nsoltz

Just venting. Going EWR-JNB on UA in Nov connecting to 4Z (Airlink) to Kasane Bostwana. Returning MUB (Maun Botswana) to JNB and back to EWR on UA. If I price UA in business on my dates comes to $6300 because one leg only available in D. The Botswana r/t on Airlink is about $500. If I price EWR-BBK, fare goes up to $17,300. Verified with UA agent who apologized that she didn't make the rules but in business this can happen on combined fares. Contacted travel agent I had used for previous Africa trips with a UA-4Z internline. She was able through her Amadeus system to book two separate tickets, yet they show on a single UA PNR, thereby allowing checking baggage through since UA and 4Z have a baggage interlining agreement. Same thing on a prior trip where I checked a bag in Lusaka Zambia and Airlink even had *A premium baggage check card. Bag connected at JNB and there was no need to enter SA, collect bag and then walk it to UA.

So, just venting over the rules. Meanwhile the UA service to JNB is wonderful and Airlink is a hidden gem of an airline.

Lux Flyer

The flights being in the same PNR has nothing to do with the ability to check through bags. UA's policy on checking across separate tickets and having an interline agreement is what allows it, but it doesn't need to be in the United PNR. But your contract with UA is still for transport EWR-JNB, should that be delayed, their only obligation is to get you to JNB.

And while frustrating, that is the difference between a travel agent and United. UA can only issue you into flights/fares that are able to be plated on 016 ticket. They can't sell you another airlines fare if it's not allowed to be on 016 ticket stock. A travel agent can sell you fares and ticket it subject to fare rules on any airline they hold ticketing arrangements with.

nsoltz

Thanks. While I know that and I know that I am not protected, just frustrating rules.

WineCountryUA

by the other carrier

Sykes

In this case it's really UA (or somewhere in-between). 4Z allows pretty much all of their fares to be plated on a UA ticket and has no restrictions on end-on-end construction, but UA doesn't allow combining their discount business class fares end-on-end with 4Z fares so to get an end-on-end ticket you have to buy full J on UA. Theoretically UA seems to intend to allow one to use 4Z for the last flight--some of the discount EWR-BBK thru-fares on United do allow flights on 4Z--but the RBD table is stupid and only allows booking into D for the 4Z segment, which doesn't exist for JNB-BBK because it's a single-cabin plane.

WineCountryUA

so this is not the typical plating issue that prevents UA from access most discount fares on many carriers? Is this UA limitation unique to 4Z or does it arise with other carriers? Just had not heard of this multi-carrier issue before.

AirbusFan2B

Sorry to digress OT - flew Airlink Mpumalanga-CPT in early 2020 just before the pandemic. I second the characterization of it being a gem: Top shelf meal in Y, squeaky clean interior and utterly classy staff. A total surprise as I had never heard of this airline, and such a testimony to striving for excellence.

docbert

Correct, it's a combinability issue. But with a twist...

UA don't publish a fare EWR-BBK, so the trip needs to have 2 fares combined. The UA "discount" business fares EWR-JNB include the Combinability rules :
END-ON-END
END-ON-END COMBINATIONS PERMITTED WITH DOMESTIC FARES WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. VALIDATE ALL FARE COMPONENTS.
SIDE TRIPS PERMITTED.

So that fare can't be combined end-on-end with a JNB-BBK trip (ie, you can't do EWR-JNB-BBK-JNB-EWR). It appears that the only business class fare that allows end-on-end on EWR-JNB is the full J fare, which is :
END-ON-END
FARES MAY BE COMBINED ON A HALF ROUND TRIP BASIS WITH ANY FARE FOR ANY CARRIER IN ANY RULE AND TARIFF TO FORM ROUND TRIPS/CIRCLE TRIPS.

Now, the oddity. The cheaper D-class fare DOES allow Side Trips and stopovers, as does the similar fare to Cape Town. So it's actually possible to book EWR-CPT via JNB, with a stopover in JNB and a side trip from that stopover point of JNB to BBK. So you end up with something like EWR-JNB-BBK-JNB-CPT-EWR, with 4 fares, EWR-CPT (covering EWR-JNB-CPT, with a stopover/side trip allowed in JNB), CPT-EWR, and JNB-BBK/BBK-JNB. All for roughly the same price as doing it on separate tickets, but with the extra hop over to CPT required on either the outbound or the inbound.

The real issue here is UA not publishing a EWR-BBK fare in business. They have one in Economy so you can book a single fare EWR-BKK and back in economy (including a T-class fare), just not in business.

jsloan

The thing is, UA’s policy about through-checking on separate tickets would seem to exclude 4Z. So while they have an interline agreement, since policy for separate tickets is *A-only, and 4Z isn’t *A, I’m a bit surprised this works.

I’m also a bit surprised a TA would do it, as they’re urged not to put separate tickets into a single UA PNR.

nsoltz

Appreciate all of the details. UA agent on phone did say that for UA to sell it on one PNR, the UA segment had to be priced in J, hence the huge difference between D on the outbound and Z on the return. But except for the protection (which trip insurance would cover in the event on delay or misconnection), I'm fine as long as I can just use transit on the return at JNB and not need the added hassle of entering SA, waiting for UA counter to open and then back into international departures. While I'll have to wait in flight connections at least it's a relatively comfortable waiting area for someone from United to arrive.

TonyBurr

How much did you finally pay for the trip through the travel agent?

Lux Flyer

*A only for general members/*S. *G and above are allowed to check across separate tickets to any carrier UA holds interline agreement with.

whlinder

Yep, the J fares all have less restrictive combinability rules than the lower business class fares (D/Z/C). This is the core issue as others have explained well.

It's fairly typical for high, unrestricted fares to have few combinability restrictions while discounted fares are more controlled. For UA and many carriers. It's been several years but I had to go to LIS and then LHR, so a TP business fare was the cheapest with their free stopover. At the time TP only flew to EWR and I'm IAD based. To get all on 1 ticket (this was winter so was not going to do separate tickets with EWR involved) the UA full Y fare had to combine end on end with the TP discounted business fare. I think the UA base was over 700 WAS-EWR and the TP business base was like 1000 for EWR-LIS-LHR. All due to combinability rules.

findark

Oh that explains it; I was confused because UA absolutely publishes Business fares on EWR-BBK.

I'm sure it boils down to the lack of UA customers flying to BBK and therefore the lack of a human at UA to notice or care about this.