Jan 19, 2017, 10:23 pm

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

Main Impact

No more free stopover - replaced with Excursionist Perk
Agents no longer have the ability to find routings or build itineraries 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 basically requires current availability for all existing Os&Ds in the PNR (as if a brand new booking is made)
Singapore Airlines segments are priced separately (add-ons)

Useful Links

How to Beat United's Draconian New Routing Restrictions

EveryDay Awards - UA MP award changes 1 Nov 2017 (Everyday award/dynamic price, No RTW, No Show fee,..)
principle change - Standard awards being replaced by "EveryDay Award" with variable pricing

What is the Excursionist Perk?

Quote:

The Excursionist Perk is a free one-way award within select multi-city itineraries. Members who book an itinerary with three or more one-way awards will be eligible to receive one of those one-way awards for free, if it meets all of these conditions:
The Excursionist Perk cannot be in the MileagePlus defined region where your travel originates. (For example, if your journey begins in North America, you will only receive the Excursionist Perk if travel is within a region outside of North America.)

Travel must end in the same MileagePlus defined region where travel originates.
The origin and destination of the Excursionist Perk is within a single MileagePlus defined region.
The cabin of service and award type of the free one-way award is the same or lower than the one-way award preceding it.
If two or more one-way awards qualify for this benefit, only the first occurrence will be free.

Previous thread -- UA award booking,change questions/fees/issues/routing/excursionist problems {Archive}

UA award booking, change questions / issues / routing / excursionist problems / help

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Jan 30, 2023, 9:56 am

#91

AirborneLocksmith

Join Date: Oct 2022

Location: Sub Carolina

Programs: AC, AA, TK, OW Emerald

Posts: 1,327

Quote:

Originally Posted by fumje

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfischer

The problem is that XN does not exist when combining it with LX ... when the system tries to re-validate it then it fails. Can an agent override this ... yes, but they shouldn't can get into trouble.

Sorry, I'm not familiar — what does this mean? Is it that it's impossible to have a saver bucket (IN or XN) combined with an LX flight on award ticket? I have gotten mixed cabin tickets with LX before, but they were across *A partners, so ticket was then X(AC) / I(LX).

I have flown (and currently have one more booked) on several award tickets combining UA XN and partner flights (LX/OS/SK).

Jan 30, 2023, 10:00 am

#92

JayhawkCO

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: Aurora, CO

Programs: Statusless and proud

Posts: 7,582

And I've had the same with Asian carriers -- UA XN (bought up to Z) combined with BR I and TG I currently. I've never heard of issues with combining XN with other carriers, but maybe cfischer knows something I don't, which is quite likely indeed.

Jan 30, 2023, 3:20 pm

#93

AirborneLocksmith

Join Date: Oct 2022

Location: Sub Carolina

Programs: AC, AA, TK, OW Emerald

Posts: 1,327

"EW 4650 operated by Elf Air"

Saw this while looking for awards flights on the UA webpage.
An obvious airline code mapping issue and UA using old information since Elf Air (E6) was a Russian airline that ceased to exist in 2003 and E6 is currently used by Eurowings Europe.

jsloan, beltway and jcturnbull like this.

Jan 30, 2023, 10:08 pm

#94

jcturnbull

Join Date: Jul 2022

Programs: United MileagePlus

Posts: 336

When does UA load a new flight from a partner (ANA)? This particular flight is subject to government approval and I can find it on Aeroplan, but strongly prefer to book through UA?

Jan 31, 2023, 12:17 am

#95

WineCountryUA

Moderator: United Airlines

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: SFO

Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat

Posts: 66,834

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcturnbull

When does UA load a new flight from a partner (ANA)? This particular flight is subject to government approval and I can find it on Aeroplan, but strongly prefer to book through UA?

First the partner needs to open the flight for bookings, release award space and it has to be with in UA's window for booking window which is nominally 330 days. Some airlines do more, maybe as much as 340+.

Jan 31, 2023, 7:34 am

#96

jcturnbull

Join Date: Jul 2022

Programs: United MileagePlus

Posts: 336

Quote:

Originally Posted by WineCountryUA

I should've been more specific. Aeroplan can see 1J/1F for summer through end of year on ANA for this route, so it appears to be released at least to Aeroplan which makes me think it's available for partners. Maybe UA will add it with the next schedule change overnight run?

edit: sometime in the last 10 minutes I have been able to find it using the old award search website.

Last edited by jcturnbull; Jan 31, 2023 at 7:44 am

Jan 31, 2023, 7:45 am

#97

JayhawkCO

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: Aurora, CO

Programs: Statusless and proud

Posts: 7,582

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcturnbull

Interesting. As far as I know, the only availability AC should see that UA doesn't is SQ availability. Once you have your ticket booked, can you come back and be more specific about the routing?

Jan 31, 2023, 8:41 am

#98

jcturnbull

Join Date: Jul 2022

Programs: United MileagePlus

Posts: 336

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcturnbull

When does UA load a new flight from a partner (ANA)? This particular flight is subject to government approval and I can find it on Aeroplan, but strongly prefer to book through UA?

