I absolutely hate cancelling a non-refundable airline reservation. It feels like a kick in the gut, especially on “cheap” domestic airfares where the fee to reuse the ticket – $150 on most airlines – ends up eating away a significant portion of the overall ticket value.

Last week, I was unable to travel and had to cancel my United Airlines reservation from Reno to Seoul, South Korea. And since it was an international trip, the penalty to be able to use the value of that ticket on a future reservation is $250. Ouch.

I could have gotten around the penalty by purchasing a flexible or refundable airfare in the first place. But as I rarely cancel reservations and given the fare differential between the ticket I purchased and what a flexible fare would have cost exceeded my price tolerance (and was significantly more than $250 from what I recall), I elected to buy the more restrictive ticket. I took the risk.

It’s still painful to swallow the $250 penalty, though.

But Is It Fair?

My short answer is yes, absolutely. I agreed to all of the conditions of the fare I purchased when I bought it and I have no complaints against United. I’m not your average traveler, of course, and I have a rather intimate knowledge of the industry and know what I’m getting into when I buy a ticket.

This post is a sort of a departure from what normally appears here on Frequently Flying, but it came up after I spoke with a neighbor yesterday who was complaining about how unfair it was for her airline to charge her a penalty to change her flight.

I explained my reasoning as outlined above from my own very recent experience, but it did little to appease her. And I also brought up that when a person changes or cancels a flight at the last minute, the airline is (generally) unable to resell the seat in such a short timeframe. But that, too, fell on deaf ears.

Airlines deservingly get abuse from the traveling public when warranted, but I have to side with airlines on the way they price their “products.” Some airlines do a better job up-front in displaying fare differences when shopping for flights. American and Southwest’s graphical tables come to mind in this case. Others, such as United, default to the lowest fare for flight searches and the display does little to educate infrequent fliers on the various ticket options and restrictions.

While each airline seat might look the same onboard to the average traveler, the product mix of the fare types people purchased to sit in them is anything but similar.

Related posts:

Airfare Pricing Bucket and Airline Fare Basis Codes Explained

American’s New Bundled Pricing ‘Choices’ for Coach Travel

Involuntary Denied Boarding Compensation Explained

My travel goals on United have changed this year due to several factors, including a move to a more expensive cost per mile (CPM) originating airport and the increasing likelihood that all U.S. airlines will add some type of elite status revenue requirement to their frequent flier programs.

My goal on United this year is to simply hit million-miler status and forgo my annual obsession with achieving Premier 1K status. With what I just booked today, I’m only about 4,100 miles away and I’m certain I’ll hit it mid-year.

And as I’m getting older and my time at home is more important to me, I’m looking to do it in the most comfortable and efficient manner. Often, that means spending more, as I did on my recent first class trip from Boston to Tokyo.

Also, I don’t want to waste all of my Global Premier Upgrades (GPUs) on domestic travel this year, so I searched today for the best deal on another international trip where upgradable coach-to-business seats were available at the time of booking. United, if you don’t know, requires the purchase of at least a W-fare to upgrade most international flights and I thought I’d share some of that research.

Keep in mind the fares below are exclusively for a specific time period (April 10-17), and there are often many other factors which affect the disparity between the cheapest coach ticket and upgradable fare. But I still think it’s a fascinating reveal of sorts, showing how widely the differences can vary.

Cheapest vs. Upgradable United Airfares

What stood out to me was the rather insignificant fare differential on the San Francisco to Sydney flights. Last year I paid nearly $900 more for a roundtrip W-fare to upgrade my LAX to Sydney ticket in July, a fairly off-peak time-frame for U.S. to Australia travel. Los Angeles came in at a difference of $574, but still a bargain over what I ended up paying.

And one of United’s easiest routes to redeem a GPU on (San Francisco to Seoul) ended up being the highest fare differential in the markets I checked.

I was also a bit surprised that the ultra long-haul Hong Kong flights from Chicago and Newark didn’t have a greater disparity, but then again… buying only a W-fare on those routes would do little to beget an upgrade.

I found a route that worked for me and I’ll happily rack up upwards of 13,000 butt-in-seat miles to add to my lifetime status in BusinessFirst comfort, paying a $350 premium for the W-fare. I’ll have a full report on my return.

What’s the most you’ve paid over the cheapest coach ticket? Did you get the upgrade?

