BF263533

In flying from Florida it is very difficult to reach Australia in 4 segments on a saver award because United seems to have few of its Australia flights with saver availability. You like have to go thorough ICN or BKK. Does the 8 segment round-trip limit apply from the US to Australia?

With the loss of US Air from Star Alliance, more and more of United's policies drive a good deal of my business to the New American.

United makes it bad to live in Florida, and it just keeps getting worse.

Kacee

Yes the segment limit applies. They might give you five. But four is more likely. You can still make it in four. FLA-ORD/IAH/IAD-NRT-BKK/ICN-SYD. Actually you can make it in three through ORD: FLA-ORD-ICN-SYD.

BF263533

PBI-CLT-ORD-ICN-SYD = 5 segments

No first. I flew this award program for 33 years so I could have some nice travel at the end of my life.



Thanks for the info. I really appreciate the reply. Don't take offense, your info is very helpful, but I racked up over a million in-seat CO=-UA miles through PBI in the past 28 years. I have burned over 3 million CO-UA miles. Just try to book the award in First Class and find any availability without US Air. I saved these miles for my last years of life. When you are in the Winter of your life, the last thing you want to face is a Smisek. "It" is like cancer, a heat attack or a stroke. That is where I place Smisek in my life events. Your winding down life and you face Smisek. My first flight was on United and most of my miles were on CO.

Dreaming and happening on using miles are two different things. $500 for one way to New York 25 years ago was not a small price for loyalty. People like me kept Continental alive with our loyalty. Now they stab us in the back.

BF263533

I noticed the following on the ANA website that seems to allow 12 segments:

"One or more Star Alliance Member Airlines' flights can be used. Specify the departure date, sectors (max. 12 sectrors), and number of passengers, then click the [Next] button.You will move on to the Seat Availability Results page."

What do other Star members allow on an award?

(I assume that "sectrors" is a misspelling?)

Kacee

That is only four segments. Count the dashes, not the airports.

I certainly hope you are able to burn your miles for the trip you desire.

md25

I booked flights to NZ last week and despite trying a couple agents, was told in each case that the limit is definitely 4 segments. Not a huge deal since the final flight I need to book is only $80, but would have loved that 5th one...

UA-NYC

Keep HUACA unfortunately.

FriendlySkies

Have been trying to get the most value out of my UA miles before the devaluation, so I changed an HKT-BKK-NRT-ORD-MCI into BKK-NRT-MUC-FRA-IAD so that I can get F on the 380 on TG, new F on LH 346, and F on the 748.

I tried several agents, though all said that the computer was only allowing them to do a max of 4 segments for the trip. Would have been nice to add the HKT-BKK or IAD-MCI into the mix, but the computer was pricing it much higher than the 70K I paid for the ticket.. Oh well

Kacee

Yes, especially since HKT-BKK will get you F ground treatment in HKT and on arrival at BKK if you are connecting directly to the an F flight out of BKK. That can be a huge plus if you're flying out of HKT during one of its busy periods. Don't know if buying a J ticket on TG and pointing out at check-in in HKT that you are connecting to F in BKK will lead the agent to pick up her walkie-talkie and start you on that magic carpet ride . . . .

raehl311

Back in November when LH had let a bunch of F inventory slip out, I booked MSP-YYZ-MUC / MUC-YYZ-ORD-MSP.

Two? days ago I called in and made it MSP-YYZ-MUC (stop) MUC-CDG-BKK (turn) BKK-MXP-MUC-YYZ-ORD-MSP. No problems. Note that's 9 segments total and 5 on the return. My goal was to do at least one segment on the TG A380 in F, which was the CDG-BKK segment.

Today realized I could do BKK-FRA on the A380, except there was no non-stop availability between FRA-MUC in time for me to make my MUC-YYZ flight (which I can't touch as I'd lose the LH F I got in november.)

