RobOnLI

Did it include partners like TK/ET/TG (basically all non-LH Group)? I'm guessing you had a warning that the ticket might take 24 hours and to check back. It sounds like the partner refused to accept the booking so United has no choice but to cancel it. All of your miles should be automatically refunded and any taxes refunded to your card. If this was an all UA booking then something went wrong and they can re-instate it.

We'll need more info like:
1. What flights were you booked on?
2. Was an actual e-ticket ever issued? Not the email saying "we are processing..." but the email that says "eTicket Itinerary and Receipt" and it has a 016xxxxxxx number for the ticket and appropriately lists all flights.

-RM

Stgermainparis

Resolved. But I want to update for future readers and to honor the replies that helped me sort this out. Okay so there indeed was an e-ticket issued bc I have the email and number. I had canceled another flight (occurring the day before) with a partner award on UA metal and apparently UA system wasn’t seeing that cancelation. So they thought it was a duplicate booking. The chat agent reinstated the new rez and said it would prob be canceled also bc of original rez/duplicate. However, after almost two hours on hold with booking airline, I think the duplicate is officially canceled. Got an email as such and see points redeposited. But geez that was stressful.

uanj

Thanks for getting back with the outcome.

Very interesting how aggressive UA has gotten cancelling what they deem to be duplicate reservations.

747FC

Did you get a warning email about the duplicates prior to getting a cancellation email?

How far in advance of the desired flight was the cancellation?

Thanks.

Stgermainparis

No warning email or call. Cancellation email received exactly 24.5 hours after e-ticket email received (minutes after I’d booked it).

Took 50 minutes to get someone on the app chat. They saw the duplicate but reinstated the cancelled one and said it would get canceled again if other booking stayed in system. I believe other ticket is now out of system and see points from that partner reinstated, so hopefully this time the new booking will stick. I get the impression that something happens at the 24 hour mark re duplicates since right after 24 hours I got the email.

Desired flight in 3 months.

Repooc17

Booked EWR-LHR roundtrip cash July outgoing; November return (flying with another airline in November from the US)


​​​​​​Booked DUB-EWR one-way award 1 day after LHR arrival in July (alternative transport from London to Dublin)


Got email notifications from UA on both reservations subject to cancellation. Called UA and agent added some notes.

Stop being so sensitive, UA, god damn it!

DELee

Will be interested to hear if UA and its systems can keep their sensitivity down with notes in the PNR flight info or if the auto algorithms will keep on flagging the flights and autogenerating e-mails.

Good luck.

David

Repooc17

United cancelled my DUB-EWR award ticket. Just sent an email to express my annoyance.

RNE

Algorithm: "Notes? What are notes? I don't see no notes! I don't gotta read your stinking notes!"

fumje

Are you asking to have DUB-EWR reinstated? I have to say, that seems like an insane degree of sensitivity for flagging "impossible" reservations.

Good luck.

Repooc17

Yep, asked for DUB-EWR to be reinstated.

EWR-LHR.(+1)
DUB-EWR (+2)

I actually have legitimate reason to be in London for 1 day only, and yes, departing from DUB is to save some $ (tax).

gold23

Interesting thing happened to son this past week. Originally booked into EWR as final destination, but work changed plans and he needed to get to BNA by end of day. He would need to transfer between a UA hub from where he was coming from anyway, and purchasing a one-way from EWR-BNA was cheaper than changing his current ticket. So he simply kept the original PNR and booked the subsequent EWR-BNA flight about 2hrs from when he was going to land in EWR (no bags, etc.).

Anyway, flight into EWR went mechanical on tarmac and was delayed on the ground for quite some time. As soon as they inserted the new flight plan into the system- which was now going to pull into the gate 10 minutes or so after his EWR-BNA flight- he gets an email from UA cancelling his EWR-BNA ticket. Two separate reservations. He calls UA and asks why they simply cancelled his flight instead of rebooked. Said that they were different reservations so he wasn't protected (understandable). But that the system realized he wouldn't be able to make that second flight. He asked "what if I was never on the first flight?" and agent answered that he would've been in system as a no-show by then, etc.

They re-booked him on later BNA flight at no cost (I wonder if he got lucky here), but I found it interesting that the system was that advanced in recognizing two completely separate reservations by the same person AND the fact that he wasn't going to make the first one. Almost like they treated it as one PNR without the protections it is afforded.

DELee

Yup. Algorithm. Apparently quite sensitive.

David

Repooc17

Emailed, nothing. Called, got the reservation reinstated. And again email cancellation warning message.

I am going to fly with someone else now. This is helpless.

RealHJ

There's plenty of *A airlines you can ticket it with, either revenue or award. Just use a different *A airline currency (miles) to book the flights. Book one with UA and other with another *A airline. Problem solved.