jsloan

Actually, there are multiple reports of agents refusing to interline from a BE ticket to another ticket.

emcampbe

not sure �interline� is the proper terminology for what the OP is asking about, but we�re getting into semantics here. I think the OP is referring to the reports that UA will not check a bag through on separate tickets (regardless of whether they are different carriers or are both UA) when you book a domestic BE fare to get to an international gateway.

I have no direct experience, and will unlikely ever book domestic BE as a stand-alone, and definitely never would if I had an international connection to �connect� to, but I�d assume the restriction is still there, unless the OP wants to test the case. IME, for me, the risk is too great.

After the week UA is having, bags aside, Id be doubly hesitant to do this - even here in SFO we�ve had lots of knockon effects of the issues via crew availability, so, for example, the SFO-BNA flight I was booked on last night (and I canceled earlier for reasons a couple of days ago) was canceled (in fact, both of yesterdays flights on this route were canceled due to crew), despite there being no WX issues here or in BNA. Even on a non-BE, separate ticket that could be an issue, but I�d also suspect being BE puts one farther down the totem pole for rebooking priority - would definitely be a shame to miss a connecting international flight due to de-priority of being on BE and having to be rebooked on a later flight vs. earlier. Obviously, YMMV.

cfischer

when the ticket came WITH a bag allowance? Like in the OPs case? Yes, if BE w/o bag allowance then clearly that's a problem. If you buy a bag w/ BE or have another way of getting a free bag ... there shouldn't be any technical reason for UA to be able to check the bag through to LX

jsloan

The first posts on this thread were posted by a 1K.

emcampbe

who said anything about a reason why UA couldn�t [technically] check the bag through?It�s that they likely won�t. There�s a difference between being able to do something, and actually doing it. Just because something can be done, it doesn�t mean it will.

in the OPs situation, others have reported being told by agents that they won�t do it (as a policy) on a domestic BE ticket to an international itinerary. UA likely has a policy against it because they don�t want people to do what the OP is doing, and so that is their way of discouraging it. They want you instead to buy the [presumably more expensive, as in OPs case] O-D itinerary.

As a matter of practice, UA also has a policy of not checking bags through to non-*A partners on separate tickets. Again, assuming the other carrier has an interline agreement with UA, which is probable in many of the cases when they will now deny doing it, it can be done, they have just decided they won�t do it.

tr3k

I had UA agents attempt to not interline on a non-BE ticket. They just don't like doing that. The "rule" they quote is most likely their own invention.
Consider, that if you paid for a checked bag on a BE fare or have a free bag on a BE fare due to status, there really isn't anything different about it than any other economy fare.
Just the usual UA BS (but, admittedly, lately a number of airlines try to do that, and in doing so reduce the value of "alliance")

emcampbe

BS is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

yes, it is by policy, not by �it can�t be done� (unless the other carrier is not an interline partner). The point of the policy is to discourage people from behavior like buying separate tickets to avoid the fares they are charging O-D. They interline to non-alliance partners on a single ticket, and generally,
will interline on separate tickets within the alliance (though I don�t deny there are likely instances where agents don�t want to make the effort, and potentially others where the agents may actually be ok doing it but don�t know how/we�re never trained).

IndyHoosier

Thanks everyone. I ended up just buying a regular economy ticket.

I normally wouldn't buy a separate ticket for a same day connection, but for ORD, in the worst case, I can just drive there in 3 hours.

IndyHoosier

I ended up not taking that flight. However, I booked a J UA award ticket from ORD-GRU thru LifeMiles and a separate BE ticket from IND-ORD. The UA agent in IND wasn't sure if she could when I first asked, but when she tried on her computer, she had no issue checking my bag all the way through to GRU and it arrived in GRU with no issue this past Wednesday.

Edit to add, I have no status with UA, just the Explorer credit card.

UACPAFlier

Brother flew BE to lax, then to hkg on separate UA ticket.

wont check through to HKG - he�s a UA gold member.

united BE is a PITA