bmr12

PsiFighter37

Perhaps UA wants to make sure your back has a little time to recover before the 15-16 hour flight back in slimline Y seats

COSPILOT

I think you are missing my point. I will end the year north of 12K PQD's, and maybe I will make 1K this year, maybe I won't. What I'm starting to realize is that for my normal business travel it doesn't matter if I'm 1K or Gold, I'm still stuck on aircraft that don't offer First. It took dropping from 1k to Gold to realize I haven't lost anything. I'm still stuck in a crap airplane, with short routes that the FA doesn't even leave his/her seat during flight. If I come close to 1K come year end and need a MR, it won't be coach to anywhere, it will be paid business class. If that is too expensive, I'll be content with what ever status I have.

mr8

I guess this is why I wasn't able to add an extra leg through SIN recently. I should have checked the rule.

jsloan

They've started to add this to some of their fare templates, not because they're trying to discourage mileage runs, per se, but because they're trying to enforce price discipline in other markets. The intent is to disallow people from using an LAX-SIN fare for a cheap trip to Tokyo. (LAX-NRT / NRT-SIN-LAX, priced using a RT LAX-SIN fare with a stopover).

I'm not going to pretend that this is a customer-friendly change -- it's not -- but it's a heck of a lot better than some of the alternatives they could have considered, including eliminating stopovers or forcing HIP checks* at stopovers even on routed fares.

There's a YVR-TPE P fare that's about to expire -- it's been the subject of a lengthy thread on the premium deals forum -- that has this restriction too, so it's not just the cheap fares and not just SIN.

*HIP Check: Higher Intermediate Point (fare) check. When a HIP check is in effect, the fare must be calculated from origin to destination, from origin to stopover, and from stopover to destination, and the highest of the three is used. There's also a Circle Trip Minimum Fare Check, which is the same concept applied to a circle trip (A-B-C-A construction, where A-B, B-C, and C-A are each separate fares). UA waives this check on most of its fares, which is definitely customer friendly since the checks themselves are not.

tstauck

Reporting back on my LAX-SIN mileage run 4/28 - 4/30. 11pm depart LAX, 7:30am arrive SIN, 10am depart SIN, 10am arrive LAX. I had a whole 2 hours in the airport but made the best use of it!

- I was able to check in and get my return boarding pass in LAX. So no need to stop by the transfer station in SIN.

- Flight there arrived 15 mi early and arrives in T2, as people mentioned it would. The only downside of leaving in the dark from LAX and going west, it was dark out almost the entire 18 hours of the flight. Immediately went to the SilverKris lounge in T2 and had no issues grabbing a quick shower. 3 showers I saw and two were open when I arrived.

- Took the train to T3 and it only took a few minutes. Checked out the Butterfly garden and some of the shops. Beautiful airport.

- Took the train back to T2 and saw the Sunflower garden, a few other indoor gardens, and more shops. Then back to the gate 45 min before departure.

- In SIN, they screen again at the gate. So any water purchased had to be thrown out - FYI.

- Trip back also arrived about 15 min early. No issues at customs, although an interesting note especially with the Polaris lounge coming, after customs you're back outside security. So not sure how to access UC or the upcoming PL after your flight without going back through security?

Thanks again everyone for your recommendations - it was a long but cool trip. I had mentioned to the FA's about the mileage run and how it will almost get me to 1 million, and the pilots came over after we landed and introduced themselves, thanked me for my loyalty, and said congratulations. Nice touch!
- Tom

jsloan

You can't, unless you have a connecting flight, in which case the boarding pass will get you back through security and into the lounge.

Kacee

LAX-SFO $59.

suryasoft

Kacee

Here's another interesting SIN fare fact: The cheapest business class fare UA offers SFO-SIN (PFXT2UMF) has no advance purchase requirement. So UA uses inventory restrictions in lieu of an AP requirement to keep prices high for last second purchasers, meaning that with 16 open J seats at T-48, Thursday night's flight is D8 Z0 P0. I'm hoping to SDC my P fare, currently routed SFO-LAX-SIN, to the nonstop, but looks like this may not be possible.

ContinentalFan

david_oz

david_oz

tstauck

Nice - good luck and have fun for the one night there!

Mollyann500

I am on Thursdays flight too but will be stay over two nights. Just couldn’t face a short stop over so decided to make it a long weekend. In 1A, stop by and say hi.