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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 24, 2013, 4:17 pm
  #1561  
wcj
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 784
Edit: I think I am just being hard headed in that I can't do what I want.

Last edited by wcj; Jun 24, 2013 at 8:37 pm
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Old Jun 24, 2013, 5:35 pm
  #1562  
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 716
Originally Posted by BuildingMyBento
Thanks for your reply OptionsCLE.

If you don't mind my asking, for which flight/which search did you find OZ? No matter what routing I try (say, from any of the three NYC majors + PHL), OZ doesn't show up. I'd like to try them long-haul again, though how do you feel about their IFE choices?

ORD-ICN-HKG didn't go through correctly, and MUC-ICN-NRT (LH to OZ) which did work.
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Old Jun 25, 2013, 11:01 am
  #1563  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 224
I had the same problem with the 4 segment rule for an intl saver award.

Can anyone help me understand why the following itinerary won't price out? It's a double open jaw with one stopover. All layovers sub 23 hours so I know I'm okay there. It was pricing out earlier on .bomb, now no dice.

Outbound
SEA-YVR-PEK-BKK-CNX (stopover for a few days) - BKK

Return
HKT-ICN-HND-YVR-LAX

I'm unable to get the last YVR-LAX leg to work. Not 1K anymore (or any status) so dealing with the call center in India was not too helpful. The rep said if I removed the stopover, everything will price out (but I don't know if she was just trying to get me off the phone).
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Old Jun 25, 2013, 11:53 pm
  #1564  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Up In The Cloud
Programs: UA 1K MM; BA S, AA G; AS G; DL | SPG P50, M G, CC G, IHG P, HLT S | Hertz PC, Avis F
Posts: 682
Originally Posted by cloudybw
For example
AAA is FRA
MMM is ORD
NNN is EWR
ZZZ is HKG

I would like FRA-ORD (stop) -FRA (stop) -HKG to be charged for 50K+60K rather than 50K*2+62.5K for C
I can only book FRA-ORD,EWR-FRA (stop) -HKG now for 50K+60K

I called to append FRA-HKG at the end of a FRA-ORD r/t and the agent claimed it errored out

Any ideas?
Just an update. I called to change EWR-FRA to ORD-FRA without any questioning. Not surprisingly, the new itinerary FRA-ORD-FRA-HKG would not price out, but the agent went to talk to somebody (presumbly the rate desk folks) and it was done in 10 minutes, no challenge at all.^
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Old Jun 26, 2013, 6:25 am
  #1565  
Four Seasons Contributor BadgeAman 5+ Badge
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
Quick question on 24 hour connections...
I plan on ticketing an itinerary with a 23 hour connection in Zurich... EWR-FRA-ZRH. However, my ultimate goal is to change to IAD-FRA-ZRH on LH in F when availabiity opens up.. it would change that 23 hour connection into 28 hours.. would they let me make this change or deny it on basis it turns into a stopover?

Thanks
FDW
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Old Jun 26, 2013, 6:30 am
  #1566  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, UA Nobody, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,372
Originally Posted by FlyingDoctorwu
Quick question on 24 hour connections...
I plan on ticketing an itinerary with a 23 hour connection in Zurich... EWR-FRA-ZRH. However, my ultimate goal is to change to IAD-FRA-ZRH on LH in F when availabiity opens up.. it would change that 23 hour connection into 28 hours.. would they let me make this change or deny it on basis it turns into a stopover?

Thanks
FDW
I presume you have another stopover in your roundtrip itinerary or you're booking a one-way. If that is the case, you will probably be denied when they have to reprice on changing the ticket.
alex_b is offline  
Old Jun 26, 2013, 7:45 am
  #1567  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,314
Originally Posted by FlyingDoctorwu
Quick question on 24 hour connections...
I plan on ticketing an itinerary with a 23 hour connection in Zurich... EWR-FRA-ZRH. However, my ultimate goal is to change to IAD-FRA-ZRH on LH in F when availabiity opens up.. it would change that 23 hour connection into 28 hours.. would they let me make this change or deny it on basis it turns into a stopover?

Thanks
FDW
no you cannot make the change. I have a one way where a 24:00 layover became a 24:15 stopover by virtue of a schedule change. When I asked about making changes to other portions of the ticket, they said I would need to change the stopover timings as well, since it wont price out on re-issue. I can keep the forced "stopover" if I wish though.
rankourabu is offline  
Old Jun 26, 2013, 10:43 am
  #1568  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 4
Quick Award Routing Question

Tried several times to push this through online (via Multiple Desinations search).

