Star Gold on UA same-day flight change

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Feb 6, 2018, 11:07 pm

#31

WineCountryUA

Moderator: United Airlines

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: SFO

Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat

Posts: 66,857

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjh00008

... I spent 3 hours on the phone trying to force the change by SDC and was unsuccessful. ...

There a multiple reasons SDC is not available. The most likely is your fare class is not available on one of the segments

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjh00008

...I called later and asked to be listed standby for my preferred flights and was told that can only be done at the airport. Is that second part true

Yes

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjh00008

..When I get to the airport should I hightail for the premier access line and try to confirm the change? ...

Standby for connecting segments is nearly impossible but trying SDC again is worth a try.

Feb 6, 2018, 11:08 pm

#32

mjh00008

Join Date: Dec 2009

Posts: 30

When I booked it, this is exactly how it appeared on the receipt:Wed, 07FEB18
UA101
L
HOUSTON, TX
(IAH -BUSH INTL) 8:00 PMSYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
(SYD) 6:30 AM (09FEB)

Dinner
Fri, 09FEB18
UA6774LSYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
(SYD) 11:50 AMAUCKLAND NZ
(AKL) 4:55 PMFlight operated by AIR NEW ZEALAND.
If this is an originating flight on your itinera

L class on everything. SYD - AKL is a ANZ flight number now in my profile, not how it appears on the receipt. There was L class inventory earlier today on desired flights, but it is gone now. I am hopeful L class opens up. Good point on the standby - my understanding was flawed, that it was essentially the same as SDC. Would only alter my itinerary if confirmed on the flights. Just trying to find a workaround for the 5 hour layover in Sydney, and going to Sydney at all if possible. If I can force the change with only $75 per ticket fee it is well worth it.

It's beside the point, but there was an equipment change on the return flights, which allows me a free change on that side of the reservation but is no help to me tomorrow.

Last edited by mjh00008; Feb 6, 2018 at 11:29 pm

Feb 6, 2018, 11:58 pm

#33

jsloan

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Oct 2001

Location: Austin, TX

Posts: 21,413

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjh00008

L class on everything. SYD - AKL is a ANZ flight number now in my profile, not how it appears on the receipt. There was L class inventory earlier today on desired flights, but it is gone now. I am hopeful L class opens up. Good point on the standby - my understanding was flawed, that it was essentially the same as SDC. Would only alter my itinerary if confirmed on the flights. Just trying to find a workaround for the 5 hour layover in Sydney, and going to Sydney at all if possible. If I can force the change with only $75 per ticket fee it is well worth it.

OK, fair enough. The reason I asked was both to check inventory -- as you noted, there's not currently any L inventory through to AKL -- and to see if there was evidence of a broken fare. If there were a fare break at SYD, and your itinerary were actually fared as IAH-SYD+SYD-AKL, that would add an additional (possibly insurmountable) complication. It's impossible to know for sure without seeing the fare construction, but that doesn't look like a broken fare to me.

Standby clears one flight at a time and is really intended for passengers on nonstop itineraries (or taking an earlier flight to/from the connection point). I suppose you might get a sympathetic agent at IAH to pre-clear you for SFO-AKL if you cleared IAH-SFO (and if SFO-AKL were wide open), but I think it's more likely you'd be told that they can't put you on standby for a flight through a different connection airport.

If L inventory does open, you may be able to get customer service at IAH to put you onto IAH-SFO-AKL. "Hey, we've got a flight tonight through SYD to AKL, but since we're here already, we were hoping you could send us through SFO instead; you'd be adding like a day to our vacation and saving us from going thousands of miles out of our way."

Good luck! And have a great trip either way.

Feb 7, 2018, 12:14 am

#34

oa424

Join Date: Mar 2013

Location: YYZ

Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold

Posts: 44

Hi everyone, flying from BUF-ORD-STL-DEN-ANC next Saturday in Y. Im *G w/ TG but with the ticket being an AC award on 014 stock, I am wondering how likely a SDC or SBY might be in order to avoid the overnight at STL and potentially be able to connect through IAH or SFO.

Many thanks,

oa424

Feb 7, 2018, 12:37 am

#35

WineCountryUA

Moderator: United Airlines

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: SFO

Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat

Posts: 66,857

Quote:

Originally Posted by oa424

Zero chance of SDC, SDC is only for 016 tickets. Standby is possible on non-016 tickets, but routing changes are not allowed and standby with connecting segments are generally not allowed.

So sorry but No & No

Feb 7, 2018, 11:46 am

#36

oa424

Join Date: Mar 2013

Location: YYZ

Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold

Posts: 44

Quote:

Originally Posted by WineCountryUA

Thought so, but just wanted to confirm. Thanks again!

Feb 18, 2018, 10:11 pm

#37

oa424

Join Date: Mar 2013

Location: YYZ

Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold

Posts: 44

Quote:

Originally Posted by WineCountryUA

Thought I'd post an update: Turns out the incoming flight to BUF yesterday was delayed 1.5 hours, and the web rebooking tool gave me the option to reroute (amongst others) BUF-ORD-HNL-DEN-ANC, and didnt pass up the opportunity to take this very interesting routing to ANC.

NoLaGent, ContinentalFan, BThumme and 1 others like this.

Feb 18, 2018, 10:15 pm

#38

Kacee

A FlyerTalk Posting Legend

Join Date: Apr 2013

Location: PHX

Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)

Posts: 56,467

Quote:

Originally Posted by oa424

web rebooking tool gave me the option to reroute (amongst others) BUF-ORD-HNL-DEN-ANC, and didnt pass up the opportunity to take this very interesting routing to ANC.

You flew that? Awesome. Would be even better if you SDC'ed yourself a week long stay in Hawaii.

NoLaGent likes this.

Feb 18, 2018, 10:20 pm

#39

IAH-OIL-TRASH

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Sep 2003

Location: Honolulu Harbor

Programs: UA 1K

Posts: 15,025

Quote:

Originally Posted by oa424

no seat ORD-DEN, so you got ORD-HNL-DEN? Wow. Just wow. Maybe there was a ORD-LHR-DEN option?If you were in coach the whole way, you should get some kind of medal. Too bad the old CO HNL-ANC route isn’t run anymore.

Last edited by IAH-OIL-TRASH; Feb 18, 2018 at 10:26 pm

Feb 19, 2018, 2:54 am

#40

oa424

Join Date: Mar 2013

Location: YYZ

Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold

Posts: 44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kacee

You flew that? Awesome. Would be even better if you SDC'ed yourself a week long stay in Hawaii.

It made for quite an interesting day... although the weather in HNL was rough; the 5 hour layover would have been much more exciting if it wasn't rainy and wet... spending it in the UA club and the Hawaiian Airlines lounge wasn't all that memorable. Still though, I enjoyed this (small?) detour on the way up to AK.

Feb 19, 2018, 3:03 am

#41

oa424

Join Date: Mar 2013

Location: YYZ

Programs: A3 *Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold

Posts: 44

Quote:

Originally Posted by IAH-OIL-TRASH

As someone who loves to fly and is used to flying ultra-longhaul for a living, I found this option to be a fun and creative way to get to AK and deliberately chose this routing.. Plus, got some of my work done in between napping

atword likes this.