Question about ZN fare code
 

This is the fourth time we're trying to do a Rhine river cruise next year (hopefully Covid will be gone by then). I'm trying to book to business saver award tickets, the advanced mode shows JN9 and ZN1. Now we're United Chase credit card members and AFAIK it used to be that gave you access to the JN inventory but when I try to book two tickets it will only allow 1. Have the rules changed, I did a search and don't see anything that says the Chase United card doesn't get you into the JN inventory. Thanks

Are you fully logged into your account when searching?

JN - Elite/CC Standard Business or 2-cabin First Award
ZN - Non-Elite Standard Business or 2-cabin First Award

Neither JN or ZN is saver award, the is I or IN and there is no credit card access to IN

Yep, logged in to the United site. I've tried it with both my wife's ID and mine, we both have the Chase/United card and both have the same problem.

The site will let me book two standard business class everyday awards if the route is EWR - > MXP but as soon as I make it AUS - > EWR -> MXP it only lets me book 1 ticket. The AUS segment shows JN9 so as a card holder don't see why it's not working.



Never mind, I'm on hold at UAL to see if they can shed some like on this.
Thanks

Inventory depends upon the whole trip, not the individual segments.

Multi-destination search may give you the ability to book the ticket, although likely at an increased number of miles.

That's what I'm seeing, wasn't clear in my original post, sorry.

If I try to book 1 person it's 155K miles for a business everyday award (which it's been the past when booking these same flights before COVID hit) but when I change it to two then it goes to 240K miles, also for a business everyday award. Guess where I'm confused that both segments show JN9, which I thought that was to include no blockage on the everyday award level if you have the Chase/UAL credit card.

If there were an inventory blockage issue, then when you tried for two people, it simply wouldn't give you a result.

In this case, UA hasn't published any parameters for how they handle their variable pricing. It may be tied in some manner to the underlying inventory, but there are a lot more pricing levels than fare classes, so whatever their process is, it's more complicated than that.

I suspect what you're seeing is that they're willing to sell one ticket at 155K, but not two, and therefore when you search for two people, you get the higher price. (On a single itinerary, everyone will pay the same price, even if there are a number of lower price tickets available for a smaller group).

If you purchase them separately, you can probably get one at 155K and the other at 240K. I doubt there's a way to get them both at 155K besides waiting and hoping that more inventory opens.

Well got through to a non english as a native language person and she really couldn't explain why, just that's the way it is. Guess I just need to keep an eye on it, checking back to 4/4 and prior it's 155K for two and will hope as the month progress they reduce the miles needed. Else I might just need to pay for a coach ticket to EWR and then use miles for the overnight segment.

Is this round-trip or one-way travel? 155K miles is a lot.

How many of these miles did you earn on those credit cards? If the answer is most or all of them, you can get an effective rate of one cent per mile by using United Choices. You buy the cash ticket that you want, and then you get a statement credit by trading in miles. For 310K miles, you could buy a $3100 fare and come out even. (Actually, you'd come out ahead, because you'd earn miles on your flight).

When you are traveling?

That's 155K for a one way Business Everyday if one booked, 240K for one way if two booked, there are no business saver awards, never seen them in the two years we've been trying to do this trip. Most of those miles were eared with a** in the seat, used to be 1K member but some were from credit card. The cash fare is $3,224 per person so your idea isn't justifiable.

One way? The round trip is probably similar. OW TATL fares are ridiculous.

Right, and open-jaw trips would likely be about the same as a round-trip. But United Choices isn't helpful unless enough miles have been earned from the card to cover the trip.

Like others have said, please don’t spend the standard price unless you have to. If earned through a credit card buy a round trip business class ticket and use the Miles at 1 cent per point.