Looking to do this:
STL-ORD-LHR
MAN-FRA-PRG
PRG-DUS-EWR-STL

1. Is this a valid routing, since the error message references the award rules, I'm not sure?

2. Can I add a stopover in STL, since LHR->MAN is my open jaw and PRG is my destination?

Thanks!
ajpichee is offline  
Old Jun 26, 2013, 4:11 pm
  #1569  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: WAS/NYC/LON
Programs: AA EXP, HH DIA, Hyatt DIA
Posts: 286
Originally Posted by ajpichee
1. Is this a valid routing, since the error message references the award rules, I'm not sure?
Looks valid. Book a STL->PRG->STL roundtrip online, and then call within 24 hours and give the agent the flights desired to avoid change/phone booking fees.
Originally Posted by ajpichee
2. Can I add a stopover in STL, since LHR->MAN is my open jaw and PRG is my destination?
No. LHR->MAN is your open jaw **AT** your stopover. Open jaws occur either at the destination, origin, or stopover - it is not a separate thing.

You can return to a different city in the U.S. (utilizing your last open-jaw), but you cannot have a stopover at STL.
ComplexAnalysis is offline  
Old Jun 26, 2013, 4:18 pm
  #1570  
formerly known as Tad's Broiled Steaks
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,412
I just spoke with a couple of Premier agents on the phone, and in trying to book a one-way ≤four segment flight between EWR and SIN, was told by both that each "stopover" must be ≤four hours, otherwise the itinerary would have to be booked as four one-ways.

Definitely not true?
BuildingMyBento is offline  
Old Jun 26, 2013, 4:51 pm
  #1571  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Up In The Cloud
Programs: UA 1K MM; BA S, AA G; AS G; DL | SPG P50, M G, CC G, IHG P, HLT S | Hertz PC, Avis F
Posts: 682
Originally Posted by BuildingMyBento
I just spoke with a couple of Premier agents on the phone, and in trying to book a one-way ≤four segment flight between EWR and SIN, was told by both that each "stopover" must be ≤four hours, otherwise the itinerary would have to be booked as four one-ways.

Definitely not true?
HUCA. It makes no sense. Stopover, by definition, is longer than 24 hours on INTL itinerary and 4 hours on domestic itinerary. Connection is a layover that is not a stopover.
cloudybw is offline  
Old Jun 26, 2013, 5:04 pm
  #1572  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,738
Is this award routing legal?

I want to book:

LIM-SNA

Then two weeks later
LAX-DEN

Then two weeks later
DEN-LIM


Trying to change a ticket where I have LIM-SNA SNA-DEN DEN-LIM

I know you are allowed a stopover and two open jaws.

Thanks!
Astrophsx is offline  
Old Jun 26, 2013, 5:05 pm
  #1573  
formerly known as Tad's Broiled Steaks
Shangri-La Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,412
Originally Posted by cloudybw
HUCA. It makes no sense. Stopover, by definition, is longer than 24 hours on INTL itinerary and 4 hours on domestic itinerary. Connection is a layover that is not a stopover.
Thanks, cloudybw. Whereas HUCA is the only way to go, I haven't had much luck tonight...

I wanted to piece together a EWR-LIS-IST-DXB-SIN one-way (and had flights/flight times prepared too). Lack of availability notwithstanding, no agent seems to think this is possible without expending heaps more miles.
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Old Jun 26, 2013, 5:39 pm
  #1574  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 5,895
This should be allowed -- without thinking too hard, it's a round trip from LIM-SNA // LAX-DEN-LIM, with a single open jaw (LIM-SNA, LAX-LIM) and with a stopover in DEN on the return portion. By changing from SNA-DEN to LAX-DEN you're sort of adding an open jaw on the return portion.

(If you wanted to think about this really hard, you would think about whether SNA & LAX count as "the same thing" for fare construction purposes and whether you could concoct a stopover at SNA/LAX without getting an open jaw. But no reason to think about it that hard.)
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Old Jun 26, 2013, 5:54 pm
  #1575  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,738
The agent's "supervisor" is saying it is two stopovers. It's booked and I'm just changing the LA to Denver leg. Prices out ok online. I guess keep calling back?
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