kokonutz

KNowing about this dumb rule in advance doesn't help either. I specifically asked that my single-flight-number trip IAD-ORD-NRT be split into a connection. The (very sympathetic) CS rep was not unwilling, but WAS "unable" due to how the UA computers work (she did try two times and the computer said not)...

Rudi

Matt - it can be done at ticketing (or reticketing) time - not at check-in. the paper-ticket then must show clearly to (seperate) flight-segments. And than it works (this is often the case for my flights from/to the West-coast to/from Europe through IAD with the same flight numbers, but changing planes, at IAD. And it works for sure then as two individual (no through) flights for mileage plus calculations! Done, and done and redone in the last two years - when only when it was in my favor!

yeelam

Surely it pays when you do some homework before you make any reservations. A lot of transpacific and transatlantic flights have that trap.

It's better to instruct the rep. which flight (connecting or "direct") you want to take, if you discover that you'll probably be put on a "direct" flight, which requires you to change planes and hence makes you lose miles.

Another thing is, it's somewhat obvious that PDX isn't UA's hub, nor is it located on the east coast as a gateway. When the UA rep. tells you that there's a "direct" flight leaving PDX for LHR, then you should know that there's probably a stop somewhere, either in UA's hub (ORD or IAD) or gateway (EWR or JFK).

I paid this when I took a UA "direct" HKG-SFO-DEN flight 5 yrs ago and never take a "direct" flight since.

shadow

yeelam...I knew there was a stopover at IAD, a plane change and 3 hr layover when I booked the tickets. It just so happens that this was a new flight that just got added in May.

I was stupid enough to believe the mileage in the UA System Guide that split it up into 2 separate flight segment with separate miles listed for each totalling 6,004, not 4,914.

BTW, I got a third e-mail from UA today apologizing for the delay in responding to me since my original letter of June 11th. They now tell me I will get a 'letter response' within 4 weeks.

I really think they feel if they string you out long enough, you'll just let it go and
forget about it. I don't think so!!!!!

DrMiles

I learnt this the hard way.

I am currently a Worldperks Gold Member and United Premier Executive Member. I make about 8 roundtrips to the US yearly.

I have tried to book them as separate flight segments: for example,

SIN - LAX UA 890 has a stop in NRT. The total no. of miles is of course less than SIN - NRT - LAX.

I have booked them as separate flight segments. I have informed my agent that I am ' too insecure' and I needed a flight coupon for each and every segment.

Actually, this year, I was in Orlando, Florida for a conference. I was a newbie to Northwest; United has always been my first choice and I have flown United since 1991. There was this incredible price and the Fly Once and Fly Free promotion.

My routing was NW 19 which is a 'direct' flight to MSP with a stop in NRT. Needless to say, I had to deplane and clear security. In fact, it is the same procedure if I am connecting to San Francisco, Los Angeles or Detroit. The only difference is less miles.

SIN - NRT 3328
NRT - MSP 5950

However, SIN - MSP 9055. I also lost out on the NRT connection bonus because I did not 'connect' in Narita.

Basically, I will not use MSP as my choice of hub connection because it gives me less miles. I will use Detroit / Seattle / LAX / SFO anything except MSP. Because I get PENALISED for using MSP.

Which means:

Bangkok miles addicts should never use SEA Same flight number: UA 875.

Shanghai miles addicts should never use SFO as entry point to the US. UA 838.

These are some words of thought / advice for Asian miles addicts.

DrMiles

I learnt this the hard way.

I am currently a Worldperks Gold Member and United Premier Executive Member. I make about 8 roundtrips to the US yearly.

I have tried to book them as separate flight segments: for example,

SIN - LAX UA 890 has a stop in NRT. The total no. of miles is of course less than SIN - NRT - LAX.

I have booked them as separate flight segments. I have informed my agent that I am ' too insecure' and I needed a flight coupon for each and every segment.

Actually, this year, I was in Orlando, Florida for a conference. I was a newbie to Northwest; United has always been my first choice and I have flown United since 1991. There was this incredible price and the Fly Once and Fly Free promotion.

My routing was NW 19 which is a 'direct' flight to MSP with a stop in NRT. Needless to say, I had to deplane and clear security. In fact, it is the same procedure if I am connecting to San Francisco, Los Angeles or Detroit. The only difference is less miles.

SIN - NRT 3328
NRT - MSP 5950

However, SIN - MSP 9055. I also lost out on the NRT connection bonus because I did not 'connect' in Narita.

Basically, I will not use MSP as my choice of hub connection because it gives me less miles. I will use Detroit / Seattle / LAX / SFO anything except MSP. Because I get PENALISED for using MSP.

Which means:

Bangkok miles addicts should never use SEA Same flight number: UA 875.

Shanghai miles addicts should never use SFO as entry point to the US. UA 838.

These are some words of thought / advice for Asian miles addicts.

DrMiles

I learnt this the hard way.

I am currently a Worldperks Gold Member and United Premier Executive Member. I make about 8 roundtrips to the US yearly.

I have tried to book them as separate flight segments: for example,

SIN - LAX UA 890 has a stop in NRT. The total no. of miles is of course less than SIN - NRT - LAX.

I have booked them as separate flight segments. I have informed my agent that I am ' too insecure' and I needed a flight coupon for each and every segment.

Actually, this year, I was in Orlando, Florida for a conference. I was a newbie to Northwest; United has always been my first choice and I have flown United since 1991. There was this incredible price and the Fly Once and Fly Free promotion.

My routing was NW 19 which is a 'direct' flight to MSP with a stop in NRT. Needless to say, I had to deplane and clear security. In fact, it is the same procedure if I am connecting to San Francisco, Los Angeles or Detroit. The only difference is less miles.

