Nov 1, 2013, 4:08 am
Last edit by: aacharya
Moderator Note: Please keep the wiki post limited to just the facts.
New UA Award/Upgrade Chart (vs. Current Chart)
Changes took effect for travel booked starting February 3, 2014. See UA Insider's post linked here for more info about the date change. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/22263212-post2366.html
Awards with *A partners now cost more than similar awards flown only on UA metal.
See below for the round-trip increases on partner metal :
Changes to upgrade policy for intra-Asia and northern South America flights
Questions and Answers
Q: If I book an award in January 2014 and then make changes in February or beyond (in routing, airline, origin, destination, etc), will it be repriced according to new mileage requirements, or will I keep the old pricing on that ticket?
Additional details on changing tickets booked prior to 2/3/14 per UA Insider:
Full details are in post #2588 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/22283437-post2588.html
Q: Do these rates apply for tickets purchased after Feb 3 or for travel after Feb 3? That is,if one purchases a ticket now, to fly on Mar 15, will that be new or old pricing?
Q: How will award pricing apply to mixed-carrier Saver Awards?
(reverted to J.Edward's rev)
New UA Award/Upgrade Chart (vs. Current Chart)
Changes took effect for travel booked starting February 3, 2014. See UA Insider's post linked here for more info about the date change. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/22263212-post2366.html
Awards with *A partners now cost more than similar awards flown only on UA metal.
- F awards on partners went up 40-80%
- J awards on partners went up 20-40%
- F and J awards on UA metal (or mixed carriers where UA metal is in premium cabin followed by partner segment in lower class) as well some Y awards increased by 5-20% (US to Europe in F up 19%, US to Middle East in F up 20% for example)
See below for the round-trip increases on partner metal :
US ✈ Southern South America: +10,000 J, +5,000 F
US ✈ Europe: +40,000 J, +85,000 F
US ✈ Northern/Central/Southern Africa: +40,000 J, +110,000 F
US ✈ Middle East: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +130,000 F
US ✈ Central Asia/India: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +120,000 F
US ✈ South Asia: +15,000 Y, +40,000 J, +120,000 F
US ✈ North Asia: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +100,000 F
US ✈ Japan: +5,000 Y, +30,000 J, +85,000 F
US ✈ Oceania: +30,000 J, +70,000 F
US ✈ Australia/New Zealand: +25,000 J, +100,000 F
RTW: +20,000 Y, +90,000 J, +100,000 F
US ✈ Europe: +40,000 J, +85,000 F
US ✈ Northern/Central/Southern Africa: +40,000 J, +110,000 F
US ✈ Middle East: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +130,000 F
US ✈ Central Asia/India: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +120,000 F
US ✈ South Asia: +15,000 Y, +40,000 J, +120,000 F
US ✈ North Asia: +5,000 Y, +40,000 J, +100,000 F
US ✈ Japan: +5,000 Y, +30,000 J, +85,000 F
US ✈ Oceania: +30,000 J, +70,000 F
US ✈ Australia/New Zealand: +25,000 J, +100,000 F
RTW: +20,000 Y, +90,000 J, +100,000 F
Changes to upgrade policy for intra-Asia and northern South America flights
- Complimentary Premier Upgrades and instant upgrades are not applicable
- Regional Premier Upgrades (for any fare class) and Global Premier Upgrades (for flights booked in fare class Z, P, S, T, L, K, G or N) can no longer be requested on or after November 1, 2013
- There is no co-pay exemption for MileagePlus Upgrade Awards requested on or after November 1, 2013
- The above changes do not apply to Copa-operated flights.
Questions and Answers
Q: If I book an award in January 2014 and then make changes in February or beyond (in routing, airline, origin, destination, etc), will it be repriced according to new mileage requirements, or will I keep the old pricing on that ticket?
Our existing change process will apply. Changes to awards that require a change in date do not result in a change to the award price. Any other change will require an add/collect in miles and fees for changes or cancellations will still apply as per our existing policies.
