, deletion, or change of connection points) but the routing rules of the original fare usually apply.
- All remaining unflown segments in single fared itinerary are considered together (i.e., if you're flying WWW-XXX-YYY-ZZZ, you can go to a kiosk at XXX and potentially fly XXX-AAA-ZZZ or XXX-ZZZ direct).
- SDC can be done an unlimited number of times, and can therefore be used to extend a trip indefinitely (pending availability).
- SDC costs $75 for GM's and Silvers - the fees is waived for Golds and up (plus any applicable fare difference, see below). *G's may also get free SDC, although there is no mention of this in the official rules.
- Non-elites on the same PNR benefit from any waived fees for SDC.
- No fare difference is charged so long as there is availability on all of the new segments in the originally ticketed fare class. Fare class availability in all classes often opens up after T-24 and almost always opens up at T-3 unless the plane is very full.
- SDC on bulk tickets, including United Specials, is not permitted.
- SDC is permitted on both domestic and international itineraries.
- The proposed remaining itinerary must be operated by United or United Express®, and the ticket number must begin with 016. (see nuances below)
How to SDC
SDC can be accomplished in a few different places (in rough order of likelihood of being able to get the rules bent):
- United.com “change flight” link before checking in, within T-24. (Many have reported recently that this has problems and attempts to collect the full fare difference and $200 change fee.)
- "Search Other Flight Options" button during OLCI. (This has spotty availability, particularly if the change would involve paying an additional fare due to fare bucket non-availability.)
- United mobile app
- Kiosk
- Phone
- Counter/Gate (although reports are that most airport agents are not familiar with the SDC policy and may not allow you to SDC to a valid itinerary--you can try to direct them to look up GG SDC, but they often won't understand that what you're trying to do is permitted by those rules)
Nuances and Loose Rules
Now for the hard part: figuring out where the flexibility is in the rules. This list is compiled from the responses to people saying "Can I do X?" where X is something that is not clearly permitted by the rules. One's likelihood of success here depends a bit on the method used for the SDC.
For each item, the following codes apply:
Y = possible using any method
A = possible using an agent (phone/counter), perhaps having to HUACA
A* = mixed reports of success with an agent (phone/counter),
N* = possible only if you find a very accommodating agent
N = little or no reported success.
- Violating various non-routing fare rules (day/time, minimum stay, etc.): Y
- Change destination to ultra-close airport (e.g. JFK-> LGA; see the old S*FAR/STANDBY): A
- Change destination to a co-terminal (e.g. JFK -> EWR): N*
- Change destination to an entirely different place: N
- Change itinerary at the beginning to include illegal layovers (> 4 hours): N*
- Change itinerary at the layover point (using kiosk, app, or agent) to create an otherwise illegal layover: Y
- Change itinerary at the beginning to add a layover point not permitted by the routing rules: N*
- Change itinerary at a layover point to add another layover not permitted (either in terms of number of segments or routing rules) by the routing rules: Y
- Change to a flight exactly 24 hours before or after the original flight: N*
- Change to a flight exactly 24 hours before the original flight, if the previous day's flight has been delayed: Y (based on one report)
- Combining separately-fared segments to do SDC (e.g. XXX-YYY+YYY-ZZZ -> XXX-ZZZ): A
- Change UA-codeshare, non-UA-metal segment to UA metal: A
- Change from UA metal to UA-codeshare, non-UA-metal segment: N (see post 1813 for one exception)
- Change from UA-codeshare, non-UA-metal segment to a different UA-codeshare, non-UA-metal segment: ??
- Change on a non-UA ticketed segment: N* (with potential dire consequences)
- Change from an upgraded flight into Y on the new flight: A
- Change from a CPU-upgraded flight and get confirmed into available R space on the new flight: N*
- Change from an instrument-upgraded flight and get confirmed into available R space on the new flight: A*
- Non-elite on different PNR benefiting from Elite's waived-fee SDC: A
If you encounter issues with an agent (phone or counter/gate), you can ask the agent to reference GG SDC. Additionally, GG SDC line 61 specifically references that fare classes are supposed to level out 3.5 hours before departure, so you might be able to use that to your advantage if fare classes have not leveled out and you're trying to ask an agent to open up the correct inventory or force you onto the flight.
original posting by mgcsinc, initiated by jackal
UA Same-Day Travel Change (SDC) Fees/Questions *now with WikiPost* {pre-2015 Archive}
Apr 24, 2013, 7:39 pm
#1546
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More miles, as long as it's not a "direct" flight. To SDC to that flight requires fare class open on both flights. It's less likely.
Apr 24, 2013, 7:58 pm
#1547
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Otherwise all other connecting flights you will earn the number of miles for each segment.
Apr 24, 2013, 8:14 pm
#1548
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Apr 24, 2013, 8:18 pm
#1550
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Apr 24, 2013, 8:24 pm
#1551
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The rules applied by the online change link, OLCI, the app, the kiosk, and the agents appear to be some "average" permitted routing between the two points at issue. (So, for example, as others have pointed out in the SDC thread, you can actually keep doing it again and again between hubs and throw in extra segments if availability is wide open.) The rules applied don't appear to have anything to do with the actual routing rules of the fare you're on unless you get put over to the rate desk.
