United changes our flights -recourse?
Jul 22, 2018, 12:06 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Ontario
Posts: 15
United changes our flights -recourse?
Booked a flight last April for this Dec.31st with United from YOW > EWR (+1hr layover) > BZE, for a total of almost 9 hours. Yesterday we got an "important itinerary change" email saying that they have changed our flight to YOW > IAD >HOU > BZE which is now a 20 hour trip with a Jan.1st arrival, some 23 hours after our original booking arrival time! We had transportation and accommodations booked for the 31st and now with a New Years Day arrival our transportation to our apartment (2 hrs away) is not available. Do we have any recourse? Can't United find us other flights on a partner airline? This has never happened to us before. I am going to phone them tomorrow.
Jul 22, 2018, 12:53 pm
#2
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: DCA or IAD (originally DUB)
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM, Hertz PC, Marriott Platinum/Lifetime Gold
Posts: 7,657
Flight schedules change all the time ... particularly around the holidays.
Sounds like you have an award (miles) booking?
You have two options ... take a full refund of your miles (or money) and look elsewhere for an itinerary that suits you ... or look online and find one on UA and/or its *A partners and call United and ask to be switched to that ...
Not sure what other "recourse" you think you are due?
Sounds like you have an award (miles) booking?
You have two options ... take a full refund of your miles (or money) and look elsewhere for an itinerary that suits you ... or look online and find one on UA and/or its *A partners and call United and ask to be switched to that ...
Not sure what other "recourse" you think you are due?
Jul 22, 2018, 1:06 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
I suspect schedules changed. The morning YOW-EWR that day arrives at 7:57 while EWR-BZE departs at 8:38, so my guess is a schedule change dropped your itinerary under the minimum connection time and YOW-IAD-IAH-BZE was what the computer spit back out.
AFAICT, EWR-BZE is UA's only flight to BZE on 12/31 that wouldn't require two stops in the US. There's an IAH-BZE but no YOW-IAH to get you there non-stop.
So as UAPremExecflyer said, your options are to call UA and perhaps try to move your flights back a day, or maybe fly YOW-EWR the night before, spend the night near the airport then continue EWR-BZE the next day.
Or you can get a refund and try another airline. There's not a lot of Star Alliance presence at BZE so I doubt UA will find you a better itinerary on a partner carrier, unless there are seats available on on Air Canada's YYZ-BZE (can UA even book Rouge flights?). There's Copa through PTY but again, no YOW-PTY to get you there without a stop somewhere else.
It sounds like this is a revenue booking rather than an award. FWIW, Google Flights doesn't show *any* available one-stop itineraries on 12/31 so I don't think you'll have much look rebooking on another airline.
I'd ask UA to move you back a day so you still arrive on 12/31 and move on.
AFAICT, EWR-BZE is UA's only flight to BZE on 12/31 that wouldn't require two stops in the US. There's an IAH-BZE but no YOW-IAH to get you there non-stop.
So as UAPremExecflyer said, your options are to call UA and perhaps try to move your flights back a day, or maybe fly YOW-EWR the night before, spend the night near the airport then continue EWR-BZE the next day.
Or you can get a refund and try another airline. There's not a lot of Star Alliance presence at BZE so I doubt UA will find you a better itinerary on a partner carrier, unless there are seats available on on Air Canada's YYZ-BZE (can UA even book Rouge flights?). There's Copa through PTY but again, no YOW-PTY to get you there without a stop somewhere else.
It sounds like this is a revenue booking rather than an award. FWIW, Google Flights doesn't show *any* available one-stop itineraries on 12/31 so I don't think you'll have much look rebooking on another airline.
I'd ask UA to move you back a day so you still arrive on 12/31 and move on.
Jul 22, 2018, 1:31 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: SEA
Programs: UA 1P 1MM, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 625
I’ve run into similar situations a few times in the past (for travel to Asia and Europe on award and paid) and UA has been flexible with accommodating us on alternate itineraries. In one recent case the original flights were on UA through SFO and customer service was able to switch to LH direct flight that better fit our schedule. It helps to do some research ahead of your call to figure out alternate routing/flights that might work for you and suggest those.
Jul 22, 2018, 8:32 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: All of them, UA-Plat, 1MM*G
Posts: 881
I recommend you ask to be put on the YOW-EWR flight the evening before. While you might need to pay $100 for a hotel, you retrieve your 1-stop connection, arrive on the 31st -- and no longer have to worry about an early morning misconnect at EWR that might have occurred with your previous itinerary.
Jul 22, 2018, 8:59 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,404
I recommend you ask to be put on the YOW-EWR flight the evening before. While you might need to pay $100 for a hotel, you retrieve your 1-stop connection, arrive on the 31st -- and no longer have to worry about an early morning misconnect at EWR that might have occurred with your previous itinerary.
OP: Basically, pick any UA flights that come up when you do a search on United.com and ask for them. If you can’t find a schedule that you like, you can ask for a refund instead.
Jul 22, 2018, 10:23 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,054
AC will not be of any help to OP if he wants same day arrival. The only airline that can do that on the 31st out of YOW is AA (via PHL and MIA) and UA is not going to put OP on AA flights. As already noted, UA will likely allow OP to fly out the day before and then connect to either the EWR-BZE or IAH-BZE flights the following day which still provides for arrival on the 31st. Yes, OP will be on the hook for the hotel bill. There's likely cheaper hotel options around IAH rather than EWR.