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All you need to know:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/38212

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/awards/travel/types.aspx
Click on "United air travel award rules:"
"You may redeem miles for travel in United Global FirstSM, United First®, United Business® or United BusinessFirst® , even if the space is not available. In these cases, United Economy in the same award type must be confirmed, and the front cabin will be waitlisted. For example, a Saver United First award must be confirmed in Saver United Economy to be eligible for waitlisting. If the courtesy waitlist does not clear, it will expire 24 hours before itinerary departure, and you will automatically be added to the airport upgrade standby list upon check-in. In these cases, you will be confirmed on a space-available basis by a United airport representative at the gate once the flight has closed for check-in. For United BusinessFirst and United Business travel awards, the difference in miles will be refunded when the United BusinessFirst or United Business class segment of the trip could not be confirmed. Waitlist requests may only be made over the phone with your local United Reservations office"


« Last edited by HolyNyc on February 02, 2015, 08:51:46 AM »

Author Topic: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability  (Read 505894 times)

Offline shimbo

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #300 on: December 22, 2013, 05:10:12 PM »
What was the open jaw you wanted?
land in krk and leave from waw on the stopover on the way to Tel Aviv. All the agents said you cant to the open jaw on the stopover only on the departure/destination city. Tried a couple more times with diff numbers still no luck...

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #301 on: December 22, 2013, 05:28:06 PM »
Seems to be the new policy.

Offline chucksterace

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #302 on: December 23, 2013, 05:36:47 AM »
Seems to be the new policy.

Possibly. I tried doing something similar a couple weeks ago but no one would do it. Eventually got a manager to authorize it.
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Offline jaywhy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #303 on: December 23, 2013, 06:32:12 AM »
Possibly. I tried doing something similar a couple weeks ago but no one would do it. Eventually got a manager to authorize it.
What was the routing?

Offline chucksterace

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Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #304 on: December 23, 2013, 06:45:22 AM »
What was the routing?

Tlv-ewr(open jaw)-lga-cle-ord(stopover)-mem(final)-(open jaw)-ord-lax-ewr-tlv.

All business. Then with the free same day change by 1k i had >24hrs in la and cle.
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Offline AJK

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #305 on: January 05, 2014, 07:33:07 PM »
The first isn't an OJ; LGA and EWR are co-terminals.

The second "OJ" is simply your return.

What was giving you the problem?
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline chucksterace

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #306 on: January 06, 2014, 05:29:30 AM »
The first isn't an OJ; LGA and EWR are co-terminals.

The second "OJ" is simply your return.

What was giving you the problem?

Well I wasn't going to fight about LGA & EWR I let them win that one.. The fact was that I changed by return every day for a week to the next day because I had to take care of some business and I guess they got annoyed with that.

And then the fact that I was flying back from ORD to TLV I went in the opposite direction ORD-LAX-EWR-TLV. But before that it was ORD-ABQ-LAX-EWR-TLV, in ABQ was over a 4+ hour layover that they made a fight about but then I told them I was on a intl ticket and I won that one. They noted in my reservation after that "no more changes" and a lot of representatives wouldn't change anything till I got to my 13th HUCA and they changed it.
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Offline MoGro17

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #307 on: January 13, 2014, 03:32:01 PM »
I just read the thread from top to bottom. Scintillating stuff especially back in July  ;) ;)

Just to clarify: I call up and ask to book a business saver ticket on a flight that only has COACH saver available. What will happen is they will charge me for business, book me in coach and make my status "business waiting" (denoted by a symbol "I").

Then I let United and their fancy computers handle it until 24 hrs before the flight. If I get the upgrade, great. If not, I go to the airport and tell them to put me at the head of the line as a "displaced business passenger".

Other than HUCA and what case-law to quote to the reps, I think that covers it, correct?

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #308 on: January 13, 2014, 03:32:40 PM »
I just read the thread from top to bottom. Scintillating stuff especially back in July  ;) ;)

Just to clarify: I call up and ask to book a business saver ticket on a flight that only has COACH saver available. What will happen is they will charge me for business, book me in coach and make my status "business waiting" (denoted by a symbol "I").

Then I let United and their fancy computers handle it until 24 hrs before the flight. If I get the upgrade, great. If not, I go to the airport and tell them to put me at the head of the line as a "displaced business passenger".

Other than HUCA and what case-law to quote to the reps, I think that covers it, correct?
Yup.

Offline MoGro17

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #309 on: January 13, 2014, 05:35:35 PM »
Yup.
well that was easy.  ;) Now I just need to find my Staples button...

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #310 on: January 13, 2014, 05:38:35 PM »
well that was easy.  ;) Now I just need to find my Staples button...
If only everyone's questions would be like yours...::) Thanks for reading first. Good luck on your trip!

Offline MoGro17

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #311 on: January 13, 2014, 05:58:47 PM »
If only everyone's questions would be like yours...::) Thanks for reading first. Good luck on your trip!

Thanks!
Because you like my question so much, I got another one for you:

Does Plan B work for flights that are not operated by United? For example, I found a flight on United's website that is "operated by Tyrolean Air (Austrian Arrows)"; can those legs be booked with Plan B (via United's call center, of course) as well?

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #312 on: January 13, 2014, 06:04:44 PM »
Thanks!
Because you like my question so much, I got another one for you:

Does Plan B work for flights that are not operated by United? For example, I found a flight on United's website that is "operated by Tyrolean Air (Austrian Arrows)"; can those legs be booked with Plan B (via United's call center, of course) as well?
Unfortunately no, only on United metal.

Offline MoGro17

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #313 on: January 13, 2014, 09:58:30 PM »
Unfortunately no, only on United metal.
Darn. Huge monkey wrench in my plans.

Offline gswannabe

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #314 on: January 14, 2014, 01:54:54 PM »
I want to book lax mel in business class but its only available thru pek. Should i book the routing thru pek and wait list for the direct flight
or just do plan B for the direct flight ?

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #315 on: January 14, 2014, 01:59:20 PM »
I want to book lax mel in business class but its only available thru pek. Should i book the routing thru pek and wait list for the direct flight
or just do plan B for the direct flight ?
From what I hear LAX - MEL is a pretty tough market to get in business with Plan B, but I could be wrong.

Offline gswannabe

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #316 on: January 14, 2014, 02:06:27 PM »
Would booking the alternate route thru pek then wait listing for the direct flight give me a better chance ?
 

Offline gswannabe

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #317 on: January 14, 2014, 02:07:25 PM »
Is it easier to get business class from Sfo as opposed to Lax ?

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #318 on: January 14, 2014, 02:08:55 PM »
Would booking the alternate route thru pek then wait listing for the direct flight give me a better chance ?
You can only waitlist for a flight you're already booked on. If you book through PEK you wouldn't be able to waitlist for the direct flight. Besides, the flights through PEK are not on United metal.

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Re: Plan B Discussion: Booking BusinessFirst Awards Without Availability
« Reply #319 on: January 14, 2014, 02:09:12 PM »
Is it easier to get business class from Sfo as opposed to Lax ?
Doubt it.