NONSTOP ONLY rules are never respected, IME. And that's a great thing, because otherwise it'd be very restrictive.
I agree that you're unlikely to get SFO-IAD-ORD, though.
Apr 24, 2013, 8:45 pm
#1552
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Apr 24, 2013, 9:31 pm
#1553
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I found out the hard way that SDC for one leg of a multi-segment itinerary results in you getting kicked out of your upgraded seat - even if you keep the original flights.
Was scheduled COS-DEN-LGA where DEN-LGA had already cleared the upgrade. Noticing that I had less than 30 min connection in DEN I did a SDC online for an earlier COS-DEN but keeping the same DEN-LGA flight. ... Lesson learned. If you have an upgrade on a leg be aware that SDC applies to the whole itinerary and it will put you back on the WL.
Was scheduled COS-DEN-LGA where DEN-LGA had already cleared the upgrade. Noticing that I had less than 30 min connection in DEN I did a SDC online for an earlier COS-DEN but keeping the same DEN-LGA flight. ... Lesson learned. If you have an upgrade on a leg be aware that SDC applies to the whole itinerary and it will put you back on the WL.
Next time I will make sure I have a paper board passing and simply go to the gate or UC and get added to the standby list (or have them confirm the single segment).
Apr 24, 2013, 9:39 pm
#1554
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The SDC webpage says "Connection points may be changed provided the new routing is permitted by the fare purchased."
I had an AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD-EEE (all in the same day)/EEE-AAA that was constructed as an AAA-CCC half RT, CCC-EEE half RT, and EEE-AAA half RT and the agents at the AAA UC wouldn't let me SDC to AAA-DDD-EEE citing that rule.
I had an AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD-EEE (all in the same day)/EEE-AAA that was constructed as an AAA-CCC half RT, CCC-EEE half RT, and EEE-AAA half RT and the agents at the AAA UC wouldn't let me SDC to AAA-DDD-EEE citing that rule.
Apr 24, 2013, 9:51 pm
#1555
Join Date: Aug 2011
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The SDC webpage says "Connection points may be changed provided the new routing is permitted by the fare purchased."
I had an AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD-EEE (all in the same day)/EEE-AAA that was constructed as an AAA-CCC half RT, CCC-EEE half RT, and EEE-AAA half RT and the agents at the AAA UC wouldn't let me SDC to AAA-DDD-EEE citing that rule.
I had an AAA-BBB-CCC-DDD-EEE (all in the same day)/EEE-AAA that was constructed as an AAA-CCC half RT, CCC-EEE half RT, and EEE-AAA half RT and the agents at the AAA UC wouldn't let me SDC to AAA-DDD-EEE citing that rule.
What I'll say is this: if you're trying to go from AAA-ZZZ (either as the whole itinerary, or where it's the second segment after you've already flown the first, or whatever), you can often convince one of the tools, or an agent, to do AAA-HUB-ZZZ where HUB is a geographically reasonable hub, without regard to the fare routing rules of the underlying fare.
Upthread, there is a discussion of how it can be possible to keep pinging around hubs this way. It seems that, rather than applying the actual routing rules, the system and the agents apply a sort of "reasonable routing" rule based on the specific segment(s) you're trying to change.
As I said before, the actual rule is clearly less forgiving. But being able to be somewhat flexible is something I really appreciate, and something that doesn't hurt UA all that much, so I hope it stays.
Apr 26, 2013, 11:36 pm
#1556
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Can I SDC an award flight if the later flight puts me into an impermissible stopover?
So I have a one way award flight coming up with several stops of under 24 hours. The flight from city B to C leaves early in the morning. I would have preferred to book an afternoon flight, but that would have put me in city B for over 24 hours, which is an impermissible stopover on a one way award.
Here is my question. Is there any chance I could same day change to the afternoon flight for the $75 SDC fee, or will that not be offered to me because it would create a stopover of over 24 hours?
Here is my question. Is there any chance I could same day change to the afternoon flight for the $75 SDC fee, or will that not be offered to me because it would create a stopover of over 24 hours?
Apr 26, 2013, 11:44 pm
#1557
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It's very possible.
Apr 27, 2013, 1:52 am
#1558
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The published information says the new routing must be allowed by the fare:
Changes are only available for the exact origin and destination airport. Connection points may be changed provided the new routing is permitted by the fare purchased.
Changes are only available for the exact origin and destination airport. Connection points may be changed provided the new routing is permitted by the fare purchased.
Apr 27, 2013, 8:52 am
#1559
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So one vote for possible, one vote for not possible?
Apr 27, 2013, 9:13 am
#1560
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Would not read read mduell as not possible but rather what the intent was. Rather or not the intent will be enforced is variable. Might not work with an agent but might work with a different agent or might or might not at a kiosk.
If you do this, report back your experience.
If you do this, report back your experience.