sbm12

Can you not drive up 30 minutes earlier than you initially planned, park at JFK and then take a taxi or car service to LGA? That is a very inexpensive to the problem and doesn't involve UA having to do anything for you. If the PHL seats were open I'm sure UA would change the award for you no problem. But they're not and getting them is unlikely. You can try to ask UA to escalate it to the internal team which deals with partner issues to resolve the situation but there's a decent chance that gets you nowhere.

Often1

What about flying to/from EWR on UA? Even if there is no award space, UA can force it on its own metal. The differences on the micro-hop up to YYZ are miniscule.

As others note, you can also ask UA to ask AC to force space on any of the AC alternatives you have mentioned, including to/from PHL. That simply takes time and may be refused by AC. In that case, you can go the EWR route or go back to driving / taxi.

Fortunately, you have a ton of good options, none are particularly expensive or bothersome and many of them are likely doable. It is simply a question of figuring out which order to request them so that you are in a position to grab one as it comes by. Don't make the mistake of working something out and telling the agent you will call back.

PV_Premier

I have a particularly annoying one and would appreciate some advice.

I have an award ticket SMF-LAX (X class), LAX-SYD (I class) and SYD-CHC (X class) with the last segment on NZ metal of course.

SYD-CHC has gone from a 9:30am departure to a 7:10am departure, now posting a 25 minute connection at SYD after the arrival of UA839. MCT at SYD I-I is 60 minutes. There is no other reasonable award space from SYD to CHC on the same date currently available even on a connecting via AKL/WLG, and of course nothing from US to CHC on NZ in I class. Worse, it is a day that UA does not operate SFO-AKL.

Any ideas about what I should do? I would love to avoid dropping SYD-CHC, and would also love to avoid flying a 4th segment. There are other NZ flights on that date, but no award space, and of course UA has no clout to force space open on NZ.

gusd

Would flying the day before to SYD (asking UA to open up space if not available) be an option, and overnight in SYD to catch the flight to CHC?

How much is SYD-CHC on JetStar for a later flight that day? If it's reasonable, you may want to just drop SYD-CHC and book a flight on JetStar. Transfer may be a pain in SYD, but could be an option.

aacharya

Why not fly as ticketed, and manage this once in SYD? NZ would need to place you on the next flight that day if you miss this one. Unless it's smack in the midst of peak travel, I can't imagine you'll not be placed on that one.

RNE

So, today a change on the return leg occurred reducing the international connection at EWR to 40 minutes. I used this squeaker as justification to call UA and cajole them into opening up award space on the MXP-EWR nonstop. Thus, my original 6-segment, itinerary (which, as noted above, I previously reduced to 5) is now four segments. Can't do any better than that, based in CLE. ^

RNE, opining that schedule changes can be your friend.

PV_Premier

I've already prepaid my campervan in NZ so I don't want to arrive late. If I ask to be reaccomodated the day before I'll ask to be put on SFO-AKL to avoid the TT flight. Our dates are somewhat flexible but I'd rather travel on the original date of departure.

SYD-CHC is $147. But x2 for two pax. NZ and EK cheaper than Jetstar as of today. I don't really feel like I should have to eat $300 with so many TT options out there.

PsiFighter37

I don't think I've ever had a schedule change that didn't go my way in the end. This weekend, I got my EWR-PDX reservation kicked back by 45 minutes, and my PDX-EWR return with a connection in SFO down to 30 minutes. Got the agent to route me EWR-IAD-PDX - not ideal, but it now gets me to Portland at 8:30pm instead of nearly 11. I then changed return to PDX-DEN-EWR, which gets me home 2 hours earlier as well.

PV_Premier

interesting idea. NZ only has one non-stop flight per day, plus seemlingly one option via WLG that gets us to CHC at a reasonable time. there is also an option with a very long connection in AKL. so it seems a little riskier than i want to be, if i was on a revenue ticket i would do it and just tell them they have to put me on EK if i missed the connection.

i don't really want to be separated from my baggage either, since we are jumping in a campervan on arrival and heading out into the countryside. i think i will let this stew for awhile and if nothing good comes of it by about 30 days before departure, ask them to force space to put us on SMF-SFO-AKL-CHC on either the previous or subsequent day, or parlay this into a free change if NZ opens up some space on one of their long hauls in I.

flymexico2010

Affected by a major schedule change (1,5 H+) that makes my layover in LAX too short to get in town and see something. LAS LAX MEX.

What can I do?:

1. ask for a LAS IAH MEX routing ?
2. ask for a LAS IAH my actual destination in mexico routing?Would that even work?

thanks

transportprof

You can easily change your routing after a sked change.

I don't think you can change your destination to another city unless there is no way to get to your booked destination (which there appears to be).

You could always ask to change destinations, and if this works, please let us know.

PV_Premier

are you saying that you are not headed to MEX but some other city served by UA in Mexico?

i've successfully used schedule changes to switch, say, RDU/GSO/CLT arrivals and depatures, but i've never been gutsy enough to try, say a switch from ATL to CLT.

option 1 (different routing to MEX) is certainly permissible in this situation.

channa

I don't know where they get these people, but I had a SFO-LAX-YYC (LAX-YYC is UA-coded, AC-operated). Schedule change to SFO-LAX to make the LAX connection under the MCT.

First agent saw the illegal connection, and I proposed SFO-YYC nonstop. He said he could waive the change fee, but there would be a fare difference. I asked him why there would be a fare difference when UA if giving me an illegal connection, and he said my fare bucket wasn't available. I then asked what options he had to remediate this, and he offered a refund. Told him to leave it as is and hung up.

I wanted to file a DOT complaint to get that agent retrained (and then someone at UA would fix it for me without having to make another call), but I recently filed a DOT against UA on something else, so I let them have a second chance.

Second agent argued the connection was fine. I had to walk her thru how to read an MCT for that flight number pair. Once she was able to acknowledge the connection was invalid, she was happy to give me the SFO-YYC nonstop pending supervisor approval, which they approved.

Two calls totaling over 30 minutes for something that should be real simple.

goodeats21

Looks like they changed the wording on schedule change notices when viewing reservations. One of mine now reads:

Pretty sure my meal was always dinner. It was originally departing ~5:30 PM

zrs70

I really wish they included the old schedule when indicating that there's a change.