First Class Award to EZE
 

I've been trying to get a 1st class award ticket to EZE...well anytime in the future. I found 1 outbound in April and then no return flight ever. This may be normal, but on most flights not even 1 seat in 1st has been sold. From previous posts I have figured out how to check the award availability so for the flight in April they only have 1 1st seat available with no 1st sold.

Can someone explain how they allocate or is this just random?

Oh yeah, I'm flying to EZE in November on United Business then back on Varig Business. Has anyone had any experience with these flights? How is the comfort and service on these flights (763 & M11).

In the last few months I've found UA's international award inventory in C and F are absolutely HORRIBLE!!! At most, I've seen 1 seat up front.

When I called the 1K International desk looking for options, I got a JERK agent in HNL that CLAIMED that I was too late at 331 days out and that he "could see where someone had already gotten the inventory that I wanted in C". What a lie!!!!! And the flights had ZERO seats reserved, too.

What UA has done is they now hold back on international saver award inventory ontil the final month or so. This way, they have a better chance of having inventory to sell for much needed revenue.

But this technique really screws those of us that want to book C or F early to plan a vacation.

Good bye, UA.

While I understand the need for revenue for UA,the airline has already gained $$$ from this leisure FF (H class-F) with the promise of future award benefits!!!
It is becoming an empty promise because of "Pie in the sky" inventory control...
This week dozens of award seats became open to FRA the DAY BEFORE!!!! Would the genius responsible learn a lesson from this???
Empty seats and angry loyal 1K's and 1p's!!!

I've been trying to book an award ticket to EZE over an October weekend, out Thursday & back on Sunday or Monday. No problems finding the outbound in C, but couldn't find the return unless I waited until Tuesday evening to return. Found a saver award in F, but had to return on Saturday night giving me not even 2 full days in EZE... Since I need the miles anyway, looks like I'll end up paying for the ticket but waiting to see what happens with fares before doing anything solid.


(Edited to add...) As another FTer reminded me a week or two ago when I started looking at this....service to EZE is on a 767. The F you'll get isn't going to compare if you're used to the 777 (suites), and you may be happier in C for what either will "cost" you

They had a lot of inventory on Varig when I booked over Thanksgiving which seemed odd as they informed me United did not have any C or F seats available. I held a Varig ticket, but flying from LAX involved flights to GRU then GIG then to EZE. Great if you want to have a layover, but it adds almost 5 hours to a long trip if trying to get straight to EZE. United is out of Chicago or DC and fly’s straight to EZE.

I spent 2 days looking at every flight, both award and revenue. I finally found a united flight down to EZE the day before my held flight on Varig so I called back and snagged that segment. From what I here United has a better business then Varig. The return flight is better on Varig if flying to the West Coast as it is direct from GRU. Actually, I'm stopping over in Rio for the weekend so it should break up the long trip home.

However, NO 1st class exists to EZE or GRU regardless of revenue bookings. I will check back every day the month before I leave so thanks for the advice!

Remember, too, that it's sometimes better to call in & talk to a CSR rather than relying on ual.com I've found that they CAN be really helpful -- especially if you're somewhat flexible on your dates and/or times. Good luck!

My suggestion would be to use the benefit of the different award allocation between UA and Varig.

Varig opens up, up to 4 seats/cabin, way ahead of time. UA may open tons of award seats but when date approaches.

Suggestion: secure your seats with Varig and swap them for UA as date approach, if UA is your line of choice. This way you have your travel secured in the cabin of your choice, yet free to change carriers.

Take the benefits of *A, which are the same number of miles, regardless of carrier flown - change them at your will until you start using your award ticket.

Editted to add: Odd that reservation you were given. On Varig their first suggestion should be LAX-GRU-EZE as they've many more flights out of GRU than GIG. GRU is currently Varig´s preferred hub. If you will please check that your going back to GIG is not just to pick a direct flight that will, nevertheless, stop in GRU on its way to EZE !!! Also, I don´t have it here with me RG´s timetable but I guess the only flight that may have three-class F seats on that route is their one MD-11 daily flight. All the other many flights are sold as business. So, that leg you´d have to downgrade to C, which I say is not bad at all.