Changes that will not trigger a re-price for itineraries ticketed before February 3, 2014 include:
- Date/time (cabin, region, and award type can't change)
- Carrier on one or more segments (cabin, region, and award type can’t change)
- Origin/Destination within the same regions (carrier and cabin can’t change)
Q: Do these rates apply for tickets purchased after Feb 3 or for travel after Feb 3? That is,if one purchases a ticket now, to fly on Mar 15, will that be new or old pricing?
Updated handling for mixed UA-Partner United/partner award itineraries: As we shared with the initial announcement, the Star Alliance/Partner partner award pricing will apply to Business or First awards for itineraries that include at least one flight segment operated by a MileagePlus partner carrier in Business or First.
However, as a customer benefit we have made an exception for most itineraries which require connecting onto a MileagePlus/Star partner in First or Business for a short distance. Specifically, if a United/Copa award itinerary contains a connecting segment on a MileagePlus/Star partner that is wholly within one MileagePlus award region, then the United award price will apply.
However, as a customer benefit we have made an exception for most itineraries which require connecting onto a MileagePlus/Star partner in First or Business for a short distance. Specifically, if a United/Copa award itinerary contains a connecting segment on a MileagePlus/Star partner that is wholly within one MileagePlus award region, then the United award price will apply.
- For example: IAD-FRA in United BusinessFirst connecting to FRA-FCO in Lufthansa Business, will be priced at the United mileage award amount.
- Note that this exception will not apply to a few specific regions and routings, such as intra-Africa connecting segments and certain fifth-freedom routes (e.g. BKK-KUL operated by Lufthansa)
Changes to MileagePlus Award and Upgrade Policies - Eff. 3-Feb-2014
Nov 7, 2013, 8:23 pm
#1606
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: body: A stone's throw from SFO, mind: SE Asia
Programs: Some of this 'n some of that
Posts: 17,263
Nov 7, 2013, 8:57 pm
#1607
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,645
Folks: Are you seeing normal levels of inventory?
I thought I'd book a trip to Africa to get something on the calendar before the devaluation.
Checking SFO-JNB.
On the outbound, there is saver J space on 3/10 and 3/31 and 4/1 and 4/29.
Basically, in the entire month of Mar and Apr, there are exactly 4 days with saver J space.
On the return, there is no saver J space in Mar, Apr, May, Jun, or Jul.
Not a single flight, on a single day, in this 5 month period.
I realize this is only 1 of trillions of possible queries and I'm not familiar with the Africa market (have never been) - but this is deeply concerning, as I've never before seen a case where there is no saver J inventory whatsoever across a 5 month period.
What are others seeing, in terms of saver J for international travel, particularly on *A and TATL/TPAC?
It looks as though they wiped out saver J inventory across the board, and they've basically already implemented the devaluation by offering non-saver rates as the only option.
I thought I'd book a trip to Africa to get something on the calendar before the devaluation.
Checking SFO-JNB.
On the outbound, there is saver J space on 3/10 and 3/31 and 4/1 and 4/29.
Basically, in the entire month of Mar and Apr, there are exactly 4 days with saver J space.
On the return, there is no saver J space in Mar, Apr, May, Jun, or Jul.
Not a single flight, on a single day, in this 5 month period.
I realize this is only 1 of trillions of possible queries and I'm not familiar with the Africa market (have never been) - but this is deeply concerning, as I've never before seen a case where there is no saver J inventory whatsoever across a 5 month period.
What are others seeing, in terms of saver J for international travel, particularly on *A and TATL/TPAC?
It looks as though they wiped out saver J inventory across the board, and they've basically already implemented the devaluation by offering non-saver rates as the only option.
Nov 7, 2013, 9:09 pm
#1608
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: AA LT Plat, UA 1k/1mm+, National EE, IC Plat, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,605
Folks: Are you seeing normal levels of inventory?
I thought I'd book a trip to Africa to get something on the calendar before the devaluation.
Checking SFO-JNB.
On the outbound, there is saver J space on 3/10 and 3/31 and 4/1 and 4/29.
