One segment or two
 

I see in United rules that a segment is defined as "one take off and one landing." When a flight is direct, yet makes one stop, it still shows up on my MP summary as one segment. What's the best way to handle the correction?

What correction are you seeking? Are you trying to get segment credit in order to (re-)qualify for elite status?

If you book a direct flight that is two take offs and landings with one flight number, the solution is just to manually book them as two separate flights. (Use multi-city search and this option will come up.)

This not only gets you the extra segment credit (or the "right" number of segment credits), but also makes it easier to nab upgrades. Remember that if you have booked both flights as a single direct flight, upgrade availability needs to exist on both segments or you won't have access to the seat. However, if you book two separate flight segments, you can get the upgrade on one and wait list the other.

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[This message has been edited by gleff (edited 09-03-2002).]

Of course sometimes you want a "direct" flight (with a stop), if you have a one segment upgrade certificate from customer relations (and you can clear the upgrade for the whole itineary).


John

In the case you cite above, you've earned one segment. Direct flights, where the flight number never changes, earn you one segment credit no matter how many stops along the way.

I've seen gleff's suggestion as a solution to maximizing segments on direct flights.

Good point, SoFlyOn!

One flight number, even if you have to change planes at the stop over, counts as only one segment no matter how many times it stops.

It really sucks when they change two different flight numbers (say the flight from New York to DC, and then DC to Atlanta) into one flight number, I did that one a bit and lost the 500 minimum on each segment when they changed it.

I often enjoy UA one-flight-number multiple-segment flights as they only cost me one coupon of my total of (maximum of) 8-visit-USA-coupons.

A flight I regularly (once a year) take is the LGA-(ORD-) MEX flight (and I also can upgrade them with just one 1-segment upgrade voucher all the way!

I get to 1K by segments, so it's a huge issue whether it's one segment or two. And, I believe I have seen in United's own literature that a segment is defined as one take off and one landing. In the case of a stop, that's two take offs and two landings. And, sometimes they even change equipment at the stop so you are behaving just as though you have two segments.

<smile>

Better book it as 2 segments then, not as a direct -- it's just as easy and it'll save you a fight.

Another reason why upgrades are easier is as follows:

Say we are talking about UA's (extinct) flight 1 from LHR-IAD-LAX. Booked as a direct flight, the exact same seat need to be available all the way through. If from LHR-IAD seat 15 is available, but from IAD-LAX 15a is occupied, 15a will then show occupied on the seat map for the entier journey (when booked as a direct flight). But booking segment by segment, more options will be available.

I have been denied upgrades because of this, yet when I split the ticket into two segments, the upgrades become wide open.

Okay, so I want to book with the PassPlus agent . . . are they (or any United agent) going to agree to book it as two segments? It probably costs more miles to do it that way.

It won't cost any more miles, but it might cost $5, or something like that because of airport taxes.

Beware of the double whammy when a direct flight nets you even fewer miles than the longest of the two segments:

e.g., SNA - BWI with a stop in SFO = ~2,400 while SNA - SFO - BWI = 500 + ~2,450 = ~2,950

Book as separate segments, get the segment credits, miles, and avoid any hassle later on.

Perhaps one of the most extreme examples of a thru flight would be United 875, DEN-SEA-NRT-BKK, which seems to routinely come up as the lowest fare option on United for travel from Colorado to Thailand.

It has been my experience that Mileage Plus will credit you with two segments, as originally ticketed, if two numbered flights are subsequently changed to a single thru flight number.

I had this problem last week with 983 (DUS - IAD - ORD).

I booked to go DUS - IND. Originally I was booked 983 to IAD and then nonstop to IND.

Then I called back to add IAD - ORD - IND (589 and 500 miles respectively versus 476 IAD - IND nonstop).

Problem was the first IAD - ORD left 45 minutes after I landed (unable to book). Next flight was 983. Booked me on 983 and unable to be ON the upgrade list.

When I got to IAD, went standby (FC) on empty A320 (FC full of employees, some working some not) from IAD - ORD to avoid being on 983 entire time.

Weirder yet, I have only received MP credit from DUS - ORD nonstop on 983 (which I didn't fly obviously...)

One of the MAIN reasons I love the 1P/1K change any time without having to fly stand by rule...