Schedule changes affect connection for XC ticket
 

The latest changes put 826 SYD-LAX in almost 2 hours later, leaving me just 52 minutes to make 924 LAX-IAD. I assume this is not doable and I should call ASAP to get on a later flight. So, does there have to be Saver award space on another LAX-IAD flight to get us home? Also, we are waitlisted for F on 924. At the time I bought the TIX Mrs GRE and I were GMs. Whenever the double EQMs post I'll be a 1P and Mrs. GRE will be a 2P. Should we wait until then for an improved chance of getting into F?

Thanks.

I would approach this as two different problems.
1. Check the Minimum Connecting Time for LAX intl to domestic. I think 52 minutes is doable as you will arrive and depart from the same terminal area (6&7). If you were coming in at the Tom Bradley Terminal I'd say forget it, but 52 minutes isn't disastrous (unless something goes wrong of course). For your peace of mind (or if you see Saver space in F on another flight) you can try to change it, but you may have to hang up call back again to get somebody who wants to change it, if the MCT is 45 minutes. If it's 60 or greater, you have every right to change, and there does NOT have to be saver award space available necessarily to confirm a new flight.

2. If you booked a C/F award, you should clear the waitlist, even if it's at the gate. Status would probably help, but you can, I believe, worry about this later. Because you're seated in a lower cabin than you're ticketed in, you are near the top priority to be put in F, regardless of status.

Call UA, they are generally very open to making changes like this, even if there is not award space. I would not be comfortable with a 52 minute connection.

As a newly minted UGS, I would think they should escort you over! :p :p :p

True, they will be arriving and departing from the same terminal. But once they clear immigration and customs they'll have to exit terminal 6 and go upstairs to terminal 7 and clear security. Depending on the time of day there can be significant lines, even in the elite TSA queue.

With all carry on luggage I've done it in 30 minutes, but would consider that the exception. With checked baggage you probably wouldn't make it.

I would move to the later LAX-IAD. 52 minutes is going to be tough even if everything goes right. They should at least open saver Y space for you, and if you are lucky, saver F.

52 mins is doable.......but be sure you wear your lucky underwear, go to confession before you leave, and hope they open an elite security line that day. The biggest challenge, as danville said, is going out of C&I in T6 then trying to go back thru security in T7.

Now, to UA's credit, I have been very lucky with a itinerary similar to yours. Schedule change cut our connection time way too close. The onward flight was 747, and we had 4 award seats confirmed in F/C. The later flight was only a 777, and checking on line, there were no upgrade seats available, and only a total of 4 seats were open. Considering the problem was caused by United's schedule change, they confirmed the 4 remaining F/C seats for us.

In my recent experience, there does not have to be XC/XF space when a schedule change occurs. Call the international award desk and let them know what happened. They can open up space under these conditions if the 52 minutes is an illegal connection. I would imagine it is, from international to domestic, but I don't know that for sure.

My recent experience is that UA opened up space on UA flights for 4 of us routed on UA/TG HNL-KIX-BKK when TG deleted some flights (they are switching LAX-BKK to a nonstop on the new 2-class airbus) and really screwed up the schedule. The return flight KIX-HNL would have left hours before we arrived in KIX, and the layover on the outbound in KIX was terrible .. it would have been overnight. I'm not UGS, just a lowly 1k, and none of the other travelers have status, but the international award desk just made space for all 4 of us (3 in F, 1 in C) on UA flights HNL-NRT-BKK and return. That's the routing I wanted anyway, but couldn't get it originally, and this was on a *A award too with segments between BKK/HKT.

So, if the connection is illegal, I don't think you'll have any problems getting them to switch it around for you.

-David

Anything else I can do?
 

I called international res. and changed from the short connection to a later flight. As usual the CSR said there were no XC seats available; I asked a supervisor to open a couple which he refused to do. Supervisor Doug G. stated that he called inventory control and they said that the flight was "was busier that usual" and there was nothing he could do. I said that UA.com showed just 16 E seats accounted for and no F seats yet filled. He said I was at the top of the waitlist.

I assumed that a supervisor had the power to do this sort of thing. Was he just giving me a line to get me off the phone? I'm willing to do the daily call back thing but what's the point if a supervisor actually does not have the power to make a change?

United's January timetable shows the Minimum Connecting time for International to Domestic flights as 1:10. I'll let others more experienced explain how this effects your ticket.