Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Main Impact
Useful Links
EveryDay Awards - UA MP award changes 1 Nov 2017 (Everyday award/dynamic price, No RTW, No Show fee,..)
principle change - Standard awards being replaced by "EveryDay Award" with variable pricing
What is the Excursionist Perk?
Previous thread -- UA award booking,change questions/fees/issues/routing/excursionist problems {Archive}
- No more free stopover - replaced with Excursionist Perk
- Agents no longer have the ability to find routings or build itineraries that do not show up on united.com
- Manually constructing trips using multi-city search results in multiple award fares being charged
- Changing any segment basically requires current availability for all existing Os&Ds in the PNR (as if a brand new booking is made)
- Singapore Airlines segments are priced separately (add-ons)
Useful Links
EveryDay Awards - UA MP award changes 1 Nov 2017 (Everyday award/dynamic price, No RTW, No Show fee,..)
principle change - Standard awards being replaced by "EveryDay Award" with variable pricing
What is the Excursionist Perk?
The Excursionist Perk is a free one-way award within select multi-city itineraries. Members who book an itinerary with three or more one-way awards will be eligible to receive one of those one-way awards for free, if it meets all of these conditions:
The Excursionist Perk cannot be in the MileagePlus defined region where your travel originates. (For example, if your journey begins in North America, you will only receive the Excursionist Perk if travel is within a region outside of North America.)
The Excursionist Perk cannot be in the MileagePlus defined region where your travel originates. (For example, if your journey begins in North America, you will only receive the Excursionist Perk if travel is within a region outside of North America.)
- Travel must end in the same MileagePlus defined region where travel originates.
- The origin and destination of the Excursionist Perk is within a single MileagePlus defined region.
- The cabin of service and award type of the free one-way award is the same or lower than the one-way award preceding it.
- If two or more one-way awards qualify for this benefit, only the first occurrence will be free.
Previous thread -- UA award booking,change questions/fees/issues/routing/excursionist problems {Archive}
UA award booking, change questions / issues / routing / excursionist problems
#586
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: Marriott Ti/LTP
Posts: 1,353
#587
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 22,613
What's the charge if you build a new itinerary from scratch? I suspect something's getting double-counted somewhere due to the fact that you're trying to make a change. If that's the case, you might get the lower price by calling.
#588
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: Marriott Ti/LTP
Posts: 1,353
Same as if I'm adding it to my existing itinerary. Looking at the cost breakdown, the Germany Air Transportation Tax is $17.10 on the standalone booking, versus $78.20 on the excursionist. The German passenger service charge is a few dollars different too.
Last edited by GoSh4rks; Sep 14, 2024 at 2:41 am
#589
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 22,613
On your existing itinerary, you're not paying a German departure tax. As a separate ticket, you're paying a short-haul German departure tax. Combined into the single itinerary, you're now paying the long-haul German departure tax. Whether that's correct or not under the law, I can't say, but the $78.20 doesn't make sense any other way.
#590
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Marriott Gold Elite, IHG Platinum, HHonors Silver
Posts: 993
Without more info, not sure what happen but doubtful the agent forced added an segment -- don't believe that can be done without a higher authority approving (like the fares desk)
Piecing awards together is long gone and that day in Oct 2016 is one of the blackest days in UA MP history.
Piecing awards together is long gone and that day in Oct 2016 is one of the blackest days in UA MP history.
#591
Flyertalk Evangelist, Moderator: United Airlines MlleagePlus
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,933
As long as the segments you're "messing with" (IAD-FRA in this case, which should be revalidated against current inventory but the agent probably overrode that) are on UA metal, an agent can break a lot of rules for you. It's a question of whether they're empowered to do so, and whether they're willing.
#592
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: SNA (home), LAX, BOM/PNQ, LHR
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Marriott Gold Elite, IHG Platinum, HHonors Silver
Posts: 993
As long as the segments you're "messing with" (IAD-FRA in this case, which should be revalidated against current inventory but the agent probably overrode that) are on UA metal, an agent can break a lot of rules for you. It's a question of whether they're empowered to do so, and whether they're willing.
Secondly, in this particular case it was actually LH metal. Which is why I was confused as to is this purely a matter of finding an agent that's willing to step over the line to make these things happen vs not? This was a year ago so presumably they were still able to use the old tool to actually issue booking changes. My understanding is that today they can use the old tool to look at stuff, but actual bookings/changes need to be made from the new tool. The only exception being the new tool can't yet handle bookings for minors, which are the only things allowed to be done from the old tool until they completely phase it out. My entire takeaway from this is that what agents may or may not have been able to do all this time, they soon will not even have the opportunity to try since they will have their hands tied to only what this sorry new tool let's them do, which is pure A to B awards, and not point to point routing construction.
#593
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA LT Plat 2MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 68,421
Agent can not and have not for years build awards from partner segments. Here you had an existing award on LH that LH agreed to re-validate with a new available partner segment.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 14, 2024 at 4:07 pm
#594
Flyertalk Evangelist, Moderator: United Airlines MlleagePlus
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,933
Oh wow, I didn't actually realize they could revalidate an LH segment even if keeping it in-place. Partner award space has always been the third rail for me; once it's confirmed I don't dare ask for it to be played with.
