"change of plane"?
 

What's the deal with "change of plane" flights, e.g., flight 605 IAD-SAN?

UAL.com tells me nothing about where this occurs nor how long the layover is (of course I can figure out that the flight goes through ORD by looking at today's status).

I assume that there are no extra miles involved and it counts as only 1 EQS? UAL.com says 1 BP only so what happens if the equipment changes?

It's 1 EQS and only IAD-SAN miles. I will NEVER EVER EVER take a direct flight.

I thought "plane change" just means that this flight has 1 stop. It is going from IAD-SAN stopping somewhere, but you will still have the same seat on the same plane. You just have to get off the plane. Am I wrong?

I wouldn't say never. LAX-NRT-SIN only adds a whopping 5 nm (by Great Circle) each way vs. direct LAX-SIN mileage. SFO-NRT-SIN and SFO-SIN direct mileage changes by 2nm. Granted, upgrades and other things have to be taken into account, but I wouldn't say never.

I accepted 891 because I could get it confirmed all the way through, but am returning through SEA to earn a few extra segs that I'm missing out on earning as a result of the direct flight.

There is only one 'visible' advantage of having a direct flight number - if you
are a GM or 2P, they will procure you an accommodation should you get stranded
en route. Wheras on connecting flights they are not obliged to.

Other than that, I can only see disadvantages already listed here:

• fewer miles
• less EQS
• upgrades have to be confirmed on all segments

So as 1P or higher, I too would say never...

Plane change (also known as "change of gauge") means that you have to get off the inbound plane and switch to another plane for your connection, which might even be at a gate all the way across the terminal. The crew and your seat are completely different -- the only thing in common is your flight number. If your inbound flight is late, your outbound flight won't necessarily be held. As I can recollect, you can't even choose seats for anything beyond your first segment on united.com.

Does anybody know why UA does this so often? It seems like such a farce with no apparent benefit, and it decreases the miles/EQS you earn. I also understand that you cannot upgrade individual segments without upgrading the whole thing. We have "direct" flights to Japan and Brazil out of BOS using this system, even though the A319 headed to ORD obviously isn't going transpacific.

To make matters worse, airlines call this kind of trip "direct service".

I call it a "connection" or even a "one stop".

But the airlines continue to refer to this as a "direct flight".

I think that the term evolved from the olden days of railroad where a railcar stopped at other cities but ended up at the desired destination. Sometimes a train would split into 2 halves midway and some cars would continue on to different destinations, too. But the correct cars offerred "direct" service to xxx.

Airlines do it to gain a marketing advantage on CRS listings. Nonstops are listed first. "Direct" flights list second. "Two stop" flights list next. And connections list last.

This part seems the oddest. Under the more details on the "change of plane" stuff it said only one boarding pass was to be issued?

Sort of. The boarding pass you will receive for your first leg lists your initial departure point and your final destination. It is considered your BP for your entire trip. However, you will receive a "re-boarding" pass for each subsequent leg, as you would (I believe) if you were on an actual direct flight with a stop.

An interesting quirk is that once the initial BP is taken, you are credited for flying all the way to your final destination. Back in 2002, I was booked JFK-EZE with a change of gauge in MIA. Weather delayed our departure from JFK, and our onward flight from MIA left without us. We were routed onto the MIA-SCL flight, and I received MP miles for both the entire JFK-EZE trip as well as the MIA-SCL segment.

IME, direct flights cost more than a flight that has a connection. I feel like I've been cheated when I book a direct flight, and find out I have to switch planes enroute. HP is famous for this.

Sample from my mileage summary to illustrate:

4-Aug-05 UA 0561 Q Class IAD to PDX 2,327 1,082 3,409


Flight 561 (a "direct flight") stopped in ORD (same gate/same plane).

IAD-ORD = 589 miles
ORD-PDX = 1,739 miles
Total = 2,328

If you look at flight 197 from IAD-PDX, you will see its 2,327 miles. I lost one mile as a result. No big deal on this route for the cost savings, but on some others it may make a difference.

FYI - I got seat assingments all the way through and one BP that I kept, even to deplane in ORD and get back on to continue to PDX.

As I understand it, there is also a tax/fee advantage as it is considered one flight instead of two.

What has always struck me as odd is that if your first leg is delayed, you can still miss your second leg. In other words, there could be two flight 895s in the air at the same time.

Everyone has valid points.
1) Any enroute misconnections are picked up by the airline (hotel/meals.)
2) The chances of getting the 2nd leg "held" if the 1st leg is late are significantly greater than a normal connection.
3) You don't pay dptr fees at connecting airport.
4) They are usually on routes where their is significant traffic on the connectin path, but not enough (or not range of plane) to offer non-stop service.
5) It is a marketing thing as they DO show up higher in CRS displays.
6) Domesticly, they are usually the same plane. Intl-domestic, they are often downsized (i.e. a 777 overwater with a 757 domestic leg.)
7) Upgrades will clear all the way thru, although it CAN be booked as a connecting leg, if you feel that it is to your advantage to do this.
8) Seat assignment is the same, if same equipment is used, so 1 boarding pass. Once again, if a seat you want is available on 1 leg, but not on the other leg, make it a connection vs the "direct" and pick and choose your seats.