My original itinerary looks like SFO-BOM (Destination), BOM-SIN(Stopover), SIN-IAH(Open Jaw), AUS-SFO (last leg). Does it not match with 1 destination + 1 stopover + 1 open jaw? Why I cannot book this as 1 itinerary?

Because the open jaw has to be at the destination or the origin. You have two stopovers, one of which is ALSO an open jaw.

Edit: OK, I'm not sure that the open jaw has to be at the origin or destination. Maybe it can be at the stopover. But the open jaws don't give you an extra stop. Three legs max. You have four.

joe

Thanks for helpful comments. Where can I find the rule of "three legs max" on UA flights?

Well, the rules are here: http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...vel/types.aspx

The relevant ones are:

Two open jaws are permitted per roundtrip award. For example, you can fly from Newark to London and return from Paris to Washington Dulles.

A stopover is permitted on roundtrip award travel only. One stopover is permitted, unless otherwise noted. Additional mileage may be required for Saver Awards within the mainland U.S., Alaska and Canada.


It doesn't specifically say three segments, but that follows from the two rules. You get two legs for a RT award. You can split one of those legs with a stopover. So you get three legs max. You don't get another stopover by calling it an open jaw.

joe

Thanks. Appreciate the info^

It doesn't have to be at the origin or destination but the issue of too many stops in the itinerary proposed still remains.

United Award ticket-stopover in Asia
 

Hello Flyertalk community.

I'm a complete newbie at booking award tickets, but just from doing a bit of research, I'm pretty sure it's possible to book an award ticket from the US to Asia with a stopover in Europe. I know United allows 1 stopover and 1 open jaw, but I'm not sure about all the restrictions they put on it.

My plan is: NYC-FRA-BKK-DEN

From what I understand, booking a saver coach class ticket on this route would cost me 65,000 miles. Can anyone verify this?

Welcome to FT, gellison47

I am not an expert on award travel routing rules...but I was able to do a dummy booking that yielded NYC-FRA(stop)-BKK(destination)-DEN for 65k miles plus fees for a saver economy ticket.

If you travel via Europe you can work it slightly different:

SFO-(FRA/MUC etc)- BOM (stopover) - SIN (desitnation) -(FRA/MUC etc) - IAH//AUS-SFO.

In this way you won't be backtracking on that last leg which might make it acceptable. My bet is still on the need to purchase a separate ticket AUS-SFO, btu it's worth a try.

You also might save some miles if traveling in Y with SIN as your destination rather than BOM.

There is nothing wrong with passing through the point of origin as part of the return AFAIK. The issue is that you still have too many stops in the itinerary (BOM, SIN and IAH/AUS).

I was able to do the same thing on the United website but I wasn't sure if this was a fluke or not. It just seems like this routing is too good to be true to only cost 65,000 miles. Almost like they are giving away a free trip to Europe...

I agree that this is unlikely to ticket due to the IAH/AUS plan. The one benefit of routing through Europe with SIN as the destination is awards in Y are cheaper to SIN than to BOM. IIRC awards in C/F are the same cost from N America.

Almost. :D


You also can probably fly in to FRA and then get yourself to somewhere else in Europe and fly from there to BKK if you want to before returning to DEN. You're actually allowed two open-jaws, not one.

I thought this was the case as well, but for some reason when I try to book NYC-AMS and then FRA-BKK-DEN it gives me an error message. Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

The website might choke on it but you should be able to book it on the phone.