Dec 27, 2016, 9:23 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
United's Announcement and FAQ
Kacee's Interpretation
Main Impact Since October 6
Useful Links
This is an archive thread, the active thread is Award booking questions/ issues/ routing/ excursionist problems / help
Kacee's Interpretation
Main Impact Since October 6
- Fee Changes such as platinum members are subject to various award fees
- No more free stopover - replaced with Excursionist Perk
- Agents no longer have the ability to find routings that do not show up on united.com
- Manually constructing trips using multi-city search results in multiple award fares being charged
- Changing any segment MIGHT require current availability for all existing Os&Ds in the PNR (as if a brand new booking is made) - YMMV
- Singapore Airlines segments are priced separately (add-ons)
Useful Links
This is an archive thread, the active thread is Award booking questions/ issues/ routing/ excursionist problems / help
UA award booking,change questions/fees/issues/routing/excursionist problems {Archive}
Mar 12, 2018, 1:11 pm
#2311
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
Fair enough. If I want to give a try to see what happens, what has greater likelihood of success to ultimately change to HKG-MUC-FRA-ORD (all LH F)?
HKG-MUC-ORD (with MUC-ORD in UA F)
HKG-MUC-ORD (with MUC-ORD in LH C)
Benefit to second option it is has no UA segments and is all LH, while the first option is entirely in F already. Not sure if it really makes a difference but want to maximize my chances of success with a phone agent or even potentially the online change engine.
HKG-MUC-ORD (with MUC-ORD in UA F)
HKG-MUC-ORD (with MUC-ORD in LH C)
Benefit to second option it is has no UA segments and is all LH, while the first option is entirely in F already. Not sure if it really makes a difference but want to maximize my chances of success with a phone agent or even potentially the online change engine.
Mar 13, 2018, 9:12 am
#2312
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Floating around
Programs: UA 1K (1MM), DL Gold (1MM), Marriott LTT
Posts: 10,346
This is driving me nuts. Both flights I want have "XN" but together, using married segment logic, XN=0. So I can't book the ticket I want. I'm forced to take a 4+ hour layover in ORD. And because of that I'm now forced to pay double taxes on the ticket ($11.20 vs $5.60) just for the "privilege" of spending more hours than I want in ORD.
When I call the 1K line to get this booked they can't (or won't) force it. And, of course, if I book it as a multi-city I have to pay almost double the miles but only $5.60 in taxes. So frustrating.
-RM
When I call the 1K line to get this booked they can't (or won't) force it. And, of course, if I book it as a multi-city I have to pay almost double the miles but only $5.60 in taxes. So frustrating.
-RM
Mar 13, 2018, 9:16 am
#2313
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Montrose, CO
Programs: United 1K MM, Marriott LTPP
Posts: 548
I just got off the phone with 1K over the exact same issue. MTJ-DEN available XN for 10k, DEN-ORD available XN for 12.5k. Try and put together MTJ-DEN-ORD and it turns into 17.5k. Surely if XN is available on both flights it should be 12.5k. I am sure it didn't used to be this way. VERY annoying and seems to me to be a pretty decent sized point devaluation.
Mar 14, 2018, 12:09 pm
#2314
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Gold 1MM, AA EXP, HH Diamond, MR Gold, Avis PC, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,252
Mar 16, 2018, 2:37 pm
#2315
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 1,393
Award Australia Trip - Using the Excursion Perk
Please excuse me if this sounds basic, but I've never done a complex routing like this.
We're taking an award trip to Australia. Our flights will probably be:
EWR-IAH-SYD on UA
SYD-CNS on QF
CNS-ADL on JQ
ADL-MEL on QF
MEL-LAX-EWR on UA
Originally we were going to use the award miles for just the UA portions, but I was wondering if there is a way to use the excursion perk for this trip, even if it only covers one of the intra-AU legs.
I am aware that QF and JQ are not *A members.
If necessary, we can change the last two flights to ADL-SYD and SYD-XXX-EWR.
We're taking an award trip to Australia. Our flights will probably be:
EWR-IAH-SYD on UA
SYD-CNS on QF
CNS-ADL on JQ
ADL-MEL on QF
MEL-LAX-EWR on UA
Originally we were going to use the award miles for just the UA portions, but I was wondering if there is a way to use the excursion perk for this trip, even if it only covers one of the intra-AU legs.
