WineCountryUA

Unless using the excursion preq, it general a better move to only book oneway awards. Better for making changes like this

lanslort

Is it able to change a single segment of a partner award ticket?
Like I have a HKG-TPE-LAX all on BR, is it able to change the flight of HKG-TPE to a later time? I can see award space for this first segment, but not the second one so rebooking is not possible.

O62

No, you unfortunately need inventory on all legs to rebook unless it is an all UA ticket.

MasterGberry

Hey,

I am trying to help my family make a booking for next year in May to go from the USA to Europe, and two of my family members want to try and use UA Miles to get a biz award ticket. There are a couple of ideal flight routes that only have 1 layover, but I am not seeing them yet appear in UA's system. I can see them in LH's system (but I am SEN [Gold Status]), so I guess I have extra availability that they do not have. I have two questions:

1. Is there any general time frame of when these flights unlock to UA general buyers for award purchases?
2. Is it better for them instead to buy an eco ticket and then use miles to upgrade to business?

Thanks

jsloan

It sounds like these are LH-operated flights? It would depend upon when / if LH were to release partner award inventory, and when you’re within UA’s ticketing window (approximately 330-335 days prior to the flight). LH used to release business availability fairly regularly, but recently I’ve seen a lot less appearing in advance.

Upgrading an LH-operated flight with UA miles requires a Star Alliance Upgrade Award, which means buying a fairly expensive economy fare and then likely going onto a waitlist.

nsx

Many months ago I booked a business class award from Europe to USA. The LH segments were only available in coach, with an overnight at LHR.

1. I get 2 free 70 pound bags from LHR to USA. Will I also get 2 free bags on the flights to LHR? The email confirmation seems to indicate not.

2. There are now many available award seats into LHR on my original travel date. I thought I could just call and ask to be moved to one of those options at no charge. Is it true that United would need to reprice everything including the unchanged business class segment? The price on that would be insane.

3. There have been two very minor time changes to my trip. Does that earn me any leeway to get changed to business class to London?

WineCountryUA

That depends on LH and historical experiences have been mixed. If the LHR connection is overnight / long enough for no bag checkthru, suspect that may impact LH's decision,

yes (but see below)

Minor is what? The problem is an mixed carrier awards when it involves a ticket re-issue, all carriers need to accept the change and lack of award space can be a problem. And that depends on the partner award space, UA can not force partner awards. The lack of new UA award or more expensive UA space, UA can re-use original UA space if there is sufficient time change.

nsx

The United leg out of LHR moved 20 minutes. Enough to allow a same-day connection into LHR I suppose, which might be an excuse to change the routing. Partner award space is available in business class to LHR on both the original date and the day of departure to the USA.

In the past I have had better luck with UA people over Facebook messenger than over the phone. Is that what people here recommend?

WineCountryUA

Generally the threshold for adjustment of itin is 30 minuties on arrival or departure of the entire itin, not changes of intermediate segments

SPN Lifer

What FB Messenger username for UA do you use?

Other FlyerTalkers have commented favorably about Twitter, but I never signed up for that.

coolbeans202

I'm not the OP, but I've had luck before with the main United Facebook page, think there is a link there to contact them via messenger.

nsx

I used the United official account. Response time was about 3 hours per message. They refused to make any change without repricing the whole trip, just as WineCountryUA predicted. I will keep my original itinerary and eat the intra-Europe bag fees if LH wants to charge me. As lessons go, this was not an expensive one. From now on I will book one-ways and avoid mixed cabin overnight connections.

jacobslide

Anyone seeing any saver award direct flights from LAX to any major city in Europe mid November in biz (11/17 or 11/18 preferred)? Saw some a couple weeks back to Zurich, but they look like they're gone now. Hoping to end up in CDG, but truly open to where flight lands - gives me a reason to potentially check out a city I might not have otherwise gone to. thanks!

emcampbe

Hoping one can help on ability of being able to standby for an earlier connection on an award ticket with the last segment currently on AC [Rouge].

Booked on SFO-BNA-YYZ, redeye to BNA, and although there is a 10am AC nonstop to YYZ, the earliest with award availability was 1:00pm, so I booked that. I know on an all-UA itinerary, at least in the past, UA would generally be happy to confirm on an earlier [UA] flight (space available, of course), However, given the AC flight on there, are any of these a legitimate possibility, again, space available:

• Standby for the earlier AC nonstop (I realize that AC would have to do this)
• UA confirmed SDC on connection via ORD, EWR or IAD

Trick is, any connection that would get me to YYZ earlier than my original arrival leaves before the earlier AC flight. Honestly, unless I know there's at least a good chance AC will allow me to do it (I've asked in the AC forum, but no response yet), I'd rather split the difference and take my chance on a UA connection - there seems to be decent option via ORD and IAD, and probably also less effort to get them to confirm me on their flights.

Other question: If UA would confirm me on an all-UA connection, will UA generally require X/XN availability for this (I was booked in XN on UA segment, X on AC segment), or since its a connection point, would they generally let me take any available space? I assume I'd be able to request at a UA gate (since I have an AC flight, I assume the app will not let me make a change).

ezefllying

I am looking to book UA award tickets on LH or OS flights from IAD to Europe. I see LH and OS Business space (I class) when the search engine returns connecting flights (e.g., IAD-MUC-BER, IAD-VIE-FRA-BER), but not when I search a simple nonstop (IAD-MUC, IAD-VIE) that would incorporate the same long-haul segments.

Is United withholding the nonstops? Or is Lufthansa? I though United might be withholding LH nonstops on routes UA also serves (IAD-FRA, IAD-MUC), but only Austrian serves IAD-VIE.

Is there a way for a United ticket agent to see, and ticket, long-haul LH/OS flights even if the online search engine fails to return them? If not, what would happen if I booked a one-way (say, IAD-MUC-BER) and then called to cancel the MUC-BER segment?

Thank you.