jsloan

Flight credits can be used for partner flights, but I still agree with this analysis. Use the thing that expires before the thing that does not expire.

(I'm also unclear on how one would have a flight credit good until 2024).

The only possible exception would be if you are a regular traveler, expect to book at least 2x the credit value next year, and have already reached your status goal for 2022. (i.e., you're already 1K and you don't plan to try for GS; you're already Gold and you don't have interest in Plat; etc.). In that case, you might use the miles first, since they won't contribute to your status goals. (The 2x multiplier is just a safety buffer to make absolutely sure that the credit doesn't expire unused).

OssianBlue

Purchased premium economy ticket (United stock) AUS-FRA-ARN for a long weekend in Stockholm. Originally getting in around noon, Lufthansa schedule change gets me in after 6 PM now.

There's an AUS-ORD-ARN flight on SAS that would arrive in the morning--what's the chance I can get United to switch me to that flight instead?

WineCountryUA

What was the total change in arrival time?

Would need to check the original fare rules is see if SAS is an allowed alternative (likely not) . SAS is not known for playing well with other partners (prefer using their ticket stock), how much more expensive is the SAS ticket? Is it the same fare class?

Other Airline Schedule Change

Changing airline (or outside LH Group) and changing fare class is going to be a struggle

However you can always ask, the larger the time change the better.

OssianBlue

5:55 later. Flight is Sept. 2, notified of the change July 29.

A lot more expensive.

Edit:
VERY helpful. There's a two stop that would get me in the morning and it is UA/Lufthansa with UA Premium Economy across the Atlantic.
Fare is NHA86SNC but no link to the rules on the website.

WineCountryUA

A change to staying on LH has a higher chance that UA will agree to (and your LH fare class on a PE ticket was likely farily high).

Is the NHA86SNC the original fare basis or the new 2-stop?
UA fare basis? odd looking for UA

OssianBlue

That's the original fare class on United (where I bought the ticket).

WineCountryUA

Can not find that fare basis but
what you would be looking for in the FLIGHT APPLICATION section to switch to a SK frlight from ORD
but what I generally see for AUS-ARN fares is
Note the fare rule for the R fare I was looking at (not yours)
did allow SK and essentially all *A partners for the intra-European leg
"IF THE FARE COMPONENT INCLUDES TRAVEL WITHIN EUROPE
THEN THAT TRAVEL MUST BE ON"

jsloan

That's an LH fare basis, plated on a UA ticket.

WineCountryUA

Yeh that thought that might be a possiblity, had not come across LH fare on UA ticket but the N leading letter and a PremEcon ticket would fit. I struggle read UA fare rules, best I don't try to interpreter LHs (appear they a structured a bit differently)

OssianBlue

That would explain why the Fare Rules link on United doesn't work; there doesn't appear to be a way for me to get to them on the Lufthansa site anywhere in the reservation.

jsloan

It's not particularly common, because normally LH and UA have matching fares and UA will default to using its own, but LH allows its TATL fares to be plated on UA, and that's definitely what's happened here.

I was able to find that fare in ExpertFlyer by guessing a ticketing date (it's not currently offered for sale). There are no carrier restrictions in the text (well, except for one rule that doesn't actually apply but which would limit you to LH-coded flights operated by Edelweiss if it did), but there are carrier restrictions in the routing rules. None of them allow for SK codes for the TATL leg; only around Scandinavia. So, if you can find a UA codeshare on ORD-ARN, the fare might apply to it.. but I don't see any indication that UA and SK codeshare on that route (I'd be extremely surprised if they did).

Is there a useful SK FRA-ARN flight? That should be a relatively easy sell. I don't see any FRA-BMA flights on the schedule. Long story short, I suspect you'll have a lot more luck using UA or a JV partner for the overwater leg.

Good luck!

CPS89

I searched for this and couldn't find any answers- my apologies if this information is already somewhere. I'm looking for information on when United would book you on another airline when delayed overnight. I've never been able to do get them to do this for me, and I don't know what the scenario has to be for it to be considered.

More of my flights are departing DTW these days than ORD, so I'm unfortunately misconnecting quite a bit. The last two times I misconnected (DTW-IAH-SAN & DTW-ORD-MSN) I was rebooked for the next morning. I inquired about them rebooking me on the DL direct flight that left later that night, which was shot down by both the gate agent and the 1K desk. Both times they offered a full refund if I wanted to cancel and book with DL.

What is the situation where UA would consider rebooking on another airline?

jsloan

Other than intercontinental travel, where *A rules would require it (and even then it's occasionally like puling teeth), there are no hard-and-fast guidelines. However, your chances are much better if the delay is UA's fault -- mechanical or crew scheduling rather than weather or ATC.

Also, for misconnecting at the origin, it would probably need to be a pretty severe delay with the connecting flight showing as on-time. SOP in that situation is to send you to the connecting point and tell you that your connection is probably delayed too -- which, to be fair, is frequently true.

CPS89

Thanks for the info as always jsloan.

One of the recent misconnects was a 3+ hour delay- missing crew member. Not even sure how they handle this at an airport without a crew base. The other was 3+ due to a delayed incoming plane. I've chosen to go home and sleep in my bed versus dealing with whichever hotel they want to put me in at the connecting city.

*If* I were ever able to convince UA to rebook on another airline, do I have a better shot with the gate agent or the 1K line?

findark

I would say 1K line because you can HUCA and up your odds, but it's always rolling the dice. Any agent has the ability to push your ticket to DL, and they have also probably been told this is bad for UA's bottom line and to find own-metal solutions if at all possible. It depends on the mood they're in, which is very YMMV.