*A award redemption on UA from GIG. Is GIG-GRU-XXX possible?
 

Hi there – I’ve got a *A reward redemption (through BMI) booked from GIG-IAD (UA860) in August and then an onward flight from IAD-LHR. I noticed later that there is a technical stop in GRU – does anyone know if it’s possible to redeem a flight from GIG-GRU instead as there’s some better onward connections/stopovers from GRU into Europe?

I’ve checked the ANA tool and GIG-GRU does not exist as far as it’s concerned and neither can a revenue flight be purchased. However, it is possible to buy a revenue flight from GIG-GRU-ORD. I don’t mind flying to ORD as I’ve not visited it before and maybe have a stopover before flying to LHR, but this route does not appear on the ANA tool. Are there any other GIG-GRU-XXX-LHR routings that are bookable on an *A award redemption? Would JFK be an option?

Hope that makes some sense.

It sounds as though you've been booked on the 'direct' GIG-(GRU)-IAD flight. Pending award inventory availability, you should be able to rebook your award with GIG-GRU as a segment... you could then continue straight to the .eu via FRA (LH), ZRH (LX), or LIS/OPO (TP).

If you wish to travel via North America, you could re-route GIG-GRU-ORD-LHR... or GIG-GRU-YYZ-LHR (on AC) if that option suits you better.

As for other places (NYC or the like), those would not be on the most direct routing... what you could get away with would depend on the award redemption rules of your host program (BD's DC).

Don't forget that there are TP GIG-LIS/OPO flights if you were looking for a straight way into the .eu. Caveat: not all TP flights operate every day ;)

I don't know if UA is allowed to sell GIG-GRU as a standalone. No booking engine I can find is allowing it.

I was told by the staff in GIG during my last visit there (admittedly contract not UA) that they were not allowed to sell it independently.

I thought UA did away with the GIG-GRU flight. *A timetable doesn't show any flights between GIG and GRU

This is Krect™, as that would be cabotage. However, no such limitation exists on using the segment as part of an international itinerary provided there is no stopover in GRU (same situation as MEL-SYD, btw).

It's seasonal. When the nonstop to GIG goes off the schedule, the GRU-GIG tag reappears.

Thanks all for your input ^

I'll have a play around with ANA to see what might be available. I knew about the TAP option and was considering between the shorter travel time this offers versus avoiding TAP because I've read few bad remarks about them. That said, the UA flights are, I'm guessing from other threads, not likely to be using the spanking new config for first and business (both 763s).

I wonder if anyone has any thoughts of how TAP in C would compare with UA C and then UA F? Would I also be right in thinking that there could be a possibility of a downgrade should the reconfigured aircraft be in operation, given the lower number of seats, especially with a reward booking?

Finally, if I did continue with the itinerary as planned what lounges might I be able to use? Having checked out some websites, it looks like there’s a Varig lounge in GIG – would I be able to use this or would it be something else? Also, I note that there is a technical stop in GRU for a couple of hours – is there a lounge I can use there? Thanks!

It changes back to the GRU-GIG routing on the southbound 3/29/09, and northbound on 3/30/08.

Not sure if you have *G lounge access, but there's a shared lounge in GIG - my tip: if you're spending the day at the beach, you can shower there! No need for a paid late checkout. The shower amenities like soap, shampoo, etc. were nonexistent from what I could see, and they didn't even have towels put out (but had them somewhere), but the facility it self was nice, and there were at least five of them.

Trying to add GIG-GRU to an award ticket
 

Resurrecting this thread, I am trying to add the UA GIG-GRU add-on flight to an all-UA metal award booked via CO (current routing is GRU-ORD-DCA in C). I got a helpful agent at CO who told me it couldn't be done...even after checking with both the "integration desk," and calling UA. Their basic argument is that since UA's GIG-GRU can't be sold independently, it cannot be added independently even to UA flights to which it is an otherwise legal connecting flight. She told me the only way to book this would be to cancel my existing award and then attempt to book it again with the GIG-GRU leg as part of the original booking. I'm not willing to do this, because it is right around New Year's and I doubt that the seat will be returned to award inventory.

By way of background, UA is showing award availability on the GIG-GRU flight segment via expert mode. Because this is around New Year's, there is no TAM availability to attempt to tack on.

Has anyone ever been successful in adding the UA GIG-GRU to an existing award?

(Oh, and before anyone says it, I know I should have booked this with UA instead of CO to perhaps increase my chances of being successful in this, but what's done is done.)

You might able to get the integration desk to switch it to
016 ticket from 005 which would definitely make UA more apt to modify it. They've done this for me both on award and paid Franken-tickets. Just a thought...

Thanks for the tip! How did you get CO to do this? I tried a couple of times, and was denied every time I tried.

On the paid trip, I said I wanted to use a SWU to upgrade, it's easier if you're on UA ticket with UA flights than the CO side. On the award ticket I just asked them to do it because there's a UA club there and in case of irrops I wanted to make it easier on them.

How Hard to Transfer in GRU between GRU-IAD and GRU-ORD
 

What I've heard about clearing customs in IAD isn't too good so I'm wondering if a plane switch in GRU to instead go to ORD is a better option. The schedule only lists 50 mins -- is it possible to just switch out airplanes and go to another gate in the boarding area at GRU or is there more to it?

Since UAL doesn't sell GIG-GRU, I think it would be as the only people deplaning would be doing the same thing. But please let me know if I'm right and also whether the 50 mins is adequate to switch gates.

Thanks,
OilersFL

GIG-GRU-IAD arrives early am and customs is a breeze. I did it two weeks ago. Use the TAM *Gold Lounge at GIG. There is a nice United Lounge at GRU. Not sure if they every fly direct IAD-GIG. Think it always transits GRU both ways.