Combine itineraries to simplify routing
Mar 24, 2018, 9:09 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: ORD & DEN
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Posts: 239
Combine itineraries to simplify routing
I've had an ORD-ATL-ORD ticket for several months, with the outbound departure on April 3. Now a work trip has come up where I'll need to fly ORD-DEN-ORD April 2-3. I'd ideally like to fly on April 3 from DEN-ATL nonstop, which would arrive at 5pm instead of the midnight arrival I would have if I need to fly through ORD. Does anybody have any battlefield experience with making such a change? My concern is that changing the ORD-ATL outbound would cancel my return. Any advice will be most appreciated.
Mar 24, 2018, 9:33 am
#2
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Dulles, VA
Programs: UA Life Gold, Marriott Life Titanium
Posts: 2,757
If you don't make the outbound on a PNR, your return will get canceled. There is no way to merge two separate PNRs into one multi-city hop. You also can't do a same-day change in Denver to go to Atlanta instead of Chicago.
Mar 24, 2018, 9:40 am
#3
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I've had an ORD-ATL-ORD ticket for several months, with the outbound departure on April 3. Now a work trip has come up where I'll need to fly ORD-DEN-ORD April 2-3. I'd ideally like to fly on April 3 from DEN-ATL nonstop, which would arrive at 5pm instead of the midnight arrival I would have if I need to fly through ORD. Does anybody have any battlefield experience with making such a change? My concern is that changing the ORD-ATL outbound would cancel my return. Any advice will be most appreciated.
Youll have to make a change somehow. Have you booked the work trip yet. If not, you’ll probably be better off to book these as ORD-DEN-ATL-ORD, either as a single multi-city or in some combination of one-ways/multi city. With the change to multi-cut pricing a couple of years ago, it’s probably more expensive to do this as one multi city trip. Either way, you’ll need to make a change to that ticket anyway.
May be be easiest to book these as three one-ways - so booking ORD-DEN, then DEN-ATL, then paying to change your original ATL itin to cancel the outbound segment. I’d assume these markets all have one way fares that should price as half a round trip. The issue of course with this becomes what happens if you need to make changes - as these will all be separate changes/fees.
Of course the other option is to just keep them as separate RTs and ‘connect’ in ORD. Obviously, they’re still separate reservations and you aren’t technically protected if DEN-ORD is late, so leave as much time for a connection as possible. Technically, while UA doesn’t have to rebook you to ATL, they usually will if you are inbound on another UA flight. Plus, you can always try and SDC to the next flight if you know enroute you’ll miss what you have booked.
Mar 24, 2018, 1:08 pm
#5
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Mar 24, 2018, 1:43 pm
#7
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OP should do an SDC on his/her ORD-ATL-ORD trip to move it out, simple (if available) as that. No change fees (except if minimal/lower status).
Mar 24, 2018, 2:14 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: ORD & DEN
Programs: UA Premier 1K 1MM, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 239
Thanks for all the advice! I was planning to do a SDC on the ORD-ATL, and hoping to work some magic prior to that at the counter in DEN. I figured that it was a long shot, but I was just wondering if anybody else had any success in a similar situation.
Mar 24, 2018, 3:17 pm
#9
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
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You can not change the destination with SDC, if you're hoping for a rerouting change to include DEN, you are going for a longshot option.
Mar 24, 2018, 10:19 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redondo Beach, CA USA
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This is the kind of thing that agents USED to be able to do, granted with a lot of typing and undoubtedly finagling of the antiquated system, but now they no longer seem to have the flexibility to bend the rules as much. One would think United would allow it, as they're going to free up some seats on aircraft that they can then sell to other people, but despite all their brilliance at revenue management on a flight-by-flight basis they haven't quite figured out how to optimize things across the entire network.
Mar 24, 2018, 11:09 pm
#13
Join Date: Feb 2007
Programs: UA Premier Platinum, Skyteam Elite Plus (KE Morning Calm Premium)
Posts: 819
One time I was successful with this.
Two PNRs
AAA-XXX
XXX-BBB
Fly AAA-BBB
It took a while to explain to a UA ticketing agent and change to AAA-BBB. If I remember correctly, she had to call. It happened at UA check in counter at AAA airport about 4 years ago.
Two PNRs
AAA-XXX
XXX-BBB
Fly AAA-BBB
It took a while to explain to a UA ticketing agent and change to AAA-BBB. If I remember correctly, she had to call. It happened at UA check in counter at AAA airport about 4 years ago.