Paul510

Hi-
Is it possible to use award miles for 2 passengers and then pay cash for the 3rd all in the same transaction and online? or do I have to do 2 separate bookings or worse have to call?

Thanks,

Paul

drew in the air

2 separate bookings. Can't combine.

emcampbe

To be on one itinerary, everything, except the specific traveler name details and related info., have to be the same. Everyone needs to be in same fare class (and by that, I mean that each traveler must be in the same fare class as each other on the flight...flight 1 can still be, in say, T and flight 2 in W. All flgihts must be exactly the same. Fare paid must be the same.

If you want a mix of paid and award tickets, they need to be in one record for the award tickets, another for the revenue.

jsloan

All of this is true. In addition, if you have a mixture of airlines on an award itinerary, it can be difficult, impossible, and/or outrageously expensive to book the same flights for a paid passenger. The flight combination rules for awards are much more liberal than they are for paid tickets.

PushingTin

Family of four to fly to Hawaii for Spring break. I have enough miles for 7 of the eight tickets. I called in and they told me that I can't buy a ticket for me and then have my family on my miles all on one itinerary. Cash for for one itin, points for the other- and they can't be combined afterwards. I got the outbound on points for all of us since seats were getting short and those were the expensive ones. On the return, Not really too much of an issue, except for two things if my family is on the points itin and I'm paying for the missing leg:

They don't get free bags.
My wife definitely won't get pre-check, not sure if my kids will (I do have pre-check)

I was told that I could get them E+ seating though.

Is that true about the seats and bags? I think that is pretty crappy.

Good ways to get 50k miles quick? The return tickets are $550 each. I'd rather not spend the cash, but it would allow me to play the R gamble with some RPUs.

WineCountryUA

Everything you were told seems right.
Different fare classes mean seperate PNRs.

Why don't you purchase tickets for one of the others? And put yourself on the award ticket, so all but one gets to share your elite benefits.

PushingTin

I'm fine with consolidating threads, but when it cuts off responses I spent 10 minutes writing, that is a PITA.

On pre-check, does my kid need to be on my itin to get access to pre-check?

Can I get the bag benefit for family if we are checking in together on seperate itins?

This separating people from the status holders was cool when they are truly travelling separately, but this shows where that policy is pretty crappy.

If I'm paying for tickets, I'd rather get the miles, PQM and PQD.

WineCountryUA

Kids 12 and under can use Precheck with an adult

No (unless you get lucky).

The need for separate cash and award PNRs is universal for airlines, you can not be on a common PNR with different fare classes -- that's a limitation of the GDS.

Understand but there are tradeoffs

expressboy

Do you have any American express or Chase points? Transferring them over is usually very quick.

drew in the air

Unless your wife is enrolled in precheck, it doesn't matter if she is on your PNR or not. Being on your PNR does not get any adult precheck if they are not enrolled.

laxmillenial

Not exactly true. In the past 3 months, I am 4/4 reservations where the person on my PNR (unrelated, adult 18+, different last name) has gotten TSA Precheck because I have it.

Being on the same PNR seems to extend these benefits.

PushingTin

I run a Marriott card which is how I got the hotel, and I ran that dry, so I couldn't transfer if I wanted to since it seems transfers lose a lot of innate value.

I agree on the spouse on the same PNR. Up until two years ago she wouldn't get it and would be hacked off when I would leave her with the irradiate or fondle while barefoot in the Premier line. In the three times since, she has gotten PC. That is way beyond statistics. I was just wondering if I have to have my kids on the same PNR or with 'pre-check' in the ticket to get them thru with me.

What a mess. A lesson for if I travel with the family to the EU on business and want to fly them over on points.

ETA: was looking at the pre-check website and I see that the kid has to be under 12. My son will be 13 when we fly. So I put my wife and 13yo on my itin and hope they get pre by association, and then my 10yo as the separate itin and hope she can glom on.

dts9

id like to book myself in business but use points for my wife. However, I’d like her on my booking so she can benefit from upgrades, seats, luggage etc. Can you do that.

mduell

No, UA can't handle that kind of difference on a single reservation. Has to be same booking classes, in addition to same flights/carriers/etc.

dvs7310

I've wanted to do the same many times for exactly the same reason, unfortunately it's still not possible.