jwhite4

I was booked an an UA award ___-SFO-OGG, all on UA metal. Got a notification that my flight was changed. Looks like there is little/no UA metal going to OGG anymore. Instead they are routing me through HNL, with an interisland HNL-OGG flight on Hawaiian.

Some questions:

1. If I search UA for paid flights, there are earlier HNL-OGG flights. However, the United agent wouldn't offer them to me. She said the only flight available was a later one, which if you search for award inventory, is what shows up.
I tried to make the case that you can't look for partner award inventory now. My ticket was booked long ago. If there was no award inventory now, would I not be able to fly at all?
Is UA correct in this?

2. Assuming I can't get UA to change this, are they any options to change the flight (even day of, and/or at the gate) with Hawaiian? I looked at the HA website, it looks like the change fee for award tickets is $30, not bad. However it's unclear if it's a partner award ticket, if that can be changed.

3. If they can change (to an earlier flight), will my UA-tagged luggage make it to the new flight?

4. HA has reserved seats. I wasn't able to select that on the UA website. Can I call Hawaiian, give them my flight info, and get seats selected with them?

Thanks in advance. Jeff

LyfeSaver

1. I am not exactly certain which rules you can leverage- but there are a few that you can ask about. If agent is incompetent, hang up and call again, or ask for a supervisor to look into schedule change rules. Has your total travel time increased by a significant margin? I think if it is more than a couple of hours, they do owe you the responsibility to get you to the destination earlier. I'm not certain whether the additional connection is a matter you can ask about. Usually I've always resolved through # of hours argument- other experts here may have a better answer.


2. I'm assuming the ticket is a UA issued 016 stock- then HA ticketing rules do not apply. They will not be able to do the SDC at 30 bucks.

3. If you are already en route in your segments, do not expect this will happen. Not all bags get forwarded on early, especially with a routing change.

4. Ask UA for the record locator for the HAWAIIAN AIRLINES leg. Use that to contact HA res to get assigned seats. Otherwise, you can also look it up with HA res by ticket number.

mduell

What are you talking about? UA averages 1100 seats a day on their own metal into OGG!

Revenue availability is completely different than partner award availability.

You can have whatever partner award inventory is available now, or UA will generally open space on their own metal if you've been impacted by a schedule change. Or cancel for a full refund if it's a big change.

I doubt it, due to checked luggage. You can't voluntarily separate from your bags.

A question for the HA forum.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

News to me on UA metal. I live here and I can guarantee you there are plenty of UA flights to Maui (probably not much change in # of flights in last year or so, although fewer 757s and more 737s).

Your remarks on inventory don't make sense. Inventory varies. Just because there was inventory then, doesn't mean there is now and vice-versa.

Revenue connections from mainland result in award tickets being less available at more convenient times. If there is space available on an earlier flight, you can make the change at HNL for $25 (I guess $30 now, from your post).

I'm guessing a schedule change messed up your original connection. Small/no consolation, but an award ticket thru HNL is slightly more expensive mile-wise than what you paid for, and I'm assuming UA is eating it.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

False. You can certainly go to a Hawaiian counter and change to an earlier flight on a UA-issued ticket. I've done it several times.

LyfeSaver

Oh really? Love that we can do this- didn't know. Learned something new today!

mahasamatman

If the inventory isn't there, the best they may be able to do is to offer a refund.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

It's been a while since I did it with checked bags, but a couple of years ago, the HA rep took my checked bag #s. Haven't done it recently w/ bags, so YMMV w/ bags. On long connections, your bags may arrive at OGG before you (look to right of HA bag office or on left side (toward wall) of carousel #1 on arrival if there's a flight or two between your arrival at HNL and your flight to OGG.

jwhite4

There might be plenty of UA metal into OGG now. However it looks like as of Oct the mainland-OGG nonstops go away (and my flight is later that month). Is that a seasonal thing?

My previous routing had me arriving OGG directly at 3:20pm. When I checked at what UA automatically changed it to, it was a flight that landed just about 8pm. The best I was able to get them to change it to over the phone was one that lands 5:40p. Based on the $$ schedule, there are 4 flights (all partner) that arrive earlier.

I would try to earlier HA flight if it was an option. I have plans to stay on that side of the island for a couple hours, so having to come back when my original flight comes in (to hopefully get the luggage then) wouldn't be a problem.

FYI on that earlier flight, there's 76 min between when my UA flight is scheduled to land, and when the earlier HA flight departs. [Of course, by the time I get over to the HA counter, and request the change, probably less than an hour.]

Jeff

mduell

UA is averaging 900 seats a day in the second half of October, there's no "going away" there.

Kacee

Don't know where you're getting that, it's just wrong. There are three nonstops from SFO and LAX most days, plus one each from DEN and ORD.

I would call UA and insist they open seats on their own metal.

belfordrocks

Is there a change fee for this? Regretting not doing this last time I got to KOA with a little too much time to spare...

jwhite4

I did a closer check, comparing ~Oct 1 flights, with the next week:

- for SFO-OGG: It looks like they've eliminated the 1040a and 205pm SFO departures, and replaced it with a 5:35p one (that lands ~8pm- what I was originally auto-changed to).

- for DEN-OGG: It looks like they've eliminated the 10:45a nonstop

- LAX-OGG: It keeps it's ~9am and ~6pm nonstops.

So basically, with the SFO and DEN flight changes, unless you can can get to SFO or LAX by to make the ~9am flights on UA metal, you're stuck taking a ~6pm flight, that arrives 8pm or later. The 1040a, 1045a, 205p flights were the only ones that allowed originating from the East Coast, and arriving in OGG, on US metal, during the daylight.

So something is happening to the schedule. Just my luck that my flight is after the change.

Jeff

Kacee

Again, I don't know where you're looking, but that's just flat wrong. There are four nonstops SFO-OGG on October 1, 2016.

jwhite4

~Oct 1 is the break date. Look a week later, or later in the month.

Jeff