Related posts:

Analysis of United’s Lowest Coach vs. Upgradable Fares Using a Systemwide Upgrade

Looking Back at 2012 and What’s In Store for 2013

Flight Review: United Airlines Global First Class, San Francisco to Tokyo

Flight Review: United Airlines BusinessFirst, Los Angeles to Sydney

• Southwest Airlines and AirTran are (finally) linking systems, which will allow for passengers to book a single itinerary with segments on both carriers. To avoid baggage fees when flying exclusively on AirTran, book on Southwest.com.
• The latest domestic airfare initiated by Delta has failed due to lack of participation. It was the third attempt this year by an airline to raise airfares. Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com said, “Given the weak economic numbers, it is likely that airlines are concerned that overcooking airline ticket prices right now could stunt demand.”
• Passengers on the Carnival Triumph were finally able to disembark last night in Mobile, Alabama. Most were either bussed or flown to New Orleans and Galveston, where the cruise originally departed last Thursday. Each passenger will reportedly get $500 in cash, among other compensation.
• Ever leave loose change in the bins after going through airport security? The TSA reported travelers left more than $500,000 in change at checkpoints last year, up about $45,000 from the previous year. And the TSA gets to “keep the change.”
• And finally, in rather odd news, a study was conducted showing that it’s actually beneficial to… uh… pass gas onboard a flight. I know, not “notable” at all, but it caught me off guard that a study actually took place. Here’s my favorite line from the article: ” ‘If the pilot restrains a fart, all the drawbacks previously mentioned, including diminished concentration, may affect his abilities to control the airplane,’ the researchers say.” Is there a Federal Aviation Regulation for that?

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 14, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 12, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 11, 2013

• The FAA issued an airworthiness directive requiring U.S. airlines to ground Boeing 787 Dreamliners until the aircraft is proven safe to fly. Meaning, United must ground its current fleet of six 787s until the battery issue (and possibly others) are resolved.
• Meanwhile, the FAA is seeking to ban pilots from using their portable electronic devices at any time during flight. This doesn’t include iPads and other devices necessary for their job function (United, among other airlines, issues iPads to their crews to replace traditional paper flight manuals).
• Virgin America announced new nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. I’ve seen some criticism online as to their need to enter such a heavily serviced market by other airlines, but I think it’s a very “Vegas-mentality” airline to serve the route. Now if they can only fill up the planes profitably.
• United Airlines is offering bonus miles on their new San Francisco to Taipei route (“hat tip” to the linked site). Redeemable bonus miles can be earned for even the cheapest fares when traveling 4/9/13-6/30/13.
• Don’t get too excited, but free breakfast (think “continental”) is now being offered at Extended Stay America locations. It’s reportedly “to-go” only, offering oatmeal, fruit, muffins and beverages.
• American Airlines is very close to revealing a new livery, according to reports. And I have to all but guess that means a decision on a merger with US Airways as well. I sorta think they’d be announced at the same time. American’s first Boeing 777-300, currently naked-ish, begins flying January 31 from Dallas to Sao Paulo.
• United launched a new airfare hike today, yet to be determined if it’ll stick. As of 4:00 p.m. EST, no airlines have matched the increase ranging from $4 to $20 round-trip on domestic airfares.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: January 15, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: January 14, 2013

I flew home from Las Vegas on Tuesday and needed to get back a bit earlier than my ticketed flight. Having absolutely no idea what Southwest’s standby policy was, I looked it up online before heading to the airport. As I was on a Wanna Get Away fare, standby required a buy-up to the Anytime fare – a difference of $85 in my case.

The crappy thing is that if you don’t make it on the flight, you’re still charged the fee, something rather unappealing. But since it was a Tuesday (off-peak travel day) and most people were arriving in Vegas for CES, I figured I’d have a damn good chance so I headed to the airport.

When I looked up the Anytime fare, I noticed the Business Select fare was a mere $15 more for the one-way to Reno. When I arrived at the airport, I asked instead to purchase a new ticket at the Business Select fare using the value on my original ticket as partial form of payment. And so $100 later, I had a confirmed seat – and a boarding group of A3 – for an earlier flight. Well worth the price for my need to get home four hours earlier.

The fare difference between the Wanna Get Away and Anytime fare was pretty negligible, all things considered, for the route I was flying. In some longer-distance markets, I’m sure it’s a considerable jump and it would make loyal flying on Southwest less likely if I were prone to frequently wanting standby travel having purchased the cheapest fares.

But what’s most shocking to me is they don’t provide a better standby policy for their most frequent fliers, A-List and A-List Preferred Rapid Rewards members. Maybe I’m just used to legacy airline programs and their liberal, by comparison, standby policies. Why wouldn’t Southwest throw elites a bone and allow standby on all fares? Am I missing something, or is their standby policy a bit off-putting to loyal travelers who buy the cheapest tickets?

Related posts:

A Southwest Airlines Trip Report? Yep, They Impressed Me

American Airlines today introduced new options for fliers to purchase bundled travel “choices” when making a one-way or round-trip coach reservation within the 48 contiguous United States.

