Award Booking Pushed Change Help!
Mar 25, 2013, 9:20 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: BOS
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Award Booking Pushed Change Help!
I had a one way award booking through United on Luthwansa on May 3rd, BOS>MUC>VCE.
I recently received an email that stated that my updated flight date is now May 4th, now BOS>FRA>VCE and I don't get into to VCE until the night of the 5th. Essentially I'm losing a whole day in Venice, not to mention I alredy have plans, hotel etc. booked for the 4th.
I call United and the explanation I get is that the MUC>VCE segment was cancelled and they booked me on the next availble award flight.
Is there anything I can do to get back to my original plan via a different route/carrier? Should I can and have the issue pushed up to mgmt? Or am I SOL because its an award ticket?
Thank you for your help in advance!
I recently received an email that stated that my updated flight date is now May 4th, now BOS>FRA>VCE and I don't get into to VCE until the night of the 5th. Essentially I'm losing a whole day in Venice, not to mention I alredy have plans, hotel etc. booked for the 4th.
I call United and the explanation I get is that the MUC>VCE segment was cancelled and they booked me on the next availble award flight.
Is there anything I can do to get back to my original plan via a different route/carrier? Should I can and have the issue pushed up to mgmt? Or am I SOL because its an award ticket?
Thank you for your help in advance!
Mar 25, 2013, 9:29 am
#2
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Find an alternate routing for the preferred date that will work for you, call them, propose it, and tell them you have plans for the 4th that you cannot change and that you would not have purchased the ticket if departure on the 3rd was not possible. Try to route through another airport (LHR, FRA) where there is a flight to VCE on the 3rd. Consider alternate airports (eg, Milan) and taking the train to VCE.
Mar 25, 2013, 9:29 am
#3
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Flight schedules are always changing. You have two options: look for alternative routings with award space and phone UA back and ask to be changed to those flights ... or cancel your itinerary and get your miles back (clearly you probably don't want to do that given your hotel bookings).
Mar 25, 2013, 9:31 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
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If there was a major change in the itinerary you can insist on a routing/date closer to the original itinerary. As the advice here is heard, "If you do not like what the agent says hang up and keep calling to you get one who knows what to do." Any major change in itinerary is eligible for redoing without a fee.
Mar 25, 2013, 9:36 am
#6
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So, first I would start looking for available alternatives that work better. While you can ask for the agents to call another airline to open space, you will most likely be refused.
Mar 25, 2013, 9:47 am
#8
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In the last few weeks before travel, additional options can show up, so it may not be as limited as feared. Consider leaving a little earlier, consider less direct routing, ... call to see what they can find, some agents (not all) can get very creative.
Mar 25, 2013, 9:51 am
#9
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And sometimes that will be the case...last year LH cancelled our NCL-DUS award flight due to the fact that they weren't going to be flying at all out of NCL on Saturdays and there was literally no option to leave on Saturday so we had to leave one night early which let to a forced overnight in DUS, but I did contact LH after the trip requesting a refund for my DUS hotel cost and they actually sent me a check for my hotel bill...plus we enjoyed a fun day in DUS although we missed getting to spend the time with our friends in NCL...oh well...lemonade out of lemons I suppose.
Mar 25, 2013, 9:51 am
#10
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There is UA availability (standard only) from BOS-FRA, and then the FRA-VCE flights are all pretty wide open on the 3rd and 4th.
UA can open up space on their metal.
UA can open up space on their metal.
Mar 25, 2013, 10:03 am
#11
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Another alternative I'm considering is getting them to push it to Milan.
Mar 25, 2013, 11:29 am
#12
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I had a one way award booking through United on Luthwansa on May 3rd, BOS>MUC>VCE.
I recently received an email that stated that my updated flight date is now May 4th, now BOS>FRA>VCE and I don't get into to VCE until the night of the 5th. Essentially I'm losing a whole day in Venice, not to mention I alredy have plans, hotel etc. booked for the 4th.
I call United and the explanation I get is that the MUC>VCE segment was cancelled and they booked me on the next availble award flight.
Is there anything I can do to get back to my original plan via a different route/carrier? Should I can and have the issue pushed up to mgmt? Or am I SOL because its an award ticket?
Thank you for your help in advance!
I recently received an email that stated that my updated flight date is now May 4th, now BOS>FRA>VCE and I don't get into to VCE until the night of the 5th. Essentially I'm losing a whole day in Venice, not to mention I alredy have plans, hotel etc. booked for the 4th.
I call United and the explanation I get is that the MUC>VCE segment was cancelled and they booked me on the next availble award flight.
Is there anything I can do to get back to my original plan via a different route/carrier? Should I can and have the issue pushed up to mgmt? Or am I SOL because its an award ticket?
Thank you for your help in advance!
There are also many flights connecting in FRA, BRU, VIE and IST that will get you into Venice between 5:30 and 6:30 PM. You can definitly get into Venice on the 4th, just maybe a little later.
Mar 25, 2013, 6:33 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: JFK
Posts: 382
*A award issue: flight removed from reservation
Hello,
I helped a friend book a *A award in Y on LH a few months ago for August: IAD->MUC->VCE.
Checked in on it just now and the MUC->VCE portion has disappeared. Looks like LH got rid of this particular flight (at 13:00), and the closest possibility now is at 15:15. Problem is, the 15:15 flight (as well as all the other direct MUC->VCE flights) seems to have no award space.
Can UA add the 15:15 flight to this itinerary even though there's no award space, based on the fact that the original booking had a direct flight for this leg? Adding an additional leg would sure be a downer.
I helped a friend book a *A award in Y on LH a few months ago for August: IAD->MUC->VCE.
Checked in on it just now and the MUC->VCE portion has disappeared. Looks like LH got rid of this particular flight (at 13:00), and the closest possibility now is at 15:15. Problem is, the 15:15 flight (as well as all the other direct MUC->VCE flights) seems to have no award space.
Can UA add the 15:15 flight to this itinerary even though there's no award space, based on the fact that the original booking had a direct flight for this leg? Adding an additional leg would sure be a downer.
Mar 25, 2013, 6:34 pm
#14
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similar discussion ongoing here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ange-help.html
Mar 25, 2013, 7:09 pm
#15
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Were you on the 11:15 AM flight out of MUC arriving at 12:15? It looks like that flight is canceled. However, LH does have a flight at 3:15 PM arriving at 4:15 into VCE and there are regular seats avaialble on that flight. Ask UA to rebook you onto that flight. Hopefully they can work with LH to make it work.
LH cancelled the MUC-VCE, and didn't (yet) protect you. UA probably jumped the gun, cancelled all of it, and booked you on BOS-FRA-VCE instead.
I've seen new UA have a very cavalier attitude towards schedule changes, including those with partner space, and they have cancelled confirmed partner space on me and made unilateral rebookings.
If this was the case here, LH will not likely be willing to work with UA on this because form LH's perspective, UA voluntarily relinquished the space. The recourse will be to convince UA to book the OP in a revenue class on the flights.