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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 Jul 13, 2012, 11:44 am
  #211  
 
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Lori_Q, thanks for the reply. Yes, I'm running an international itinerary (my mistake I didn't mention this) with one stopover and an open jaw, so something like NYC-FRA, FRA-NYC (stop), NYC-LAX on a United award.

Per the United Award Service Fee chart there is no fee for "Adding, changing or deleting a connection, 21 days or more prior to departure". However, there must certainly be a maximum amount of time that can elapse between original ticketing and completing all travel legs, and there is also a hard cap on the length of the stopover that is allowed (I believe it's 11 mo). That is what I am trying to figure out.
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Old Jul 13, 2012, 11:44 am
  #212  
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Originally Posted by Lori_Q
What you're trying to do is an open jaw with two stops. If this is an international itinerary, you can have an open jaw with one stop at your destination, such as A-B (stop), B-C. You can also do a roundtrip with one stopover, such as A-B (stop), B-C (stop), C-A. However, tacking on that extra segment for A-B (stop), B-A (stop), A-C violates the open jaw + stopover rule.
I don't think the extra stop should be a problem at all. A is the origin, B is the destination, A is the stopover and C is the other end of the open jaw.

The problem will be in the timing.
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Old Jul 13, 2012, 11:51 am
  #213  
 
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sbm12, so all travel must be completed within 1 year of ticket issuance?
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Old Jul 13, 2012, 12:32 pm
  #214  
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
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Explanation of stopovers/open jaw rules and how to best use them

I am hoping someone can post a summary of stopover rules on reward tickets.
Is it possible to turn one booking into 2 separate trips?
For instance, if the home airport is NYC, is it possible to have USA-NYC-EUR booking, and break it into trips separated by months?
Can the legs dates be changed?

Some examples of successful bookings would be helpful
thanks!
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Old Jul 13, 2012, 12:48 pm
  #215  
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Originally Posted by stultus
sbm12, so all travel must be completed within 1 year of ticket issuance?
Generally speaking, yes. If you can get someone to reissue the ticket that will stretch out the dates but no way to guarantee that.
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Old Jul 13, 2012, 1:08 pm
  #216  
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Originally Posted by stevento
I am hoping someone can post a summary of stopover rules on reward tickets.
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...vel/types.aspx
  • 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.

Originally Posted by stevento
Is it possible to turn one booking into 2 separate trips?
On a return ticket, yes. Or at least 1.5 trips.
Originally Posted by stevento
For instance, if the home airport is NYC, is it possible to have USA-NYC-EUR booking, and break it into trips separated by months?
Yes, so long as there is a return from Europe to the USA.
Originally Posted by stevento
Can the legs dates be changed?
Yes.

Originally Posted by stevento
Some examples of successful bookings would be helpful
I'm flying JFK-FRA-KBP//KBP-VIE-FRA-MCO//JAX-EWR starting in 10 days.

I've also booked JFK-ZRH-FRA-CMN//TUN-MUC-JFK and JFK-FRA-CAI//CAI-IST//BCN-LHR-EWR previously, among other fun stuff.
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Old Jul 13, 2012, 3:36 pm
  #217  
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
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So let's say the itinerary is
UA NYC-EZE // EZE-NYC-YUL, with no immediate plans to travel NYC-YUL.

Fly to EZE and back, change NYC-YUL to some date in the future, and then get a o/w ticket YUL-NYC, correct?

Is that what you mean by 1.5 trips?
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 12:49 am
  #218  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Is the route SBA-KBP-stopover-KBP-LAX-open jaw-LAX-IAD legal on United?

Hi. I'm trying to book trip using multiple destinations option on United. Is the route SBA-KBP-KBP-LAX-open jaw, stopover-LAX-IAD legal? I tried couple times but it always gives me an error.

Thanks
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 3:41 am
  #219  
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 259
Originally Posted by Rusikusa
Hi. I'm trying to book trip using multiple destinations option on United. Is the route SBA-KBP-KBP-LAX-open jaw, stopover-LAX-IAD legal? I tried couple times but it always gives me an error.

Thanks
You may want to ask this question in the United Forum
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 5:07 am
  #220  
mia
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Thread moved from MilesBuzz to UA forum.
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 6:35 am
  #221  
 
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First, there is no open jaw in the routing you list. Second, what's the actual routing from SBA to KBP? SBA-LAX-KBP? Or do you need to go to an east coast hub for the TATL segment? And is this a paid or award flight?

I think your stopover needs to be at the gateway city, or in a different region than the origin/destination points, but I'm not sure about that.
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 6:50 am
  #222  
 
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Originally Posted by FlyingDiver
I think your stopover needs to be at the gateway city, or in a different region than the origin/destination points, but I'm not sure about that.
No, that's fine.

So my read on this is that it would work, but not SNA/LAX. If you can start out of SAN, you should be able to get the system to price (will require a call) SAN-KBP-LAX-IAD, but will depend 100% on your connection points.

Note: this is based on the current interpretation that MPM no longer matters. If it does, you'd fail every time.
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Old Jul 23, 2012, 9:47 am
  #223  
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 91
Originally Posted by FlyingDiver
First, there is no open jaw in the routing you list. Second, what's the actual routing from SBA to KBP? SBA-LAX-KBP? Or do you need to go to an east coast hub for the TATL segment? And is this a paid or award flight?

I think your stopover needs to be at the gateway city, or in a different region than the origin/destination points, but I'm not sure about that.
I'm trying to book award flight in C

Full route SBA-LAX-MUC-KBP KBP-FRA-LAX stopover LAX-IAD
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Old Jul 25, 2012, 7:34 pm
  #224  
 
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How does United define a stopover on an international *A award ticket?

I've looked for the answer but can't find it. I want to book an international one way award. Is any stop under 24 hours OK as layover, i.e. not a stopover? Or is it more complicated than that?

I'm wondering if I can add in one or two 23 hour stops on the one way itinerary, assuming I stay within the MPM restriction. Thanks.
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Old Jul 25, 2012, 7:37 pm
  #225  
 
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You can stop as many times as you like as long as each stop is less than 24 hours. There is actually some limit on the number of legs, but it's a big number. Someone who know will probably comment.
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