I am aware that QF and JQ are not *A members.
If necessary, we can change the last two flights to ADL-SYD and SYD-XXX-EWR.
Mar 16, 2018, 2:41 pm
#2316
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,473
We're taking an award trip to Australia. Our flights will probably be:
EWR-IAH-SYD on UA
SYD-CNS on QF
CNS-ADL on JQ
ADL-MEL on QF
MEL-LAX-EWR on UA
Originally we were going to use the award miles for just the UA portions, but I was wondering if there is a way to use the excursion perk for this trip, even if it only covers one of the intra-AU legs.
I am aware that QF and JQ are not *A members.
EWR-IAH-SYD on UA
SYD-CNS on QF
CNS-ADL on JQ
ADL-MEL on QF
MEL-LAX-EWR on UA
Originally we were going to use the award miles for just the UA portions, but I was wondering if there is a way to use the excursion perk for this trip, even if it only covers one of the intra-AU legs.
I am aware that QF and JQ are not *A members.
Mar 16, 2018, 2:42 pm
#2317
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
As you state, UA has no redemption partners in Australia. You won't be able to use the Excursionist Perk. If you do an award search for two Australian cities, you won't get any results.
Mar 16, 2018, 4:38 pm
#2318
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Unlikely scenario: but if you have other travel in a non-North-America region soon you could book a one-way ticket there using your excursionist perk. Like maybe you know you need a FRA-MRS leg coming up in the next 12 months or something.
Mar 16, 2018, 7:11 pm
#2319
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Delaware
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 1,393
That’s what I suspected, but thought it was worth asking. Thanks all.
Mar 16, 2018, 11:03 pm
#2320
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
OP: If you'd like to replace a stop in Australia with one in New Zealand -- and you can find Air New Zealand award space -- that flight could use the perk. Of course, that's only helpful if you'd like to go to New Zealand.
Mar 17, 2018, 4:26 pm
#2321
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Not really. This only works if the travel dates are between the outbound and the return. So, unless OP is planning to go back to Australia / New Zealand within the next 12 months, and can therefore nest the awards, there's no way to get a free one-way flight on this itinerary.
Mar 18, 2018, 8:41 am
#2322
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
Huh. According to the published rules, a SFO-MEL // MEL-SFO // FRA-MRS itinerary should qualify for the FRA-MRS trip to be free.
Mar 18, 2018, 5:02 pm
#2323
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
You could do SFO-MEL // MEL-SFO // FRA-MRS // LGA-ORD and get the FRA-MRS for free and pay for the other 3. The likelihood that this is useful is pretty low.
Mar 19, 2018, 6:43 am
#2324
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BER
Posts: 512
This restriction obviously still applies to UAMP awards, but does anyone know why or whether it is limited to bookings on the website? With Lufthansa miles, flight wholly within Japan can be booked 12 months before departure (at 12k one-way, which is why I'd prefer UA).
Mar 19, 2018, 11:36 am
#2325
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 188
One way AAA-CCC shows availability in saver award (direct flight).
But if I were to book roundtrip flight with the free excursion perks (so i would be building multi city, with CCC-BBB, BBB-AAA, AAA- CCC) it would shows flight option in saver for CCC-BBB, BBB-AAA (free), but AAA-BBB would now show standard award only for that direct flight of AAA-CCC (despite the fact if you were to search one way, it would show saver availability, just not when you search it as part of multi city). CCC is in US, BBB and AAA are in Europe.
Any idea why this is the case?
But if I were to book roundtrip flight with the free excursion perks (so i would be building multi city, with CCC-BBB, BBB-AAA, AAA- CCC) it would shows flight option in saver for CCC-BBB, BBB-AAA (free), but AAA-BBB would now show standard award only for that direct flight of AAA-CCC (despite the fact if you were to search one way, it would show saver availability, just not when you search it as part of multi city). CCC is in US, BBB and AAA are in Europe.
Any idea why this is the case?
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Mar 19, 2018 at 1:14 pm Reason: merged into master thread on award booking issues