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}
Apr 2, 2017, 9:55 pm
#1381
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Floating around
Programs: UA 1K (1MM), DL Gold (1MM), Marriott LTT
Posts: 10,346
Yesterday I successfully modified a J award online (from 1K account so no change fee). VCE-OS-VIE-OS-LAX-UA-SFO. After I modified, I got an availability alert from expertflyer for the next day (our preferred date), but UA wasn't showing VCE-VIE as available. Today the whole route is available on .bomb, and I can book it as a new ticket, but if I try to modify my existing PNR I immediately get the error that there are no seats available on that date. Called in this morning, and was told they are having system issues and I should try again later. Thoughts on strategy? Should 1K desk be believed?
Edited to add: I can book this as a completely new round trip itinerary. Is there any risk in booking the new itinerary, waiting for it to ticket, then cancelling the old one? Any chance the duplicated pax on same flights would trigger something nasty?
Edited to add: I can book this as a completely new round trip itinerary. Is there any risk in booking the new itinerary, waiting for it to ticket, then cancelling the old one? Any chance the duplicated pax on same flights would trigger something nasty?
Or, call UA 1K and just get them to manually change the ticket to the return you want and they should be able to re-ticket it immediately. Emphases on "should".
-RM
Apr 3, 2017, 10:05 am
#1382
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 33
Best Stopover for YUL-LON or BTV-LON?
Hi all,
Looking to use some miles for a business saver award in October for either YUL or BTV to LON and looking for some suggestions on where to use my free stopover? Thinking maybe Istanbul?
Is there an easy way to see where united flies direct to our of Montreal or EWR?
Thanks!
-Bob
Looking to use some miles for a business saver award in October for either YUL or BTV to LON and looking for some suggestions on where to use my free stopover? Thinking maybe Istanbul?
Is there an easy way to see where united flies direct to our of Montreal or EWR?
Thanks!
-Bob
Apr 3, 2017, 10:07 am
#1383
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 33
Also on some flights (look like we'll be flying turkish airlines if we do Istanbul, I get the following: Advance seat assignments are not available on united.com for this flight.
Please see an airport agent during check-in to receive your seat assignment.
Is it going to be a problem for us to get two seats together?
Thanks!
-Bob
Please see an airport agent during check-in to receive your seat assignment.
Is it going to be a problem for us to get two seats together?
Thanks!
-Bob
Apr 3, 2017, 10:10 am
#1384
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: A3 *G, AA exePlat, AS MVP 75k Gold, JL sapphire, UA silver
Posts: 4,035
there is no more free stopover in united miles redemption
Apr 3, 2017, 10:47 am
#1386
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
> 24 hours would be a stop. You are allowed one free intra-regional one-way flight, provided that your journey begins and ends in the same region and the free flight is in a different region.
However, Turkey is part of the "Europe" region. So, you should be eligible to use the excursionist perk to fly IST-LON for no additional miles in one direction or the other, regardless of the length of the stop, even if it doesn't come up in a simple search.
I would suggest using it on the return, rather than the outbound, in order to reduce the Air Passenger Duty due on ex-LON departures.
Apr 3, 2017, 11:00 am
#1387
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 33
< 24 hours on an international flight is not a stop. However, you can no longer piece together awards -- if this option doesn't come up organically, when searching from (YUL|BTV) to LON, it will price as two separate awards...
> 24 hours would be a stop. You are allowed one free intra-regional one-way flight, provided that your journey begins and ends in the same region and the free flight is in a different region.
However, Turkey is part of the "Europe" region. So, you should be eligible to use the excursionist perk to fly IST-LON for no additional miles in one direction or the other, regardless of the length of the stop, even if it doesn't come up in a simple search.
I would suggest using it on the return, rather than the outbound, in order to reduce the Air Passenger Duty due on ex-LON departures.
> 24 hours would be a stop. You are allowed one free intra-regional one-way flight, provided that your journey begins and ends in the same region and the free flight is in a different region.
However, Turkey is part of the "Europe" region. So, you should be eligible to use the excursionist perk to fly IST-LON for no additional miles in one direction or the other, regardless of the length of the stop, even if it doesn't come up in a simple search.
I would suggest using it on the return, rather than the outbound, in order to reduce the Air Passenger Duty due on ex-LON departures.
