Is there a Flat-Tire rule for missing a UA award booked partner flight?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 27
Is there a Flat-Tire rule for missing a UA award booked partner flight?
My wife and I missed an United awards flight return flight back home to Tokyo ( we made the Tokyo to Seoul flight out). I called United on the way to the airport when I realized we weren’t going to make it on time. We also had bags to check in, though our seats had already been booked. They said the next two days were booked as well as the remaining Asiana flights that day (United itself doesn’t fly the Tokyo-Seoul route). Asiana itself (the star alliance member we were booked on) was even less helpful by phone, saying if we wanted to try and rebook by phone, we needed a Korean credit card.
Anyway, we arrived at the airport at 18:35 for a 18:50 flight, even though I imagine the flight didn’t leave on time as both our other flights left late (Tokyo to Seoul nearly an hour late, our purchased flight Seoul to Tokyo about 25 minutes late). We were told they had only business seats available that night, for about $460 USD each for the next flight, which we ended up purchasing. We looked into alternative flights on other airlines, but one had crazy routing through Hokkaido and the other didn’t leave until late the following evening.
Are we due any compensation? We noted to both airlines we had a flat tire in a taxi on the way, but Asiana wasn’t much help and there is no United counter at Incheon airport.
Anyway, we arrived at the airport at 18:35 for a 18:50 flight, even though I imagine the flight didn’t leave on time as both our other flights left late (Tokyo to Seoul nearly an hour late, our purchased flight Seoul to Tokyo about 25 minutes late). We were told they had only business seats available that night, for about $460 USD each for the next flight, which we ended up purchasing. We looked into alternative flights on other airlines, but one had crazy routing through Hokkaido and the other didn’t leave until late the following evening.
Are we due any compensation? We noted to both airlines we had a flat tire in a taxi on the way, but Asiana wasn’t much help and there is no United counter at Incheon airport.
#2
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
My wife and I missed an United awards flight return flight back home to Tokyo ( we made the Tokyo to Seoul flight out). I called United on the way to the airport when I realized we weren’t going to make it on time. We also had bags to check in, though our seats had already been booked. They said the next two days were booked as well as the remaining Asiana flights that day (United itself doesn’t fly the Tokyo-Seoul route). Asiana itself (the star alliance member we were booked on) was even less helpful by phone, saying if we wanted to try and rebook by phone, we needed a Korean credit card.
Anyway, we arrived at the airport at 18:35 for a 18:50 flight, even though I imagine the flight didn’t leave on time as both our other flights left late (Tokyo to Seoul nearly an hour late, our purchased flight Seoul to Tokyo about 25 minutes late). We were told they had only business seats available that night, for about $460 USD each for the next flight, which we ended up purchasing. We looked into alternative flights on other airlines, but one had crazy routing through Hokkaido and the other didn’t leave until late the following evening.
Are we due any compensation? We noted to both airlines we had a flat tire in a taxi on the way, but Asiana wasn’t much help and there is no United counter at Incheon airport.
Anyway, we arrived at the airport at 18:35 for a 18:50 flight, even though I imagine the flight didn’t leave on time as both our other flights left late (Tokyo to Seoul nearly an hour late, our purchased flight Seoul to Tokyo about 25 minutes late). We were told they had only business seats available that night, for about $460 USD each for the next flight, which we ended up purchasing. We looked into alternative flights on other airlines, but one had crazy routing through Hokkaido and the other didn’t leave until late the following evening.
Are we due any compensation? We noted to both airlines we had a flat tire in a taxi on the way, but Asiana wasn’t much help and there is no United counter at Incheon airport.
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 27
Well, I guess chock it up to experience. We weren’t offered to be placed on standby, which of course wouldn't be ideal (cat waiting to be picked from the kennel, my wife wanted to work today).
The flight options offered weren’t very accommodating as basically they were offering no flights for at least 2 days after, and no discount on the business fare we ended up buying. Is it possible we might be offered some miles back by United since the return leg wasn’t used?
The flight options offered weren’t very accommodating as basically they were offering no flights for at least 2 days after, and no discount on the business fare we ended up buying. Is it possible we might be offered some miles back by United since the return leg wasn’t used?
#4
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
Well, I guess chock it up to experience. We weren’t offered to be placed on standby, which of course wouldn't be ideal (cat waiting to be picked from the kennel, my wife wanted to work today).
The flight options offered weren’t very accommodating as basically they were offering no flights for at least 2 days after, and no discount on the business fare we ended up buying. Is it possible we might be offered some miles back by United since the return leg wasn’t used?
The flight options offered weren’t very accommodating as basically they were offering no flights for at least 2 days after, and no discount on the business fare we ended up buying. Is it possible we might be offered some miles back by United since the return leg wasn’t used?
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 27
Oh, just to add, I did speak to 2 different operators at United and 2 at Asiana before we arrived (very enjoyable taxi ride, the driver must have thought we were crazy as my wife was talking to the kennel too ).
Both of us have no status with United as our miles are mostly built up with credit purchases using a United mastercard.
