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}
Aug 3, 2016, 6:59 pm
#166
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Colorado
Programs: Lifetime UA 1K, Lifetime Hilton Diamond, Lifetime Marriott Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 1,261
I can only guess that in order to be SVP of marketing or CEO you have to have lost all of your common sense.
If United were to say - "in order to remain competitive and invest more in our hard product and customer support we have to find expense in other places like this", people would probably understand. Oscar - please fire whomever is spinning this stuff for you...
Aug 3, 2016, 7:06 pm
#167
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
Does UA keep a team of employees whose sole duty
is sit there all day long and try to come up with ways
to make a couple more bucks and give loyal customer
another reason to leave UA for good? one of these
days, the last straw will definitely brake the camel's
back.
is sit there all day long and try to come up with ways
to make a couple more bucks and give loyal customer
another reason to leave UA for good? one of these
days, the last straw will definitely brake the camel's
back.
Aug 3, 2016, 7:27 pm
#168
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA MileagePlus (Premier Gold); Hilton HHonors (Gold); Chase Ultimate Rewards; Amex Plat
Posts: 6,679
Does UA keep a team of employees whose sole duty
is sit there all day long and try to come up with ways
to make a couple more bucks and give loyal customer
another reason to leave UA for good? one of these
days, the last straw will definitely brake the camel's
back.
is sit there all day long and try to come up with ways
to make a couple more bucks and give loyal customer
another reason to leave UA for good? one of these
days, the last straw will definitely brake the camel's
back.
Aug 3, 2016, 7:33 pm
#169
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
Programs: UA 1K, CO Plat, NW Plat, Marriott Premiere Plat, SPG Plat, Priority Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,712
The 10,000 mile domestic stopover is gone too.
Aug 3, 2016, 7:34 pm
#170
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: UA Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12,693
Last year I flew from Yangon-NRT stopover DEN-MCI. So now that wouldn't be allowed?
2 years ago I flew SIN-Seoul stopover SFO-MCI. And that wouldn't be allowed either? My main reason for switching my allegiance from AA to UA was for the stopovers on award tickets. Way to piss off your customers UA.
2 years ago I flew SIN-Seoul stopover SFO-MCI. And that wouldn't be allowed either? My main reason for switching my allegiance from AA to UA was for the stopovers on award tickets. Way to piss off your customers UA.
Confused. How would this work for a vacation award trip I took 2 years ago;
flew MCI-SFO on UA-Seoul-RGN on Asiana all the way through.
stayed 2 weeks in Myanmar
flew RGN-NRT on ANA. Had 5 day stopover. Flew NRT-DEN-MCI on UA.
Booked as a round trip award with a stopover in one direction. So now this would be 3 awards? Going to Myanmar one award, return 2 awards if I want to stopover in Japan?
flew MCI-SFO on UA-Seoul-RGN on Asiana all the way through.
stayed 2 weeks in Myanmar
flew RGN-NRT on ANA. Had 5 day stopover. Flew NRT-DEN-MCI on UA.
Booked as a round trip award with a stopover in one direction. So now this would be 3 awards? Going to Myanmar one award, return 2 awards if I want to stopover in Japan?
Aug 3, 2016, 7:44 pm
#171
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,998
+1
Rarely upgraded; get to watch 1Ks get free drinks and snacks around me. The use of award tickets without a fee was really all that was left. I may end up 1K for next year but I will hit MM in Sept so lifetime gold will be good enough. No more extra trips to maintain status. I'll be buying business on whatever airline is cheapest - and it's always my own money.
Rarely upgraded; get to watch 1Ks get free drinks and snacks around me. The use of award tickets without a fee was really all that was left. I may end up 1K for next year but I will hit MM in Sept so lifetime gold will be good enough. No more extra trips to maintain status. I'll be buying business on whatever airline is cheapest - and it's always my own money.
On one flight, the FA started arguing loudly with me about whether 1Ks were entitled to free snack boxes-like I was trying to scam her, so I just clammed-up to avoid creating a disturbance.
Aug 3, 2016, 7:58 pm
#172
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 380
The free drinks and snacks benefit when seated in Y is not all that it's cracked-up to be. I am running at less than 50% this year on getting my freebies.
