Is the UA interline agreement with DL dead?
Jun 25, 2018, 10:53 pm
#31
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Location: Austin, TX
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UA still needs to pay DL for the seat, as DL is exclusively responsible for marketing that seat (and will reap the profit, after expenses, for doing so). It's their inventory to sell. Depending upon the contracts that each of the major airlines has, this could be a gain, loss, or neither for Republic, but there's no question that UA will owe DL.
Jun 25, 2018, 11:15 pm
#32
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Somewhere I've Driven To
Programs: HiltonHonors, IHG Hotels, DL Skymiles
Posts: 2,070
If ever there was a time to hang up and call again this was it.........must have gotten an ex-CO agent, notorious for just saying NO - to everything. As well, the "newer" the agents, the less they will think out of the box - simply afraid of their own shadows. Ridiculous....and not right.
Jan 22, 2019, 8:50 am
#33
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 5,893
I spoke to a personable and competent rep who was VERY insistent that UA no longer has an interline agreement with DL -- faced with a BOS-IAH-TPA that would misconnect due to a 4 hr crew delay, she searched for a bunch of options on UA/AA but refused to touch the nonstop DL flight. She said DL refuses pax who show up with UA ticket numbers (??.) She apologized that there was no bookable departure today and suggested refunding the UA ticket and buying the DL ticket with cash.
Is it still possible to do phone rebooking onto DL during irrops?
Is it still possible to do phone rebooking onto DL during irrops?
Jan 22, 2019, 8:55 am
#34
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ExpertFlyer says that the agreement is still in place. I assume that if it were to be cancelled, they'd put that information into the GDS quickly in order to keep travel agents from issuing invalid tickets.
Jan 22, 2019, 9:20 am
#35
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
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It is true UA is reluctant to push tickets to OAL for wx. For MX, UA seems more flexible
If the agent does a poor job and does not confirm the acceptance of a pushed ticket, it can be refused but that is a different issue
Jan 22, 2019, 9:32 am
#36
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: USA
Programs: 1K 1MM; Bonvoy Ambassador; Nat'l EE; Hertz PC; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,466
I was interlined to both DL and AA in December without issue over the phone as a 1K.
I think there are two problems here. One, the agent (any agent) doesn’t endorse the ticket correctly and that will cause problems. Two (and this is more likely IMHO), is that OAL RM is still selling seats but the flight is oversold. So the GDS sees them, agent pulls, endorses ticket and thinks it’s good. But when OAL sees pax, they deny the seat. I always (if I can) check with the OAL directly if possible to make sure, especially during weather as they’re dealing with their own issues and might need to oversell.
I think there are two problems here. One, the agent (any agent) doesn’t endorse the ticket correctly and that will cause problems. Two (and this is more likely IMHO), is that OAL RM is still selling seats but the flight is oversold. So the GDS sees them, agent pulls, endorses ticket and thinks it’s good. But when OAL sees pax, they deny the seat. I always (if I can) check with the OAL directly if possible to make sure, especially during weather as they’re dealing with their own issues and might need to oversell.
Jan 22, 2019, 12:19 pm
#37
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I was offered interline to DL last weekend -- they were refusing to take an upgraded ticket into F (reasonable) but the agent had called DL and was ready to confirm Y. I found a different UA option to stay in F, but pretty sure interline is alive and well.
Jan 22, 2019, 2:44 pm
#38
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: CLE, DCA, and 30k feet
Programs: Honors LT Diamond; United 1K; Hertz PC
Posts: 4,164
Maybe its because my dossier at UA says I will not accept a routing on DL under any circumstances but it seems the first offer for OAL protection in many cases (even without asking for OAL) is DL...
But I've never been turned down on a "sorry, not flying Delta, any other options?"
(I get most of my bad traits, including stubbornness from my mother. Swore off DL in August 2003 hland haven't been back sense)
But I've never been turned down on a "sorry, not flying Delta, any other options?"
(I get most of my bad traits, including stubbornness from my mother. Swore off DL in August 2003 hland haven't been back sense)
Jan 22, 2019, 3:26 pm
#39
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It's alive and well. My experience is that United's "computer" will show most DL flights sold out that aren't Y9 explicitly. I've found many alternate routings on DL that had Y>0 but the United agent couldn't book them as it showed zeroed out on their side. This has happened several times so I don't believe it's the agent lying to me. I've still wound up on DL (other flights) or AA in these situations so it's not the United agent refusing to OAL the ticket either.
-RM
-RM
Jan 22, 2019, 5:15 pm
#40
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 5,893
Never, ever take the word of a single agent as the last word. HUCA
It is true UA is reluctant to push tickets to OAL for wx. For MX, UA seems more flexible
If the agent does a poor job and does not confirm the acceptance of a pushed ticket, it can be refused but that is a different issue
It is true UA is reluctant to push tickets to OAL for wx. For MX, UA seems more flexible
If the agent does a poor job and does not confirm the acceptance of a pushed ticket, it can be refused but that is a different issue
Jan 22, 2019, 5:29 pm
#41
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,116
Was flying UNITED from DFW and the flight went mechanical, they re-routed me on DELTA without even asking and kept me in First Class and I am UNITED nobody (no status whatsoever).
So unless things changed fairly recently (approx 3 months), I do not think that anything has changed.
The one caveat is that I did not call in, I went to the UNITED Club for assistance.
So unless things changed fairly recently (approx 3 months), I do not think that anything has changed.
The one caveat is that I did not call in, I went to the UNITED Club for assistance.
UA club has saved my life more times than I can count in these situations. Usually very helpful and able to get me into other carriers when needed
Jan 22, 2019, 9:15 pm
#43
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Join Date: Apr 2013
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Most common UA agent/FA misstatements:
1. We're no longer allowed to rebook on OALs.
2. We no longer allow award waitlisting. There was a memo.
3. No, 1K do not get any meal priority. Only Global Services.
1. We're no longer allowed to rebook on OALs.
2. We no longer allow award waitlisting. There was a memo.
3. No, 1K do not get any meal priority. Only Global Services.
Jan 22, 2019, 10:07 pm
#44
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
Programs: DL DM, UA 1K MM, Subway Club Member
Posts: 1,988
UA sells tickets on DL flights all the time and issues them on 016 stock. They can absolutely push a passenger over to DL whenever they want (provided DL has space).
Jan 24, 2019, 9:55 am
#45
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
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They can definitely still move tickets to DL - they just did it for (almost) the entire plane full of people I was on...
UA6070 (IAD-MSP) from yesterday finally canceled about an hour ago. A number of people had already moved to other flights/canceled their tickets, but there were about 30 of us still on it. They moved everyone that wanted to onto the direct DL flight. The gate agent clearly had to get some form of approval from ops before doing it, but given the quantity of people involved (and the fact that flight hadn't technically canceled at the point they moved them - it was "only" 16 hours delayed) that isn't at all surprising.
UA6070 (IAD-MSP) from yesterday finally canceled about an hour ago. A number of people had already moved to other flights/canceled their tickets, but there were about 30 of us still on it. They moved everyone that wanted to onto the direct DL flight. The gate agent clearly had to get some form of approval from ops before doing it, but given the quantity of people involved (and the fact that flight hadn't technically canceled at the point they moved them - it was "only" 16 hours delayed) that isn't at all surprising.