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Rules for Open Jaw & Stopover Award Flights (Consolidated)

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Old Apr 23, 2013, 6:22 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Presented as Q&A format (Originally posted by Alex_B)

Q: What is a stopover?
A: A stopover on an international itinerary is any break in your air travel for more than 24 hours except at the destination.

Q: What is an open-jaw?
A: An open-jaw is where you travel by your own means (either land, sea or a separate air ticket) between two points in a journey.

Q: How many stopovers am I allowed on a roundtrip award?
A: One stopover, in addition to the destination, is permitted (an unlimited number of stops less than 24hours is allowable).

Q: How many open-jaws are allowed on a roundtrip award?
A: Two open-jaws are permitted. These must be at the stopover, destination or origin.

Q: Can I have a stopover or open-jaw on a one-way award?
A: No

Q: Can I have a open-jaw at both the stopover and destination?
A: Yes, plenty of posters have reported success in booking this

Q: Can I transit my destination multiple times (e.g. fly to JNB, fly to CPT and then return home via JNB)?
A: Yes, plenty of posters have reported success in booking this. You can only stop in your destination for > 24 hours once though.

Q: Can I cross both oceans?
A: Yes. The rule that prohibited crossing both oceans appears to have been removed from both MP and *A award rules. There are many many successful examples of people booking these itineraries.

Q: Is EWR-PVG transatlantic or transpacific?
A: US-East Asia/South East Asia is always transpacific no matter what geography might suggest.

Q: Do I pay more for a stopover or open-jaw?
A: Typically no additional mileage is required but additional taxes or fees are often payable (especially in UK with high Air Passenger Duty). Extra mileage will often be required if an open-jaw or stopover adds a higher cost region into the itinerary. Also awards wholly within CONUS, Canada and Alaska (formerly known as Series 0 awards) require additional mileage (10K miles) for a stopover of >4 hrs.

Q: What's this about a free one-way I can get on awards?
A: The concept of free one-ways is a misnomer and often confuses people, it is better to consider it a stopover in the city of origin. If you have a simple roundtrip award without a stopover, you can often create a stopover and open-jaw at your origin on the return leg to add an addition flight. E.g. I wish to book EWR-LHR (destination)-EWR which is a roundtrip US-Europe award. I could also book this as EWR-LHR (destination)-EWR (stopover)-SFO for the same mileage (and a few dollars of extra tax). The EWR segment would need to be within 330 days of booking and would be subject to the usual change fees.

Other notes:
  • The open-jaw portion must be smaller (in miles) than any other leg. -While technically true for revenue fare construction this is not strictly enforced on awards.
  • For awards between CONUS/Canada/Alaska and South Asia award regions the maximum number of segments is 5 segments each way on a round-trip and 4 segments on a one-way. (Note that many FTers report recently being read a memo that imposes an eight segment maximum on a roundtrip (4 each way). It is unclear whether this eight-segment maximum is limited to South Asia routings through Europe or North Asia, or has broader application.)
  • Stopovers and open-jaws are NOT additive. You do not get extra stops included in your itinerary simply by making an open-jaw out of it.

Seeing your fare construction on an already booked award ticket:
In order to see your award fare construction to see where your stopovers and destination are, follow these steps.

Go to http://www.saudiairlines.com/

Then hit "Manage My Bookings" and select "E-Ticket"
Enter your UA ticket number (hint: 016 will go in the first box, and then everything else in the second box). Then your last name and hit "Retrieve My Booking". On the next page you'll see a line like this under "Fare Calculation":

CHI LH X/FRA LH ROM0.00CSM/YB52 /- FLR LH X/FRA LH X/DUS LH CHI UA SEA

This example is:
ORD-FRA-FCO
Open Jaw at Destination
FLR-FRA-DUS-ORD
Stopover at origin
ORD-SEA
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Rules for Open Jaw & Stopover Award Flights (Consolidated)

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Old Jun 13, 2013, 6:36 pm
  #1501  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
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aacharya- thanks, the dates that im leaving are HNL 4/24 and MCO 5/1, KIX 5/6 but the KIX leg has lots of availability so no worries there. Just focusing on the first trip HNL-KIX

alex_b- thanks, is that backtracking even though im not going back through HNL? I found fares from HNL-SFO-LAX-NRT advertised for about $3200 on UA so i figured going to the mainland would be ok.

Im not too concerned about how i get there as much as I am about the the award price. so waitlisting into business from HNL-MCO isnt the concern i just need to get there with the amount of miles i have.
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Old Jun 13, 2013, 7:32 pm
  #1502  
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How can you build a stopover at MCO? MCO isn't a *A hub. Or is it a below 24 hr layover?
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Old Jun 13, 2013, 7:43 pm
  #1503  
 
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Originally Posted by burlax
How can you build a stopover at MCO? MCO isn't a *A hub. Or is it a below 24 hr layover?
Why would it being a *A hub matter?

Originally Posted by raceroyce
aacharya- thanks, the dates that im leaving are HNL 4/24 and MCO 5/1, KIX 5/6 but the KIX leg has lots of availability so no worries there. Just focusing on the first trip HNL-KIX

alex_b- thanks, is that backtracking even though im not going back through HNL? I found fares from HNL-SFO-LAX-NRT advertised for about $3200 on UA so i figured going to the mainland would be ok.