SIN - NRT 3328
NRT - MSP 5950

However, SIN - MSP 9055. I also lost out on the NRT connection bonus because I did not 'connect' in Narita.

Basically, I will not use MSP as my choice of hub connection because it gives me less miles. I will use Detroit / Seattle / LAX / SFO anything except MSP. Because I get PENALISED for using MSP.

Which means:

Bangkok miles addicts should never use SEA Same flight number: UA 875.

Shanghai miles addicts should never use SFO as entry point to the US. UA 838.

These are some words of thought / advice for Asian miles addicts.

DrMiles

I learnt this the hard way.

I am currently a Worldperks Gold Member and United Premier Executive Member. I make about 8 roundtrips to the US yearly.

I have tried to book them as separate flight segments: for example,

SIN - LAX UA 890 has a stop in NRT. The total no. of miles is of course less than SIN - NRT - LAX.

I have booked them as separate flight segments. I have informed my agent that I am ' too insecure' and I needed a flight coupon for each and every segment.

Actually, this year, I was in Orlando, Florida for a conference. I was a newbie to Northwest; United has always been my first choice and I have flown United since 1991. There was this incredible price and the Fly Once and Fly Free promotion.

My routing was NW 19 which is a 'direct' flight to MSP with a stop in NRT. Needless to say, I had to deplane and clear security. In fact, it is the same procedure if I am connecting to San Francisco, Los Angeles or Detroit. The only difference is less miles.

SIN - NRT 3328
NRT - MSP 5950

However, SIN - MSP 9055. I also lost out on the NRT connection bonus because I did not 'connect' in Narita.

Basically, I will not use MSP as my choice of hub connection because it gives me less miles. I will use Detroit / Seattle / LAX / SFO anything except MSP. Because I get PENALISED for using MSP.

Which means:

Bangkok miles addicts should never use SEA Same flight number: UA 875.

Shanghai miles addicts should never use SFO as entry point to the US. UA 838.

These are some words of thought / advice for Asian miles addicts.

shadow

DrMiles...Your reply got posted 4 times; go back and delete 3 of them please.

Benjamin

This is another stupid United policy that I cannot understand and which I have whined and cried about at least three times. At least once, my whining has resulted in flight credit for each segment flown rather than the one "direct flight." Therefore, United is not "right" in applying their policy consistently. They do not. The whole policy is a sham to defraud customers into believing that the flight is truly direct and to rob frequent fliers of their miles. The policy serves no other legitimate purpose. If you can think of one, please let me know. United has been unable to provide me with any justification that passes the "straight face test" in the past two years.

Rudi

I repeat:
* this is not only United, this is general practice (so you should fight the general practice)
* I gave some examples, how this works sometimes also in the costumer's favour:
a) when flying on a mileage-limited-ticket (like the Round the world-fares with mileage limits), or full priced tickets which are based on the mileage
b) on tickets, where one flight-number (not segment) costs a voucher (like the visit-USA-coupons)
c) when using upgrade vouchers (the 500 miles-vouchers) this lower mileage is the calculation-base.

I understand the disadvantages for many of us (lower mileage credit and confusion for the not knowing traveller) - I don't understand when you still say (after reading trough my posting) that their are no advantages for the costumer at all.

If you want to argue with the airlines, show that you know both sides of the medal, but that you still think their practice is unwise and unfair.

pgupta011

Rudi, in general I agree with you. Also I agree with the comments of PremEx. I myself have not hit this in many years of flying, but grant that there are some routings where this might be unavoidable. At the very least the airlines should clearly give some big warning labels that the flight has a stop and change of plane.

One caveat: when using upgrade 500 mile vouchers, if going from A->B->C with different flight numbers, my experience is that United takes the direct mileage from A->C to calculate the number of vouchers. So (in my experience) it does not matter if it is considered a direct flight or one with a stopover and change of flight numbers (if both segments clear for upgrade). But if one is able to upgrade on only the first segment and is standby on the other which clears only around flight time - United may ask for extra vouchers for the second leg. I do not know what happens in this case if the flight is a direct flight.

But there are "one segment" upgrade coupons, where it would be advantageous to the customer to get a direct flight. I once received a one segment upgrade coupon from United as compensation. It does not have an expiration and I'm saving it for a coast-coast flight.

[This message has been edited by pgupta011 (edited 07-02-1999).]

Rudi

Pankay: you are correct about that lower mileage application - even if there are two different flight numbers. That's just what I am arguing in favor of UA - if there wouldn't be any direct flight number at all for that routing UA would just add the mileage A + B. So in these cases UA gives us the advantage of the lower mileage basis for upgrades too.

And yes, again, I agree that the information practice off all airlines on this is bad.

100K

DrMiles, the difference between SIN-NRT-MSP and SIN-MSP is 223 miles. At 2 cents a mile (a generous rate everyone would agree), that is $4.46 of value. I hope your time is worth more than that.

Rudi is right, as well as pgupta011 with the upgrade comment. It shows up in computer databases as 1 pair and you get 1 coupon, thus the systems calculate miles between points A and C because they don't know about point B.

hershey

Thank you PremEx for highlighting docs remark as a quote. Agree, agree, agree. In the case noted by Rudi in 'vanishing miles' under Northwest, the mileage difference is twice that amount and there are three people involved. There are bonuses, elite status and earning upgrade cert's to be considered as well as unwitting pax.

100k- most importantly as someone has said, it is the principle that counts, not the time and money. The upgade issue and this are, as someone said, apples and oranges.