No longer able to book LH Group intra-Europe only flights on UA 016 ticket stock
Mar 31, 2017, 7:57 am
#16
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: ZRH
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 258
Booking Swiss and other Partner flights on ual.com
Since about 3 weeks it is not possible anymore to find decent priced Intra-Europe Swiss flights on ual.com
I have booked several just Swiss and/or other European Partner flights in the last 6 months on ual.com which gives more RDM than if booked on the Swiss or LH website.
Does anyone now why UA stopped this? I still see the prices if I select trip duration instead of exact dates but when I click on the dates the normal Y-rates show up.
For example ZRH - BRU 29.5 - 1.6.2017
monthly overview shows prices as low as CHF 354 exact dates start only at CHF 1'134
Your help is appreciated
I have booked several just Swiss and/or other European Partner flights in the last 6 months on ual.com which gives more RDM than if booked on the Swiss or LH website.
Does anyone now why UA stopped this? I still see the prices if I select trip duration instead of exact dates but when I click on the dates the normal Y-rates show up.
For example ZRH - BRU 29.5 - 1.6.2017
monthly overview shows prices as low as CHF 354 exact dates start only at CHF 1'134
Your help is appreciated
Mar 31, 2017, 8:04 am
#17
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Mar 31, 2017, 8:09 am
#18
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: ZRH
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 258
Thank you for the quick reply - starting when exactly was this enforced?
Sad to see all the RDM possibilities disappear. Also P, D business class to Asia can't be booked anymore
I wonder if this is really in the interest of LH group - they do use channels like Expedia and Co. which for sure are not offerring them a better margin then UA.
but then again it is LH
Sad to see all the RDM possibilities disappear. Also P, D business class to Asia can't be booked anymore
I wonder if this is really in the interest of LH group - they do use channels like Expedia and Co. which for sure are not offerring them a better margin then UA.
but then again it is LH
Mar 31, 2017, 8:15 am
#19
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Mar 31, 2017, 9:19 am
#20
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 397
Does this affect award tickets as well? Using UA miles to buy an intra-Europe LH flight?
For one-ways, you're better off using 5th freedom flights. You can get reasonable rates e.g. on SQ JFK-FRA, EK JFK-MXP, EK EWR-ATH, and NZ LAX-LHR.
For one-ways, you're better off using 5th freedom flights. You can get reasonable rates e.g. on SQ JFK-FRA, EK JFK-MXP, EK EWR-ATH, and NZ LAX-LHR.
Mar 31, 2017, 9:32 am
#21
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Well, its a way of getting rid of one major complaint about intra-EU travel. No more complaints about intra-EU fares sold on UA going into the 'light' group of fares without notice, without a bag allowance for free, even for elites.
Mar 31, 2017, 9:38 am
#22
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Though the problem will persist on JV TATL fares with intra-Europe connections.
Mar 31, 2017, 9:42 am
#23
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How so? If you're flying TATL, bag allowance is based on the policy of the marketing carrier of the first flight, and that stays for the whole itinerary. Therefore, the allowance for TATL will always be what is used. When returning from EU, even on a light fare, bag allowance of the outbound prevails. Even if the flight starts within EU, the rules mean it applies based on TATL routing.
Mar 31, 2017, 10:27 am
#24
Join Date: May 2009
Location: LON
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Mar 31, 2017, 10:30 am
#25
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How so? If you're flying TATL, bag allowance is based on the policy of the marketing carrier of the first flight, and that stays for the whole itinerary. Therefore, the allowance for TATL will always be what is used. When returning from EU, even on a light fare, bag allowance of the outbound prevails. Even if the flight starts within EU, the rules mean it applies based on TATL routing.
Mar 31, 2017, 11:02 am
#26
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: LAX
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Is that the same thing as the EUR16 GDS surcharge? If not, then I would imagine there was a population of travel agents ticketing on other carriers to avoid that fee.
Mar 31, 2017, 11:05 am
#27
Join Date: Jul 2013
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My issue with intra-EU travel is that a lot of times I need to book o/w flights and 95% of the time LH group flights are so much $$$$ to connect in FRA/ZRH. If I wanted to keep it in *A for miles usually SAS had a decent fares if it was not too out of the way to connect in Scandinavia.
In the past year or two I decided my time/energy was worth just getting to where I wanted to go and forfeit the miles to just fly things like BA, KLM, AB.
In the past year or two I decided my time/energy was worth just getting to where I wanted to go and forfeit the miles to just fly things like BA, KLM, AB.
Mar 31, 2017, 11:07 am
#28
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That's probably a better explanation. It's always about the money.
Mar 31, 2017, 1:23 pm
#29
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SJC
Programs: Southwest, Alaska, United, American Airlines
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The Lufthansa Group's move is in line with IATA Resolutions that strongly favor ticketing only by an airline actually part of the purchased itinerary. The practice of "off-plating" is strongly discouraged, and we will continue to see more airlines add plating restrictions to curtail the practice.
Mar 31, 2017, 2:19 pm
#30
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: LAX
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Posts: 1,324
The Lufthansa Group's move is in line with IATA Resolutions that strongly favor ticketing only by an airline actually part of the purchased itinerary. The practice of "off-plating" is strongly discouraged, and we will continue to see more airlines add plating restrictions to curtail the practice.