Two segments must have inventory
 

Venice, I am very familiar with your problem. I live part-time in EZE, so I check award availability (and fares) regularly ...

Part of my problem is the lack of inventory SFO-IAD. With currently only 1 wide-body (767) leaving SFO @ 7:40 am, there are only 319/20's and 757's on the route. The 767 seems to be the prime flight for business travellers (hence no advance award C/F inventory almost ever ...), and the Airbuses with limited F space (hence no advance award inventory almost ever ...). If you check award inventory IAD-EZE, you will see more availability (although UA seemed reluctant initially to make any new award space available once they discontinued MIA-EZE).

Previously with the MIA-EZE service there was a connecting 767 from SFO (and also another to IAD), but they are all history.

I have some flexibility in when I travel, so I have been able to book (and sometimes move) flights to something more suitable to when I want to travel. I book in F only when that is all that is available. There is really no substantial difference between C and F on a 767. And if you are on a narrow body to IAD, the most you get is domestic F anyway.

I have often booked a C award, with SFO/IAD booked in Y, since economy space is must easier to come by. No agent has been able to waitlist me in advance either for the domestic leg (although they tell me they have ...), nor have I been able to do it at check-in. I have ALWAYS had to go to the gate and get the agent working the flight to waitlist me ... go figure. Fortunately I almost always clear as a 1K.

It seems of late that UA inventory management is working the domestic flights in the weekend, and sometimes the day or two before. I always check at these times to look for, or change my existing bookings

It is indeed annoying to see award space open up for the outbound and NO return award space IN ANY CABIN for the next six months. Looking at the load on some IAD-EZE flights in the near future shows lots of revenue availablity (well it is winter there), in C/F.

Revenue seats are also historically VERY expensive at the moment. The lowest fares are often more than $1200 SFO-EZE, low season, and booked in S (so not SWUable). Grrrrrr.

Hopefully things will inprove with the return of ORD-EZE at the end of the year (but still a 767, unfortunately).

John

Thanks for the advice! I did just that with Varig as I looked for a flight on United. As for the routing to GIG, it was the only routing open with Business to EZE on the way down (which is now on United). On the way back, I could have flown direct to GRU (in economy) then to LA in business. The routing through GIG allows for business which worked out for me as I wanted to stop and hang on the beach in Rio for a couple of days.

Thanks again!

So F and C are not that different? Do you know how far the F class recline? Maybe I'll just stick with my business seats and call it a day.

I am flying on the new Chicago route which allows me to leave later in the day from LAX.

I find the C seat even more confortable than the F seat on the 76. Cash, miles what ever I refuse to fly F on the 76. Its the only time I'd turn down an upgrade! The width is 20.5" but you wouldn't think it! The F seats are also rock hard. Not to mention cradling the C seat is much cozier!

I wanted to get biz class award seats IAD-EZE for Oct. but they only had FC available. So I took it. It kills me to have to burn an extra 40k for two seats on this plane. I'd love to keep calling to see if biz opens up for my flights. But then I'd have to pay $100 to redeposit all the miles and reissue the tickets! GRRRRRR. :mad:

Hmmm...is this true? I'm on a *A F award with one leg AKL-SYD with NZ in Y. There are F and C seats in TG, but intl award desk told me change of carrier on *A award, even on same route, costs $75.

Chapel Hill Guy, Let me go through what I am sure from experience. Once *A award has been ticketed, but not yet flown, UA has changed dates without any fees and issues new paper tickets.

My advice was how to secure a trip using miles, thus being able to book hotels and make plans. Securing with RG (that releases seats way in advance) and eventually swapping afterwards for a carrier of choice (that has a different way of allocating award seats). Is there a fee when changing *A carriers ? Don't know, not sure. Cost in miles is the same.

Technically there might be a fee as the description of the award might be slightly different, from a *A award to an all UA award. If you keep the mix of *A carriers, then the description is even the same. Even so, I've had awards pulled out, for the correct number of miles, and wrong descriptions. I didn't complain as the math at the end of day was 100% correct.

Have you tried thanking for the assistance, and... calling again ;) ?

I tried to change a *alliance award after ticketing but before departure, and was told I could not do it. Is this the general experience?