International trip, buy now or wait? - what would you do?
Nov 11, 2021, 8:46 am
#16
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: None - previously UA
Posts: 4,873
Nov 11, 2021, 9:02 am
#17
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: IAH
Programs: UA MM, AA almost MM
Posts: 1,165
Nov 11, 2021, 10:00 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,894
getting the chnage done is a bit of a PITA, but possible. You have to change to a different day or flight, then change back. Agents have also been commonly not doing it directly. But with no change fees, takes some work, but not a big deal.
Also, different PNR, but you can have them virtually "link" the reservation so if something happens there is a chance that they will all be handled the same way.
My wife and i fly often - me on $$ and her and/or daughter on points and so far every single time we have had cancelled flights or IRROPS etc - they have followed me on every change
My wife and i fly often - me on $$ and her and/or daughter on points and so far every single time we have had cancelled flights or IRROPS etc - they have followed me on every change
Maybe you got lucky and the new flights were the same. Maybe an agent did it and saw the notes. It was most definitely not because the system saw a link and purposely rebooked you all ‘together’
Tickets issued until this summer had temporarily had the ability to do this. Not anymore. But the FFC will be available for use for the specific pax they are for.
Nov 11, 2021, 1:45 pm
#19
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: UA lifetime gold; Hilton Gold; Marriott/SPG Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,954
Nov 12, 2021, 8:12 am
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 20
So long as you are willing to fly UA in the future, I'd buy it now. If you end up having to cancel or change your flights, there are no change fees anymore. So, if the price goes down, you can cancel and rebook using FFC (future flight credit) or, in the worst case, you can use your FFC on different flights in the future. However, you can't easily re-book the exact same itinerary using your FFC credit. The procedure that seems to work best is to cancel your flight and use the credit to rebook onto a different set of flights, then go to the "Change flight" tab and next, select "All travelers on this reservation", next hit the "Edit" square on your existing itinerary and then, you will be shown a list of options. Select your original flights at the reduced price (make sure they show the correct price-you can double-check at
https://matrix.itasoftware.com
https://matrix.itasoftware.com
Nov 12, 2021, 8:13 am
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 20
It's hard to imagine a once-daily EWR to JNB routing getting a change since that's United's only service there.... but I get your point on other routings.