On one flight, the FA started arguing loudly with me about whether 1Ks were entitled to free snack boxes-like I was trying to scam her, so I just clammed-up to avoid creating a disturbance.
On one flight, the FA started arguing loudly with me about whether 1Ks were entitled to free snack boxes-like I was trying to scam her, so I just clammed-up to avoid creating a disturbance.
7000 miles as compensation for each incident.
Aug 3, 2016, 8:00 pm
#173
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,005
I think I read upthread correctly, but did someone say they lowered the fee for kettles?! Why on earth is that even considered useful? Kettles are the least likely to have any sort of material miles worth redeeming...that can't really be worth all that much.
Aug 3, 2016, 8:08 pm
#174
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
I think I read upthread correctly, but did someone say they lowered the fee for [non-elite members]?! Why on earth is that even considered useful? [Non-elite members] are the least likely to have any sort of material miles worth redeeming...that can't really be worth all that much.
Doesn't mean giving them a better deal at the expense of Platinums is necessarily good business, but don't assume they have no points.
Aug 3, 2016, 8:10 pm
#175
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: COS/DEN
Programs: UA 1P (w/ no expectations whatsoever); Marriott Gold; Hilton Silver; Hertz Pres
Posts: 693
This must be a new definition of "streamline" that I'm not familiar with.
Aug 3, 2016, 8:20 pm
#176
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
Programs: UA 1K, CO Plat, NW Plat, Marriott Premiere Plat, SPG Plat, Priority Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,712
They did bury the lead on this - looking at the previews of the new booking engine, it does appear the new booking engine will have better features.
Aug 3, 2016, 8:21 pm
#177
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist, *A Silver
Posts: 4,896
What does UA's new announcement on fee structures mean? Does that mean elite benefits of change/cancellation now only applies to the elite him/herself (vs. flights he/she books for others)?
Aug 3, 2016, 8:23 pm
#178
formerly FrequentFlyKid
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Programs: United Global Services, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador, National Executive Elite
Posts: 981
I was just discussing with an agent at the 1K desk that I thought service and attitude had gotten better this year. From the Premier desk to the airport (most of them, anyway) to the cabin crews; I genuinely thought things were getting better. And then this. I just can't understand taking away the Platinum's benefit of no change fees.
The stopover change - at first look - doesn't seem to be overly restrictive with the caveat that the illegal stopovers many of us have gotten will certainly no longer be permitted.
I found this comment on the website the most ironic...
Why are you removing the stopover policy?
"Many members found the stopover policy to be confusing. Our goal is to keep the benefit while making the process of booking your multi-city trip easier, so we are introducing the Excursionist Perk, which is a free one-way award within select multi-city itineraries."
I always found that United was more confused about it's own stopover policy than the customers.
The stopover change - at first look - doesn't seem to be overly restrictive with the caveat that the illegal stopovers many of us have gotten will certainly no longer be permitted.
I found this comment on the website the most ironic...
Why are you removing the stopover policy?
"Many members found the stopover policy to be confusing. Our goal is to keep the benefit while making the process of booking your multi-city trip easier, so we are introducing the Excursionist Perk, which is a free one-way award within select multi-city itineraries."
I always found that United was more confused about it's own stopover policy than the customers.
Aug 3, 2016, 8:23 pm
#179
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 342
http://mileageplusupdates.com/mileag...nglish/flight/
This is a fantastic change! Makes redeposit a lot more attractive.
Thank you United. ^^
This is a fantastic change! Makes redeposit a lot more attractive.
Thank you United. ^^
Aug 3, 2016, 8:27 pm
#180
Join Date: May 2002
Location: US
Programs: UA GS 2MM
Posts: 1,740
So United eliminated the stopover because "many members found it confusing" (according to the FAQ) and replaced it with an "Excursionist Perk" because clearly that's much better understood...
A "stopover" is a common event in air travel and self-explanatory to travelers. An Excursionist Perk, a name United made up and trademarked, is ambiguous to 100% of passengers and far more confusing than a stopover. Why not just tell the truth about why you changed the benefit (or come up with a better excuse)?
A "stopover" is a common event in air travel and self-explanatory to travelers. An Excursionist Perk, a name United made up and trademarked, is ambiguous to 100% of passengers and far more confusing than a stopover. Why not just tell the truth about why you changed the benefit (or come up with a better excuse)?