Apr 3, 2017, 11:18 am
#1388
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,477
I would also say that a <24 hour stop in Istanbul is totally not worth the hassle and extra travel time.
OTOH, if you book a roundtrip award, you can stay as long as you like and get the IST-LHR for free.
Apr 3, 2017, 11:53 am
#1389
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 33
I seriously doubt you would be able to book LHR via IST on a one-way award without paying extra miles.
I would also say that a <24 hour stop in Istanbul is totally not worth the hassle and extra travel time.
OTOH, if you book a roundtrip award, you can stay as long as you like and get the IST-LHR for free.
I would also say that a <24 hour stop in Istanbul is totally not worth the hassle and extra travel time.
OTOH, if you book a roundtrip award, you can stay as long as you like and get the IST-LHR for free.
I'll take another look though. Appreciate the advice!
Apr 3, 2017, 11:55 am
#1390
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,477
Apr 3, 2017, 12:11 pm
#1391
Ambassador: Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 7,390
Yes this is allowed. There will be a fee for making the which will vary dependent if this is before or after 60 days prior to departure.
There have been issues reported in making changes when new available opens up, not sure if this is fully understand yet.
SDC is also possible within 24 hours of departure of both the old and new flights but it requires award space to be available. There will be a fee also, but there would not be any needed to impact the rest of the itin.
There have been issues reported in making changes when new available opens up, not sure if this is fully understand yet.
SDC is also possible within 24 hours of departure of both the old and new flights but it requires award space to be available. There will be a fee also, but there would not be any needed to impact the rest of the itin.
Follow up question - what about standby? Lets say I decide to keep the 9pm departure (ZRH-ORD arrives between 12p-1p) and on the day of departure can I walk up to the gate and try to get added on the standby list?
This is for a flight in September on the Tuesday after Labor Day. As much as I am willing to wait for UA to release saver Y space I am worried I'd miss out on the long haul intl J availability.
I am working the following morning and definitely would like to arrive in PIT at a humane time (i.e. Not close to midnight) to get a good nights rest.
Apr 3, 2017, 12:19 pm
#1392
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
... Follow up question - what about standby? Lets say I decide to keep the 9pm departure (ZRH-ORD arrives between 12p-1p) and on the day of departure can I walk up to the gate and try to get added on the standby list?
This is for a flight in September on the Tuesday after Labor Day.
This is for a flight in September on the Tuesday after Labor Day.
However, the Tuesday after Labor Day is still a miss travel day, so a confirmed change would be nicer.
Agree, grab the TATL space while you can.
Apr 3, 2017, 12:50 pm
#1393
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 33
I seriously doubt you would be able to book LHR via IST on a one-way award without paying extra miles.
I would also say that a <24 hour stop in Istanbul is totally not worth the hassle and extra travel time.
OTOH, if you book a roundtrip award, you can stay as long as you like and get the IST-LHR for free.
I would also say that a <24 hour stop in Istanbul is totally not worth the hassle and extra travel time.
OTOH, if you book a roundtrip award, you can stay as long as you like and get the IST-LHR for free.
The routing I'm now looking at is BTV - EWR (plenty of economy saver space.. no first)
Then EWR - OPO (figure its a place we haven't seen) and there is saver space
then OPO -LON (plenty of saver space)
but I can't seem to force it to happen in the tool without extra miles. Any hope?
Apr 3, 2017, 12:56 pm
#1394
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,477
Apr 3, 2017, 2:21 pm
#1395
Ambassador: Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 7,390
One more question - ever since UA came up with the new so-claimed more flexible multi-city option I have been noticing some routings despite having availability will not show up in a straightforward search, but if we do multi-city it drives up the price of the award.
For example - Europe to US... Say both ZRH and VIE have availability to IAD. So when doing the search like this:
XXX-PIT - I can only see the ZRH connection option on LX via IAD but if I search XXX-IAD it shows both LX option via ZRH or OS option via VIE.
Why can't I get them to show the VIE option? I can't imagine PIT having a more stringent MPM limits than IAD for EU-US.
For example - Europe to US... Say both ZRH and VIE have availability to IAD. So when doing the search like this:
XXX-PIT - I can only see the ZRH connection option on LX via IAD but if I search XXX-IAD it shows both LX option via ZRH or OS option via VIE.
Why can't I get them to show the VIE option? I can't imagine PIT having a more stringent MPM limits than IAD for EU-US.