So I called in to change it to BKK-FRA-NEU-MUC-YYZ-ORD-MSP. And since I now had the A380 on the way back, also switched MUC-CDG-BKK to MUC-BKK on the 747. Agent said that was too many segments on the return, so I said OK, do BKK-FRA-NEU-MUC-YYZ (overnight) MSP. Said that was OK, went to ticket it and... phone disconnected.

Call back, get different agent. I think this agent is able to pick up where the first agent left off, and she makes it seem like everything goes through. I have someone travelling with me on some of those flights, so switch to her reservation to match the changes, then check my reservation online, and realize that while MUC-CDG-BKK is now MUC-BKK, and YYZ-MSP-ORD is now YYZ-(overnight)-MSP, I'm still BKK-MXP-MUC on the return.

So I ask to go back to the ticket, and once I feed her BKK-FRA-NEU, and before I can get to the NEU-MUC flight numbers, she says I'm out of segments and can't book it because the policy changed to a limit of 4 segments. I point out that I booked 5 segments literally the day before, and that the previous agent had said 5 segments was OK, and that I wouldn't be making these changes at all if I couldn't get the BKK-FRA-NEU-MUC-YYZ, but she said because I've made a change the "new" policy applies which is 4 segments only.

She does offer to connect me to a customer service manager, which I accept. I get a little bit of the 1st degree over how many people I'm trying to violate segment rules for, but once I assure that it's just me and am able to better explain the situation, the manager books me a final itinerary of MSP-YYZ-MUC / MUC-BKK / BKK-FRA-NEU-MUC-YYZ(overnight)MSP.

So still 5 segments on the way back. The supervisor also specifically said, "And I don't know why you're even talking to me, you're allowed 8 segments total."

So apparently at least according to that agent, a round trip is limited to 8 segments, but you can do 3 and 5 out and back.

But I also had 9 segments total yesterday when I added MUC-CDG-BKK and BKK-MXP-MUC to my existing MSP-YYZ-MUC / MUC-YYZ-ORD-MSP itinerary.



So *IF* the rule is 8 total or 4 each way, it's not something that's so concrete in the software that it's impossible to get 9 segments or 5 in one direction and 3 in another.

SkinsFan0521

Hi,

I know that there is a new(ish) rule that United has implemented on award tickets to limit the amount of segments, but everything that I read seems to indicate that it's not a definitive written rule, but something that may be up to the agent. Is this true? Some things say 3 segments in each direction, some say 4 in each direction, some say 8 total, some say it may be more when Asia is involved in the routing, etc.

I've got a situation that I'm wondering if anybody could help me with. I'm going to be booking this round-trip itinerary today (all in First/Business if that matters):

EWR-FRA-BKK-HKT-BKK-LHR-EWR (6 segments)

My question is about if I could add on an additional segment ("free one-way") on the return to EWR? Since the original RT booking is only 6 segments, could I add a 2 segment one-way to the end of the above itinerary or just one segment?

Or, I may not choose that option, but may actually choose to fly out of a more local airport to me and add on a segment from/to AVP in each direction. Would this be allowed? It would be 4 segments in each direction for a total of 8 segments on a RT award.

Are either of those things possible with this new rule on segment limits?

Thanks a ton!!!

raehl311

You can *ABSOLUTELY* have 4 segments each way.

I booked a ticket with 5 one way and 3 the other yesterday that the supervisor who did it said was kosher.

I tried to have an agent do a ticket 4 one way and 6 back three days before that and it wouldn't price, she sent it off to the rate desk, and they said I was over a segment. I changed to 4 one way and 5 back and that did price (so it's technically possible) but may have been against policy.

SkinsFan0521

Thanks for the reply!

So, I should then (in theory) be able to book my "free one way" something like EWR-PHL-AUA?

I'm just making sure if I will be able to book one more segment or two more segments.

Thanks again, I appreciate it!

aacharya

Ugh, not this "free one way" business again.

OP - the stopover will work, but not to another zone, like AUA.

SkinsFan0521

Is that something new too?

I know that you used to be able to (as recently as last year sometime) book them to other zones and the Caribbean specifically. When did this change?

Thanks!