4 flight changes so far... - Is this normal?
 

I've been lurking here for a few weeks now and I really appreciate all of the great information that this site and the FT members provide. Now I know all about fare buckets, where to sit on a 747, and the difference between E+ and E-. I even got a voucher for a future flight on a price drop. So thank you very much! :)

I'm an infrequent business traveler (usually just 1 or 2 domestic trips a year) and I don't have status w/ any airline. In September 2005 I booked a flight on United to Australia for a much needed vacation. A flight time change in October 2005 changed one of my return flights, another change was made at the beginning of February 2006, another 5 days later, and the fourth change occurred yesterday.

After those changes, there is not a single flight on my itinerary that hasn't changed. Since I'll be in Australia for 4 weeks, I booked specific flights to Australia to minimize the number of connections and give my checked luggage a greater chance of making it to Sydney with me. Now with the changes that United has made, my luggage and I have a more difficult road ahead of us.

My original itinerary was:

PHL-LAX-SYD and MEL-AKL-LAX-PHL

and it has become:

PHL-DEN-LAX-SYD and MEL-SYD-LAX-PHL which translates to:
(Earlier Flight)-(Extra Connection)-(Later Flight)-(Later Arrival) and (Earlier Departure)-(Plane Change)-(Earlier Arrival)-(Later Arrival)

So my question is:

Does this happen frequently or am I just "lucky"? I've been on the phone with United just about every other day for the past month because my assigned seats keep changing (I purchased Economy Plus Access), and despite the deep personal relationship I seem to be developing with the United automated phone system, I'm beginning to question my decision of booking my flights with United.

The good news is, I'm going to be a 2P member by the middle of May, the bad news is that I'm not sure I'd ever book a United flight again for a personal trip after all the changes I've had to endure...

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Travelscribe_PHL

I have never flown ANY airline where there hasn't been some sort of change. Besides, DEN is not bad to connect in, just use it as a time to stretch your legs. Of course, if it that early compared to your original flight, you are entitled to look into other flights that day and change to them.

If you book so far in advance, yes, you will experience schedule changes most likely. If you book less than 3 months in advance, you'll probably never see one.