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Layover on award became 8 hours with schedule change

Layover on award became 8 hours with schedule change

Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:23 pm
  #1  
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Layover on award became 8 hours with schedule change

I had booked STL-IAH-TPE with points in business class several months ago for Saturday, September 28th (IAH-TPE leaving at 1 AM on Sunday). IAH-TPE is on EVA. My layover in IAH was about 4 hours, which was long but not unreasonable. I just got a notification of a schedule change on the STL-IAH flight, my layover is now about 8 hours long, which is unacceptable. And that's the last STL-IAH flight of the day, so I'm trying to figure out what my options are here.

As I understand it, in the event of schedule changes, United cannot force an award seat on partners, but they can on their own metal. Instead of leaving Saturday, I could leave Friday if it's late enough in the day. It looks like there is an award seat on EVA's YYZ-TPE flight the day before (leaving at 1 AM on Saturday). There's no AC availability on STL-YYZ, and while it looks like there is availability on United from STL-DEN-YYZ, that's a bit of a crappy routing, and leaves too early for me on Friday. There is an STL-ORD-YYZ routing on all UA metal that lets me leave STL late enough, and I have a reasonable layover time in ORD and YYZ, but there's no award availability on it.

If I call United, would I have a shot at them putting me on STL-ORD-YYZ-TPE, leaving a day earlier? I don't have any status with them, but I'm hoping they can accommodate me a bit, because I really don't want to kill 8 hours in IAH.
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:25 pm
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Yes.

Or route STL-SFO-TPE on UA's own metal (such as it is), or STL-DEN-SFO-TPE if the STL-SFO timings don't work well.
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:27 pm
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Originally Posted by t325
If I call United, would I have a shot at them putting me on STL-ORD-YYZ-TPE, leaving a day earlier? I don't have any status with them, but I'm hoping they can accommodate me a bit, because I really don't want to kill 8 hours in IAH.
Yes, UA should open space on its own metal.

That said, I'm not sure STL-ORD-YYZ-TPE is any better than STL-IAH-TPE with eight hours in IAH. You'd have Polaris lounge access at IAH.
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:32 pm
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Originally Posted by mduell
Yes.

Or route STL-SFO-TPE on UA's own metal (such as it is), or STL-DEN-SFO-TPE if the STL-SFO timings don't work well.
Thanks. Thought about that, but I'd rather fly EVA, and I want to spend as much time as I can in long haul J. It's a rare treat for me, so I'd rather fly to a close-ish hub in econ on regional jets and spend more time in EVA J, that was mostly the reason I picked IAH as opposed to SFO for the original routing.
Originally Posted by Kacee
Yes, UA should open space on its own metal.

That said, I'm not sure STL-ORD-YYZ-TPE is any better than STL-IAH-TPE with eight hours in IAH. You'd have Polaris lounge access at IAH.
Youre probably right. And I thought about seeing if I could be put on the earliest STL-IAH flight to spend a day in Houston, but TBH I would like to spend another day in Taipei if possible and if I can take advantage of this to do that, I will.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 15, 2019 at 7:14 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:35 pm
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Originally Posted by t325
Youre probably right. And I thought about seeing if I could be put on the earliest STL-IAH flight to spend a day in Houston, but TBH I would like to spend another day in Taipei if possible and if I can take advantage of this to do that, I will.
You're risking a miss at ORD. IAH is a much more reliable airport for connecting.
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:42 pm
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Hmm true. The connection at ORD was a couple hours so I had a buffer there. But ORD is unpredictable.

Let me ask this, if I change it to the early STL-IAH flight and have like a 17 hour layover there, will they hold onto my checked bag for that long? Or is it an option to change it so I fly into IAH the night before (I have enough points for a free hotel), collect my checked bag and return Saturday evening for the TPE flight?

If it's best to stick with IAH, I'd rather make the most of a long layover and see a couple things in the city. The NASA space center is right up my alley and I've never had Whataburger
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:46 pm
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I wouldn't expect them to let you fly out the night before, although I could see a sympathetic agent letting you take the morning flight.

Skip whateverburger and get some decent texmex.
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:51 pm
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Originally Posted by mduell
I wouldn't expect them to let you fly out the night before, although I could see a sympathetic agent letting you take the morning flight.

Skip whateverburger and get some decent texmex.
I'll have time for both

If I get on the early flight, will they hold my checked bag that long at IAH or will I have to collect it and do something with it?
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:52 pm
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Originally Posted by t325
...
Let me ask this, if I change it to the early STL-IAH flight and have like a 17 hour layover there, will they hold onto my checked bag for that long? Or is it an option to change it so I fly into IAH the night before (I have enough points for a free hotel), collect my checked bag and return Saturday evening for the TPE flight?...
UA generally will not checkthru on overnight connections - same variation among check-in agents on this.
Same day connections usually yes ( a few agents enforce a 13-hour limit -- an old, no longer listed limitation).
Overnight, long layover/connection check through baggage question (consolidated)
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 6:56 pm
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
UA generally will not checkthru on overnight connections - same variation among check-in agents on this.
Same day connections usually yes ( a few agents enforce a 13-hour limit -- an old, no longer listed limitation).
Overnight, long layover/connection check through baggage question (consolidated)
Great, thank you! Makes no difference to me, if I do the all day layover Ill rent a car so I could throw it in the trunk, just need to know whether I need to collect my bag or not. So as long as the agent in STL checks it through to TPE, theyll hold it?
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 7:06 pm
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Originally Posted by t325
... So as long as the agent in STL checks it through to TPE, theyll hold it?
yes
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 11:51 pm
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No Polaris Lounge yet in IAH, right?

BR is also pretty good with ensuring your checked bags are forwarded to them as they are the ones who are left holding the bag, pun intended, per IATA rules if you don't get your bag in TPE.

If flying BR is a treat, I would try to see if you can find any of their day time flights (afternoon out of LAX/SFO) as you get lunch/dinner service rather than somewhat abbreviated late nigh supper on these overnight flights. BR 7 leaves out of the other side of the SFO International Terminal though. LAX TBIT is s hike from UA but well worth a visit. Neither flights' J inventory is easy to come by.
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Old Apr 15, 2019, 11:55 pm
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Originally Posted by username
No Polaris Lounge yet in IAH, right? ...
IAH has a Polaris Lounge, see
IAH Polaris lounge (E11/12 - top fl) -- Reviews, Experiences, Q&A, ...
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Old Apr 16, 2019, 12:22 am
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Originally Posted by t325
...and I want to spend as much time as I can in long haul J. It's a rare treat for me, ...
Only on FT do we choose to the longer routing for more air-time. (yours truly included).
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Old Apr 16, 2019, 12:27 am
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Originally Posted by phkc070408
Only on FT do we choose to the longer routing for more air-time. (yours truly included).
True enough. Though I find SFO-TPE at 13 hours plenty long.
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