Basically, in the entire month of Mar and Apr, there are exactly 4 days with saver J space.
On the return, there is no saver J space in Mar, Apr, May, Jun, or Jul.
Not a single flight, on a single day, in this 5 month period.
I realize this is only 1 of trillions of possible queries and I'm not familiar with the Africa market (have never been) - but this is deeply concerning, as I've never before seen a case where there is no saver J inventory whatsoever across a 5 month period.
What are others seeing, in terms of saver J for international travel, particularly on *A and TATL/TPAC?
It looks as though they wiped out saver J inventory across the board, and they've basically already implemented the devaluation by offering non-saver rates as the only option.
I thought I'd book a trip to Africa to get something on the calendar before the devaluation.
Checking SFO-JNB.
On the outbound, there is saver J space on 3/10 and 3/31 and 4/1 and 4/29.
Basically, in the entire month of Mar and Apr, there are exactly 4 days with saver J space.
On the return, there is no saver J space in Mar, Apr, May, Jun, or Jul.
Not a single flight, on a single day, in this 5 month period.
I realize this is only 1 of trillions of possible queries and I'm not familiar with the Africa market (have never been) - but this is deeply concerning, as I've never before seen a case where there is no saver J inventory whatsoever across a 5 month period.
What are others seeing, in terms of saver J for international travel, particularly on *A and TATL/TPAC?
It looks as though they wiped out saver J inventory across the board, and they've basically already implemented the devaluation by offering non-saver rates as the only option.
Nov 7, 2013, 9:22 pm
#1609
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: SIN
Programs: UA 1K MM, SQ PPS, CX Silver, Accor Platinum, Marriott Gold, SPG Silver
Posts: 679
This may be a dumb questions, but what perplexes me is why bother to have UA metal redemption allowances for routes like S. Asia to ANZ? Last I checked there is no UA metal flying that route, short of transiting via SFO.
Would United let me book SIN-HKG-SFO-SYD as saver first for 60k miles each way?
Even weirder, I don't think UA actually flies to New Zealand at all, so for the UA metal chart, why not just call it Australia and be honest about it?!?!
Would United let me book SIN-HKG-SFO-SYD as saver first for 60k miles each way?
Even weirder, I don't think UA actually flies to New Zealand at all, so for the UA metal chart, why not just call it Australia and be honest about it?!?!
Nov 7, 2013, 9:43 pm
#1610
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,309
Nov 7, 2013, 11:12 pm
#1611
Join Date: May 2013
Location: RMS
Programs: DL Plat, UA Gold, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Credit Card Diamond
Posts: 8,789
Changes to MileagePlus Award and Upgrade Policies - Eff. Feb. 2014
The blogs are blowing up with this: if you want to book partner awards LH's new routes have great availability. YYZ-MUC is available all summer in J and F. MEX-MUC is available several days a week in J.
Nov 7, 2013, 11:37 pm
#1612
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,825
Folks: Are you seeing normal levels of inventory?
I thought I'd book a trip to Africa to get something on the calendar before the devaluation.
Checking SFO-JNB.
On the outbound, there is saver J space on 3/10 and 3/31 and 4/1 and 4/29.
Basically, in the entire month of Mar and Apr, there are exactly 4 days with saver J space.
On the return, there is no saver J space in Mar, Apr, May, Jun, or Jul.
Not a single flight, on a single day, in this 5 month period.
I realize this is only 1 of trillions of possible queries and I'm not familiar with the Africa market (have never been) - but this is deeply concerning, as I've never before seen a case where there is no saver J inventory whatsoever across a 5 month period.
What are others seeing, in terms of saver J for international travel, particularly on *A and TATL/TPAC?
It looks as though they wiped out saver J inventory across the board, and they've basically already implemented the devaluation by offering non-saver rates as the only option.
I thought I'd book a trip to Africa to get something on the calendar before the devaluation.
Checking SFO-JNB.
On the outbound, there is saver J space on 3/10 and 3/31 and 4/1 and 4/29.
