2P or not 2P

My attempts at obtaining miles from 4U on MP:
-No way in advance on 4U website.
-Can be done at check in desk, but some agents (especially contracted agents e.g. AHS at Hamburg) need some convincing it can be done.
-At LH/4U ticket desk, but at DUS on Friday morning they would only do it for my immediate flight from DUS and not for other future reservations.

I have claimed via MP but MP want fare class and ticket number, which 4U do not publish. As I have got 3 of these now I am going to try calling 4U for this information. On the plus side my miles from 4U DUS-HAM on Friday morning have posted within 1 working day.

lhrsfo

Please update whether you can get this info in advance. I have two 4U legs in December and would rather not go to the check in desk.

jacobac00

This thread has made me nervous about my flight this winter. Flying MSP-IAH-LHR on UA, and LHR-HAM on 4U. Does the LHR-HAM leg on 4U prevent lounge access in LHR? I never would have thought that a possibility. I'm a pretty new *G so I don't know all the rules yet, but wouldn't have thought to check for this one.

Any advice? I booked this routing to check out the new UA Club at LHR (but mostly because it was the cheapest).

lhrsfo

It sounds like no lounge access unless you strike lucky. In any event, you would be better advised to use the LH lounge as the UA one is in a different part of the terminal, about 30 mins round trip walk away

pewpew

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I just forwarded the receipt and mobile boarding pass to MP and let them deal with 4U for me

Whenever I asked 4U agents for the ticket number, all they gave me was the PNR...

djohannw

Living in 4U's major hub-city I can confirm that you will not be allowed into a LH- or *A-lounge with a UA *Gold card of any variety (no differentiation between Premier Gold to 1K). If you hold additional status with LH, however, you will be allowed into a Lufthansa-operated lounge only (no contract, no *A-Lounge), either Frequent Traveler lounge or SEN lounge depending on your status with LH.

As others have noted, I yet have to find a way to get my UA number into the booking before checkin, and even there it requires quite some convincing that this is possible. I have also found out the option to add this on the LH-website, however the flight I used this for is not before November, so I will not know before then if this really works.

At last, however, boarding announcements have been modified to include "UA *Gold cardholders" for priority boarding...something introduces in July or so even after the UA website stated this benefit already since January.

Greetings - Dirk

jacobac00

Well this really stinks. I have a five hour layover in LHR and was really looking forward to lounge hopping. Other than FlyerTalk where am I supposed to find this information?

Any chance that having all legs on 016 ticket stock matters? Does this just apply for 4U issued tickets? I'm guessing not but hoping to find a solution.

pewpew

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If you have a non American Amex Plat, Priority Pass can get you into the UC

jacobac00

I'm still trying to figure out how I could possibly know this without reading this thread. If you look at the lounge access thread the requirements are clear. Am I supposed to figure out that because GermanWings is listed under "Other Worldwide Partners" instead of "Star Alliance" that the lounge rules don't apply? Maybe that is obvious to others, but I guess that went right over my head.

One of my favorite benefits of Gold status and I won't even get to use it where it counts, overseas. What a way to start the week.

jacobac00

Don't worry everyone, I have found a solution. I know you were all as stressed about this as I was.

When I took a short break from being annoyed by this, I remembered I have two UA club passes from the credit card. Problem solved, I can just use those to get us in. Though I still feel like UA should make that a bit more transparent, unless I'm a total dunce and it is.

Thanks for the replies.

mherdeg

Same story with Edelweiss (not exactly LX) or Silkair (not quite SQ). Carriers have low-cost affiliates. It's just something you "know" if you do the frequent travel thing a lot. No, there's no way to learn it other than experience and error.

jacobac00

I feel better knowing I wasn't missing something on the UA website. Plus, much better to learn here and know to bring my club passes rather than be in for a surprise when I get to the lounge.

djohannw

As a *G you are allowed into lounges operated by a *A-carrier or a joint *A-lounge only when you have a flight departing the airport you are trying to use the lounge at on a Star Alliance Airline. This is the rule valid worldwide for lounge-access using your *G card. Since Germanwings is not a member of the Star Alliance and you depart on them, you lack the qualification criteria of "departing on a *A airline".

Just because UA sells you a ticket with the 4U flight on does not automatically mean you will get lounge access all the way based on your status - in theory you could also have a BA-flight LHR-HAM, but BA certainly would not invite you into their Concord room with your UA *G-card...

I agree this is a change in what everyone was used to in the past when travel on UA and its affiliates was simple, but the reality is that this will become much even complicated in Europe once LH rolls out Jump (low-cost subsidiary but using LH-codes) and Worldwings (another low-cost subsidiary using non LH-codes) on longhaul flights. And then there will be a redesigned Eurowings operating intra-Europe flights out of FRA and MUC with a not-yet determined use of code...welcome to the land of confusion!

Greetings - Dirk

ms_go

Any other experiences with miles posting to MP automatically or having to chase the miles on a UA-issued (016...) ticket with MP# in the reservation? We had one Germanwings segment (HAM-HER) on a six-segment reservation. Fare listed on my receipt is "I," which is the highest "smart fare" (remainder of the reservation was UA/LH "P" fare), so as best as I can tell I should earn RDMs/PQMs. MP number was definitely in the reservation; agent verified at check-in. It's been over a week and nothing has posted yet.

As an aside, we got seating in the "best" section and priority check-in. There didn't seem to be anything resembling priority boarding--everyone lined up and went at once. And we didn't even try re: the lounge as it only opened a few minutes before boarding and was a ways from the gate.

JVPhoto

What a load of crap. Luckily if I have to connect to/from TXL I can do it in MUC or FRA which are still LH flights. CDG or LHR on the other hand are now going to be a pain, have little desire to fly 4U.