Im not too concerned about how i get there as much as I am about the the award price. so waitlisting into business from HNL-MCO isnt the concern i just need to get there with the amount of miles i have.
The backtracking is because you're heading a few thousand miles east and then heading back a few thousand miles west on your outbound segment. The backtracking rules seem fuzzy and I'm not clear whether they're decided programatically or by people just saying no, but it seems hard to suggest that MCO is "on the way" to Japan even if LAX or SFO is a legal routing.

As for the pricing, there must be saver award availability in economy or business on all segments of your outbound route for you to redeem a saver award. If not you'll be forced into the standard award category.

Last edited by iluv2fly; Jun 14, 2013 at 5:40 am Reason: merge
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Old Jun 13, 2013, 7:49 pm
  #1504  
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Originally Posted by alex_b
Why would it being a *A hub matter?
I know this is not a *A award, but I thought even for a pure UA award you need a hub for a stopover to get the chart roundtrip rate?
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Old Jun 13, 2013, 7:53 pm
  #1505  
 
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Originally Posted by burlax
I know this is not a *A award, but I thought even for a pure UA award you need a hub for a stopover to get the chart roundtrip rate?
Not that I've heard; plenty of stopovers in non-hubs reported in the Rules for open jaw and stopover award flights consolidated thread, especially European airports (e.g. FCO, MAD).
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Old Jun 13, 2013, 8:14 pm
  #1506  
 
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Originally Posted by burlax
I know this is not a *A award, but I thought even for a pure UA award you need a hub for a stopover to get the chart roundtrip rate?
The *A hub rule is a US thing. UA doesn't place restrictions like that on stopover locations.
mtkeller is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2013, 1:09 am
  #1507  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
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alex_b- thanks for the info.
raceroyce is offline  
Old Jun 14, 2013, 10:40 pm
  #1508  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
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2 agents say no to IAD-MUC-BCN(stop)-FRA-PEK-HKG(stop)-SFO-IAD. I follow the new segment rule with an RT. Even asked for IAD-MUC(stop,oj), BCN-FRA-.... but no go.
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Old Jun 15, 2013, 12:49 am
  #1509  
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Originally Posted by amolkold
2 agents say no to IAD-MUC-BCN(stop)-FRA-PEK-HKG(stop)-SFO-IAD. ...
what was the reason given? Many will flag two ocean trips (although that limitation appears to have been dropped).
WineCountryUA is offline  
Old Jun 15, 2013, 12:51 am
  #1510  
 
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
what was the reason given? Many will flag two ocean trips (although that limitation appears to have been dropped).
Neither would give a reason ... I mean, would they rather I redeem HKG-PEK-FRA-LHR-IAD rather than HKG-SFO-IAD? I don't get it. I'll try again in the morning with different/better agents.
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Old Jun 15, 2013, 5:20 am
  #1511  
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
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I recently booked a roundtrip award from the U.S. to Europe with an open-jaw in Europe and a 6 month stopover at my origin airport upon my return. This is actually the first time I've booked both an open-jaw and stopover on a single award. Routing: IAD-AMS/CDG-IAD/IAD-STL.

Is it possible to change the last segment (IAD-STL) to a different domestic destination after the international portion of the trip has already been completed?

Thanks.

-FlyerBeek
FlyerBeek is offline  
Old Jun 15, 2013, 9:19 am
  #1512  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Originally Posted by FlyerBeek
I recently booked a roundtrip award from the U.S. to Europe with an open-jaw in Europe and a 6 month stopover at my origin airport upon my return. This is actually the first time I've booked both an open-jaw and stopover on a single award. Routing: IAD-AMS/CDG-IAD/IAD-STL.

Is it possible to change the last segment (IAD-STL) to a different domestic destination after the international portion of the trip has already been completed?

Thanks.

-FlyerBeek
Should be possible. And since you are 1K, it should be free.
jasonvr is offline  
Old Jun 15, 2013, 1:29 pm
  #1513  
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I'd like to book a one-way from CTS-SIN, but the only flight available on the website (from CTS) is with TG. I greatly dislike both TG and BKK, and am wondering if I could book (by phone) a one-way routing through TYO instead of BKK?

Thanks,
BmB
BuildingMyBento is offline  
Old Jun 15, 2013, 2:49 pm
  #1514  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 414
Originally Posted by FlyerBeek
I recently booked a roundtrip award from the U.S. to Europe with an open-jaw in Europe and a 6 month stopover at my origin airport upon my return. This is actually the first time I've booked both an open-jaw and stopover on a single award. Routing: IAD-AMS/CDG-IAD/IAD-STL.

Is it possible to change the last segment (IAD-STL) to a different domestic destination after the international portion of the trip has already been completed?

Thanks.

-FlyerBeek
I can confirm it's possible and you should be able to do it online.
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Old Jun 15, 2013, 3:41 pm
  #1515  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus
Posts: 27
Originally Posted by amolkold
Neither would give a reason ... I mean, would they rather I redeem HKG-PEK-FRA-LHR-IAD rather than HKG-SFO-IAD? I don't get it. I'll try again in the morning with different/better agents.
Maybe you can try booking return HKG-PEK-FRA-LHR-IAD then changing to HKG-SFO-IAD. I did RT EWR to PEK through Europe then switched outbound EWR-SFO-PEK without any trouble. I guess if you can do within 24h, you can cancel if you don't get what you want.
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