Basically, in the entire month of Mar and Apr, there are exactly 4 days with saver J space.
On the return, there is no saver J space in Mar, Apr, May, Jun, or Jul.
Not a single flight, on a single day, in this 5 month period.
I realize this is only 1 of trillions of possible queries and I'm not familiar with the Africa market (have never been) - but this is deeply concerning, as I've never before seen a case where there is no saver J inventory whatsoever across a 5 month period.
What are others seeing, in terms of saver J for international travel, particularly on *A and TATL/TPAC?
It looks as though they wiped out saver J inventory across the board, and they've basically already implemented the devaluation by offering non-saver rates as the only option.
mitch: don't be such a rookie! Everyone knows the best way from SFO to JNB is in CX F!
Bookable with AS miles...
"70,000 Alaska Mileage Plan miles for Cathay Pacific first class one-way between the US and South Africa
http://boardingarea.com/onemileatati...award-tickets/
The greatest “gem” on Alaska’s award chart has long been for travel between the US and South Africa on Cathay Pacific. They charge just 140,000 miles roundtrip. Given that it’s a ~15 hour flight between the US and Hong Kong and then another ~13 hour flight between Hong Kong and Johannesburg, it’s pretty tough to beat four Cathay Pacific longhaul first class flights for 140,000 miles.
This year the Mileage Plan program became even more lucrative, since Alaska not only began allowing one-way redemptions on partner airlines, but also began allowing stopovers on one-way awards. This means you can fly Cathay Pacific first class from the US to Hong Kong, have a stopover, and then Hong Kong to Johannesburg, all for 70,000 miles."
Nov 8, 2013, 12:37 am
#1613
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 1,230
A fellow pax and I were discussing the only reason left for flying UA was MP.
I am done with United, going to start looking for another carrier.
I am done with United, going to start looking for another carrier.
Nov 8, 2013, 1:41 am
#1614
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: body: A stone's throw from SFO, mind: SE Asia
Programs: Some of this 'n some of that
Posts: 17,263
This may be a dumb questions, but what perplexes me is why bother to have UA metal redemption allowances for routes like S. Asia to ANZ? Last I checked there is no UA metal flying that route, short of transiting via SFO.
Would United let me book SIN-HKG-SFO-SYD as saver first for 60k miles each way?
Even weirder, I don't think UA actually flies to New Zealand at all, so for the UA metal chart, why not just call it Australia and be honest about it?!?!
Would United let me book SIN-HKG-SFO-SYD as saver first for 60k miles each way?
Even weirder, I don't think UA actually flies to New Zealand at all, so for the UA metal chart, why not just call it Australia and be honest about it?!?!
Nov 8, 2013, 2:16 am
#1615
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: TPA, FL
Programs: United Gold, Hilton Diamond,Marriott Gold
Posts: 482
You know it's bad when the Economist does a story on it.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulli...atpriceloyalty
Sorry posted this from my phone. It didn't hyperlink the url.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulli...atpriceloyalty
Sorry posted this from my phone. It didn't hyperlink the url.
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Nov 8, 2013 at 5:27 am Reason: merge
Nov 8, 2013, 2:43 am
#1617
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: body: A stone's throw from SFO, mind: SE Asia
Programs: Some of this 'n some of that
Posts: 17,263
Nov 8, 2013, 2:46 am
#1618
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,470
Nov 8, 2013, 3:06 am
#1619
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: HNL
Programs: United Gold
Posts: 1,581
The Economist is a very bland magazine, however I have found some articles very informative in the past. I recently discovered Monocle, and although not as well respected, I much prefer that now.
LOL ^ Some of mitchmu's posts are indeed awesome sauce
LOL ^ Some of mitchmu's posts are indeed awesome sauce
Nov 8, 2013, 3:36 am
#1620
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: OneWorld Emerald (BA GGL), *A Silver (Miles & Less), Skyteam Pleb (KLM FlyingBlue), Mucci Platinum
Posts: 907
It's actually a blog. Here's a link that works. Not particularly interesting or inciteful.