Both of us have no status with United as our miles are mostly built up with credit purchases using a United mastercard.
#6
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: WAS-ish
Programs: UA 1K-MM + UC, Marriott Plat, National Exec
Posts: 1,341
Well, I guess chock it up to experience. We weren’t offered to be placed on standby, which of course wouldn't be ideal (cat waiting to be picked from the kennel, my wife wanted to work today).
The flight options offered weren’t very accommodating as basically they were offering no flights for at least 2 days after, and no discount on the business fare we ended up buying. Is it possible we might be offered some miles back by United since the return leg wasn’t used?
The flight options offered weren’t very accommodating as basically they were offering no flights for at least 2 days after, and no discount on the business fare we ended up buying. Is it possible we might be offered some miles back by United since the return leg wasn’t used?
United's role here was pretty much limited to that of a travel agent: (1) potentially helping you change your reservation to a different flight before departure, or (2) letting you cancel your ticket before departure. If you didn't actually explicitly cancel the ticket while you were on the phone with them, then it boils down to booking a flight and then not showing up for it, which means the ticket is used. And, again, because it was an Asiana flight, it's Asiana's flat tire policy that's relevant.
Finally, it sounds like there just weren't any seats available for the next two days, so it's hard to blame Asiana for not rebooking you. It's unfortunate, and it's not your fault per se, but it's not their fault either -- if all the seats are booked, they're not going to bump somebody else off to get you a seat (especially when they weren't responsible for the missed flight). So there's no compensation due -- neither airline did anything "wrong" for which they would owe you compensation.
Sometimes bad stuff just happens. Sorry it happened to you!
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,108
There is absolutely a United counter at Incheon, although they probably wouldn't have been any more helpful than the Asiana staff, since you weren't flying United. You didn't see it because it would have closed around the time of the last United flight of the day (about noon or 5 PM, depending upon the day).
Finally, it sounds like there just weren't any seats available for the next two days, so it's hard to blame Asiana for not rebooking you. It's unfortunate, and it's not your fault per se, but it's not their fault either -- if all the seats are booked, they're not going to bump somebody else off to get you a seat (especially when they weren't responsible for the missed flight).
#8
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,529
J/K.....but not sure what you want the airline to do here since you arrived to the airport late. Technically, they could have offered you nothing. Instead, they offered you the next available seats in your cabin, and you opted to pay out of pocket to fly sooner.
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 27
3oh,
Well, no, they didn’t exactly offer us anything specific, though they said rebooking was possible, but couldn’t give us any time frame. I think they might have only been looking at award seats, which might have been few for each flight. I noticed even today there were no award seats. I would guess though if you're on standby there might be some cancellations, but as I mentioned earlier, we weren’t offered that option.
jsloan,
Yes, you’re right, I am sure there is a United counter, just United itself doesn’t fly Tokyo-Seoul. But neither Asiana nor United referred us there, oddly enough (maybe because it was closed).
Well, no, they didn’t exactly offer us anything specific, though they said rebooking was possible, but couldn’t give us any time frame. I think they might have only been looking at award seats, which might have been few for each flight. I noticed even today there were no award seats. I would guess though if you're on standby there might be some cancellations, but as I mentioned earlier, we weren’t offered that option.
jsloan,
Yes, you’re right, I am sure there is a United counter, just United itself doesn’t fly Tokyo-Seoul. But neither Asiana nor United referred us there, oddly enough (maybe because it was closed).
#10
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet
Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC
Posts: 4,119
Although it's unfortunate you missed the flight no part of the situation was UA's fault/responsibility [if you used a credit card {without travel insurance} to buy the ticket instead of miles, would you expect compensation from the CC company? That's basically UA's involvement here] , and it seems that Asiana did everything they were supposed to do [and maybe it's my bias towards flying last-minute on high fares, but US$400 sounds very reasonable, even cheap, for a walkup/last minute business seat, so maybe Asiana did do you a favor behind the scenes] -- fault and potential remuneration, IMO, lies with the taxi
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,108
I agree that it's less than I expected, but it's not a discount.
#13
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,152
It would seem to me that WALTER B KASMER's best bet in this case would be if he had travel insurance that might pick up the change in fares due to a disruption in travel plans. Otherwise, be happy they got to enjoy non-cattle class and chalk it up to one of life's whims.
#14
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet
Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC
Posts: 4,119
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 27
Unfortunately, our travel insurance didn’t cover it. Still waiting to hear back from both Asiana and United. Not expecting much, but we’ll see. Mostly chock it up to getting my partner to leave for the airport much earlier to avoid a perfect storm: award ticket, no seats available for a number of days, no wait listing available, etc.
Yeah, I enjoyed the Piper Heidsieck on board while I could (we visited their winery in Epernay a few years back), but the lounge beer machine was broken.
It would seem to me that WALTER B KASMER's best bet in this case would be if he had travel insurance that might pick up the change in fares due to a disruption in travel plans. Otherwise, be happy they got to enjoy non-cattle class and chalk it up to one of life's whims.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 1, 2019 at 10:23 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member