#595
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 78
Hi everyone,
I’m based out of Los Angeles and need to get to Bangkok soon. I found a Saver Award next week on United from SFO to BKK via NRT in business class for 100k miles. I also see Saver Awards from LAX to SFO that arrive a few hours before the SFO-NRT flight.
However, when I try to add the LAX to SFO segment online, the total award jumps to 170k miles. When I called an agent, they could only ticket it for 250k miles, which is an insane increase over the 100k miles for just SFO to BKK.
I’m wondering if anyone can offer tips on how to include the LAX to SFO segment and still keep the total award at 100k miles? Is there a way to get United to include the domestic leg at the Saver Award level so the mileage doesn’t skyrocket?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I’m based out of Los Angeles and need to get to Bangkok soon. I found a Saver Award next week on United from SFO to BKK via NRT in business class for 100k miles. I also see Saver Awards from LAX to SFO that arrive a few hours before the SFO-NRT flight.
However, when I try to add the LAX to SFO segment online, the total award jumps to 170k miles. When I called an agent, they could only ticket it for 250k miles, which is an insane increase over the 100k miles for just SFO to BKK.
I’m wondering if anyone can offer tips on how to include the LAX to SFO segment and still keep the total award at 100k miles? Is there a way to get United to include the domestic leg at the Saver Award level so the mileage doesn’t skyrocket?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
#596
Join Date: May 2015
Location: DFW
Programs: UA Platinum, Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 320
Hi everyone,
Im based out of Los Angeles and need to get to Bangkok soon. I found a Saver Award next week on United from SFO to BKK via NRT in business class for 100k miles. I also see Saver Awards from LAX to SFO that arrive a few hours before the SFO-NRT flight.
However, when I try to add the LAX to SFO segment online, the total award jumps to 170k miles. When I called an agent, they could only ticket it for 250k miles, which is an insane increase over the 100k miles for just SFO to BKK.
Im wondering if anyone can offer tips on how to include the LAX to SFO segment and still keep the total award at 100k miles? Is there a way to get United to include the domestic leg at the Saver Award level so the mileage doesnt skyrocket?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Im based out of Los Angeles and need to get to Bangkok soon. I found a Saver Award next week on United from SFO to BKK via NRT in business class for 100k miles. I also see Saver Awards from LAX to SFO that arrive a few hours before the SFO-NRT flight.
However, when I try to add the LAX to SFO segment online, the total award jumps to 170k miles. When I called an agent, they could only ticket it for 250k miles, which is an insane increase over the 100k miles for just SFO to BKK.
Im wondering if anyone can offer tips on how to include the LAX to SFO segment and still keep the total award at 100k miles? Is there a way to get United to include the domestic leg at the Saver Award level so the mileage doesnt skyrocket?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
#597
Flyertalk Evangelist, Moderator: United Airlines MlleagePlus
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, UA Gold, WN, Global Entry; +others wherever miles/points are found
Posts: 14,933
What's the price if you book it as multi-city? It won't be 100 even, but should be a lot less than 170.
#598
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 78
I (and many others here) run into this issue with married segment availability all the time. I can only solve this by buying the inexpensive domestic flight separately. You aren't protected against IRROPS (so leave a comfortable connection time) and it's a bit of a pain to get them to check baggage through (though it can be done). But that's pretty much your best option. Agents aren't really going to be able to help you with this.
#599
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Saipan, MP 96950 USA (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands = the CNMI)
Programs: UA Silver, Hilton Silver. Life: UA .59 MM, United & Admirals Clubs (spousal), Marriott Platinum
Posts: 15,807
No, two separate reservations cannot be merged into a single reservation.
#600
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 8
Date change on excursionist roadblock.
The first segment was already flown earlier this year.
PTY - LAX on Copa in P class (I think P class on Copa cost more than regular I class on United)
LAX-EWR booked into JN class
GUA-SAL a throwaway booked in X class.
I want to push the last flight to be somewhere in January so I can change the date for LAX-EWR around Christmas time. I have called 3 different times now to do the changes and they want to change me more miles. The agents insists the this is the current price now. Shouldnt this be an easy even exchange?
PS. I tried to recreate a new reservation and some how booking P class on Copa no longer allow me to book the excursionist flight in JN class. Was my original reservation a glitch?
The first segment was already flown earlier this year.
PTY - LAX on Copa in P class (I think P class on Copa cost more than regular I class on United)
LAX-EWR booked into JN class
GUA-SAL a throwaway booked in X class.
I want to push the last flight to be somewhere in January so I can change the date for LAX-EWR around Christmas time. I have called 3 different times now to do the changes and they want to change me more miles. The agents insists the this is the current price now. Shouldnt this be an easy even exchange?
PS. I tried to recreate a new reservation and some how booking P class on Copa no longer allow me to book the excursionist flight in JN class. Was my original reservation a glitch?