Quote:

Originally Posted by WineCountryUA

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcturnbull

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayhawkCO

Interesting. As far as I know, the only availability AC should see that UA doesn't is SQ availability. Once you have your ticket booked, can you come back and be more specific about the routing?

Circling back on my adventures to close the loop on this. Last night I was doing my routine cowtool (s/o canadiancow) and saw ANA space on a Tokyo-New York route for the first time in 3 weeks for a return on a trip in late October. This was displayed as 1J/1F on NH 160 HND-JFK at 22:55PM. I was rather surprised at this, because it seemed like an unfamiliar flight time when I knew the route was 10:20am for their first daily flight. I then was able to pull this up on Air Canada, but not United, Virgin, etc as I tried to confirm this. Even EF didn't show it when you looked for route pairs and inventory loads. However, when I posted about this to another award travel forum, I was told other people had been able to book due to my question (different dates) and receive eTickets. This forum advised me that the seat map tool on EF could view the flight. I went to bed around midnight or so eastern, and when I initially checked this morning around 8am it wasn't available still in the app. Shortly after 9:30am I was able to find it on EF showing F/J/Y availability across all (most? wasn't a priority to examine at the time) fare classes. At this time I loaded United's award search and was able to see the space. After canceling my economy awards and transferring some points from Chase, I was able to book myself and P2 across two reservations, grabbing the only F and J seat available to partners.

For anyone else looking at this route, there is widespread 1J/1F availability from Mar 26ish through year-end. Schedule starts Tu/F/Su, I think, and grows to daily sometime in the fall (IATA winter schedule change in October?). I'd book fast if I were you

JayhawkCO and tonywush like this.

Last edited by jcturnbull; Jan 31, 2023 at 8:41 am Reason: formatting

Jan 31, 2023, 8:43 am

#99

jcturnbull

Join Date: Jul 2022

Programs: United MileagePlus

Posts: 336

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayhawkCO

Interesting. As far as I know, the only availability AC should see that UA doesn't is SQ availability. Once you have your ticket booked, can you come back and be more specific about the routing?

Oh, another point: EK shares availability with AC's award program as well as EY. I didn't fancy a trip to AUH on the return, or booking through AC, but it was available.

Jan 31, 2023, 8:52 am

#100

JayhawkCO

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: Aurora, CO

Programs: Statusless and proud

Posts: 7,582

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcturnbull

For anyone else looking at this route, there is widespread 1J/1F availability from Mar 26ish through year-end. Schedule starts Tu/F/Su, I think, and grows to daily sometime in the fall (IATA winter schedule change in October?). I'd book fast if I were you

Bummer. I see availability, just not on the Tuesday I'm flying. Oh well. I'll stick with the HND-SFO in F.

Get it everyone!

jcturnbull likes this.

Jan 31, 2023, 12:16 pm

#101

kb1992

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Jul 2003

Location: BOS, PVG

Programs: United 1K and 1MM, Marriott Ambassador

Posts: 10,000

2/26 PVG-SFO is showing XN9

But saver award at 35K miles is not available?

United.com wants 118K miles.

Is this right?

Jan 31, 2023, 12:25 pm

#102

JayhawkCO

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: Aurora, CO

Programs: Statusless and proud

Posts: 7,582

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb1992

2/26 PVG-SFO is showing XN9

But saver award at 35K miles is not available?

United.com wants 118K miles.

Is this right?

Strange. The award is booking into YN instead of XN.

Feb 1, 2023, 8:17 am

#103

Kmxu

Join Date: May 2012

Location: ORF, RIC

Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum

Posts: 6,956

Cancelling return while keeping the outbound in a single reservation

My 1K friend will have a trip to BKK. His wife may go to China directly from Thailand. So, her return segments will have to be cancelled. This was 60K JN sale fare.
What is the best strategy for canceling the return, before the trip or in the middle of the trip, without triggering repricing? I do not know the best answer myself. Thanks.

Feb 1, 2023, 8:37 am

#104

jcturnbull

Join Date: Jul 2022

Programs: United MileagePlus

Posts: 336

Quote:

Travel must end in the same MileagePlus defined region where travel originates.
The origin and destination of the Excursionist Perk is within a single MileagePlus defined region.
The cabin of service and award type of the free one-way award is the same or lower than the one-way award preceding it.
If two or more one-way awards qualify for this benefit, only the first occurrence will be free.

Does anyone know if you can book two outer one-ways (ex: SFO-ICN UA, HND-JFK NH) and get a middle segment booked as excursionist? Currently both flights are on individual PNR. Thanks!

Feb 1, 2023, 8:57 am

#105

JayhawkCO

Join Date: Jun 2007

Location: Aurora, CO

Programs: Statusless and proud

Posts: 7,582

It all has to be on one PNR to qualify.

SPN Lifer likes this.