UA search no longer taking NYC for airport name?
Mar 3, 2019, 4:21 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,501
You can use it as a starting point, along with other third-party resources - e.g. Expert Flyer to see award availability.
NYC is my home base - every single trip starts and ends in NYC. I don't let some IT limitations bother me; educate/adapt.
My general rule of thumbs:
Transcon: EWR
Hubs other than LAX/SFO (covered above) + Cleveland/Denver + Toronto/Montreal (transborder on AC) = LGA (easiest airport for me to get to)
International: EWR for UA + SK; otherwise mostly JFK for other *A, as some operate at both airports.
NYC is my home base - every single trip starts and ends in NYC. I don't let some IT limitations bother me; educate/adapt.
My general rule of thumbs:
Transcon: EWR
Hubs other than LAX/SFO (covered above) + Cleveland/Denver + Toronto/Montreal (transborder on AC) = LGA (easiest airport for me to get to)
International: EWR for UA + SK; otherwise mostly JFK for other *A, as some operate at both airports.
Mar 3, 2019, 6:03 pm
#18
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,453
Will he go for the hat trick here?
Mar 3, 2019, 9:20 pm
#21
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: HND, NRT
Programs: UA Gold (1K 2016–2023 by miracle extensions; RIP 1K status), 1MM
Posts: 220
I've successfully searched for and booked flights from "TYO" as recently as January, resulting in fights that depart HND and return to NRT and vice versa. In the past, the search often converted TYO to NRT whenever I did any toggling of options so I had to reenter TYO but I don't recall that happening recently.
Mar 3, 2019, 9:23 pm
#22
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP, lowly UA 1K; Hyatt Diamond, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold; National EC, Hertz PC
Posts: 2,214
I noticed this the other day searching award availability. I typed NYC and didn't look closely enough, then realized the default for NYC is EWR on the website. Leave it to UA to break something that was not broken. Made me mad because it wasn't showing flights that I knew were open from JFK until I poked around. Not customer friendly.
Mar 3, 2019, 11:43 pm
#24
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,453
I've successfully searched for and booked flights from "TYO" as recently as January, resulting in fights that depart HND and return to NRT and vice versa. In the past, the search often converted TYO to NRT whenever I did any toggling of options so I had to reenter TYO but I don't recall that happening recently.
Mar 4, 2019, 1:29 am
#25
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: UA *G 1MM LT United Club & Global Entry
Posts: 2,756
Reward Travel
Not only does the app show a subset of results, it excludes some highly desirable saver level options.
SL
Mar 4, 2019, 4:51 am
#26
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,584
The app is not the place to conduct a flight search if you are looking for the greatest number of available options.
Mar 4, 2019, 6:37 am
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 19,503
Hammer meet nail. Of late I’ve found every iteration of the UA website to be more difficult to use than its predecessor. Just last night sent “web feedback” to BoA because it is now impossible to view/download cc statements in Safari and, while possible to do so in Firefox, the process is far slower and more cumbersome than before. It almost seems as though corporations are trying to dissuade customers from using their websites.
Mar 4, 2019, 8:07 am
#29
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: IAD/DCA
Programs: United Platinum
Posts: 43
One drawback of Google flights is that you can't search itineraries that are outbound out of one regional airport and return to another (example outbound EWR-xxx, return xxx-JFK). Once you select an outbound, it forces you into selecting the return to the same airport. This limits options to cities with multiple airports. UA.com used to be able to do this by choosing the general code (NYC, WAS) but not right now with auto NYC-->EWR and WAS-->IAD. Only way I can force this to work is doing a multi-flight itinerary on UA.com. Trying the same type of multi-city itinerary on Google flights finds the itineraries, but when you select one, it draws an error.
Mar 4, 2019, 8:45 am
#30
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,453
One drawback of Google flights is that you can't search itineraries that are outbound out of one regional airport and return to another (example outbound EWR-xxx, return xxx-JFK). Once you select an outbound, it forces you into selecting the return to the same airport.