Washington Times - United Admits to StarNet Blocking!
#1622
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: 10280 & 91101
Programs: AA Аэрофлот UA LH AF AS SPG HH PC
Posts: 461
#1623
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
I had always assumed that airlines could choose to make more seats available to their own fliers than to the alliance - a totally separate discussion from United's filtering of seats that definitely are being made available to the alliance by the operating carrier.
#1624
Join Date: May 2004
Programs: UA 1K 2MM, BA Gold, SQ TPP
Posts: 1,487
Another strange thing - the agent seemed to have had to send a request and wait something like a minute for a reply (this was for LH, LX and TG), which seemed odd since the ANA tool doesn't have any kind of a wait to see availability.
Don't know if I just happened to get a clueless agent (I had to tell him that 1Ks have a special inventory of NY seats).
Last edited by c1mth0g; Aug 4, 2009 at 11:51 pm
#1625
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Portland
Posts: 11,572
I must be lucky - I got ZRH-BKK in F. Although I had to insist that there was such the flight - the agent kept saying only LX flew that route.
Another strange thing - the agent seemed to have had to send a request and wait something like a minute for a reply (this was for LH, LX and TG), which seemed odd since the ANA tool doesn't have any kind of a wait to see availability.
Don't know if I just happened to get a clueless agent (I had to tell him that 1Ks have a special inventory of NY seats).
Another strange thing - the agent seemed to have had to send a request and wait something like a minute for a reply (this was for LH, LX and TG), which seemed odd since the ANA tool doesn't have any kind of a wait to see availability.
Don't know if I just happened to get a clueless agent (I had to tell him that 1Ks have a special inventory of NY seats).
#1626
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Chapel Hill, NC - UA Nobody (sigh)/0.925MM, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 3,510
Not odd at all. Agent sees availability, then has to contact the carrier for confirmation of the seat.
#1627
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: PHX
Programs: AS MVP, HH Diamond
Posts: 3,259
Question: don't some airlines maintain two separate sets of award inventory? That is...one bucket for "native" awards and a separate one for *A awards. (I'm talking about a generate practice, not so much UA's 1K economy awards.)
I had always assumed that airlines could choose to make more seats available to their own fliers than to the alliance - a totally separate discussion from United's filtering of seats that definitely are being made available to the alliance by the operating carrier.
I had always assumed that airlines could choose to make more seats available to their own fliers than to the alliance - a totally separate discussion from United's filtering of seats that definitely are being made available to the alliance by the operating carrier.
#1628
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Programs: UA Million Miler (lite). NY Metro area.
Posts: 15,086
Nick wrote an interesting article on UA in his Washington Times column on August 3. ^
Link just below.
edit
Link just below.
edit
Last edited by dhammer53; Aug 3, 2009 at 9:24 pm
#1629
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Ravens Country
Programs: UA-1K, Marriott-Gold, SPG-Gold, IC RA/Plat, Amtrak Select
Posts: 3,887
#1630
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: NYC
Programs: No longer loyal "over-entitled" 1K
Posts: 3,822
I think its Nicholas' column on the 3rd instead of the 2nd.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...nt-flier-mile/
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...nt-flier-mile/
#1631
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.997MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,859
Washington TIMES
corrected
corrected
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Aug 3, 2009 at 10:15 pm Reason: updated to show correction
#1632
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: All over
Programs: Most
Posts: 10,839
#1633
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Programs: UA Million Miler (lite). NY Metro area.
Posts: 15,086
duplicate
#1634
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BWI
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, National Emerald Executive, TSA Disparager Gold
Posts: 15,180
Great article! ^
Unfortunately, it seems the ones with the most miles aren't the ones that want to spend them on Y tickets. Maybe UA will get that someday.
Unfortunately, it seems the ones with the most miles aren't the ones that want to spend them on Y tickets. Maybe UA will get that someday.
#1635
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: FLL
Programs: UA: 1K MM, Marriott Ambassador, Platinum IHG. Diamond: Hilton. Silver: Delta & Hyatt
Posts: 1,366
While I hate that UA or other star carriers block certain routes for redemption, I must say UA overall is pretty generous when shelling out miles when compared to its Asia competition such as NH,CX,SQ,TG, etc and generally has lower redemption levels that competing carriers. My guess is that means something has to give somewhere. However it sucks when you are told by CS agents that the flight does not even exist. When China unblocks facebook I will be joining the group.
-UFFA
-UFFA