American’s travel options displayed during a flight search now include:

Choice: The lowest fare available in the Main Cabin that gives customers the flexibility to purchase additional products a la carte.

Choice Essential: No change fee, one checked bag (or third checked bag for AAdvantage elite and oneworld^®  elite members) and Group 1 Boarding for an additional $68 round-trip (or $34 on one-way only reservations).

Choice Plus: No change fee, one checked bag (or third checked bag for AAdvantage elite and oneworld elite customers), Group 1 Boarding, 50 percent AAdvantage mileage bonus, Same-Day Flight Change, Same-Day Standby, and a premium beverage, such as an alcoholic beverage onboard for an additional $88 round-trip (or $44 on one-way only reservations).

American’s own representation on how the Essential and Plus choices could save the non-elite traveler money is as follows:

The savings in each scenario are really only meaningful if a passenger actually changes their ticket or decides on a same-day flight change. In that case, these new “choices” are certainly appealing, even for elites. But with my travel patterns and habits the way they are, I’m doubtful I’ll be clicking to purchase an Essential or Plus option in the future.

The nice thing is you’re shown what each option grants you based on your current elite status (assuming you’ve selected “remember me” at some point when accessing AA.com). Here’s a snapshot of what appears for me under Choice Plus as an Executive Platinum on a Los Angeles to Chicago round-trip:

Now if those 50% bonus AAdvantage miles applied to elite qualification, I’d certainly be inclined to spend a little more, but alas… they’re just redeemable miles.

Brian Kelly, aka The Points Guy, spoke with American’s Managing Director of Digital Marketing and got some other juicy tidbits he detailed in his post today. Among them:

• You can change your ticket as many times as you want without a fee on the Essential and Plus fares. If the fare drops, you’ll get a travel voucher.
• Priority AAccess security is not included, just Group 1 boarding.
• The premium beverage that is included with Choice Plus is 1 per flight direction (not segment) and is basically any drink you’d pay for, including alcohol or drinks like Red Bull.

For travelers who frequently change their plans and/or aren’t able to charge through bag fees, flight changes, etc. to their employers or clients, these options built into the fare are a great new approach.

Related posts:

Airfare Pricing Buckets and Airline Fare Basis Codes Explained

American’s ‘Preferred Seat’ Allocation a Bit Excessive?

Why an American-US Airways Merger Worries Me

There’s a dirt cheap airfare out there right now on United in the Ontario to Newark market. While it’s a roundtrip fare that requires a minimum night stay depending on the day of week you depart, someone might find it useful for an end-of-year mileage run/vacation combination.

The fare rules allow for two transfers and the routing rules offer some interesting options, though availability in the G-bucket is pretty slim for the example I provide below. But other more direct single-city connections have more availability, which increases the CPM of course. But it’s still a darn good fare!

I only looked at Ontario as the origin for my example below, but the fare is also valid originating in Newark. And you can even ride on a 787!

Routing: Ontario to San Francisco to Houston to Newark

Travel period: Now through January 24, 2013

Dates I found available: 12/4, 12/5, 1/8, 1/9, 1/16

Number of nights stay: 3 in the example below, otherwise here’s the restrictions on the fare: If you depart Sun-Wed, return no earlier than the 3^rd day after departure; Thu-Fri departures require a return no earlier than the first Saturday; Saturday departures simply require a 1-night stay.

Day of week restrictions: None

Fare basis: GE143FS, 14-day advance purchase

Fare: $167.30 all-in

Premier Qualifying Miles earned: 7,070 (assumes 500-mile minimums)

Cents-per-mile (CPM): 2.37

Example itinerary: Click for full view

Note the tight connection in Houston on the outbound, but there are plenty of more flights throughout the day on which United could book you if you mis-connect (and perhaps get more PQMs for a full Y rebooking).

Use the “Multiple Destinations” option on United’s website to piece this itinerary together.

(Tip of the hat to @airfarewatchdog)

Related posts:

Airfare Pricing Buckets and Airline Fare Basis Codes Explained

Finding Mileage Runs Without the FareCompare Flyertalk Tool

My Mileage Tracking Spreadsheet

In an absolutely horrid and lack-of-transparency move, United Airlines is disabling the “expert mode” feature tonight on their website. It allows anyone to see inventory allocations in every fare class and “bucket” on a given United flight, such as:

If this type of display is alphabet soup and meaningless to you, tonight’s change won’t be so worrisome. However, for those of us who rely on it to determine which flights have available upgrades confirmable at ticketing (and for other fare construction purposes), this is a HUGE change and one that has angered nearly everyone.

United posted the announcement of tonight’s change today on Flyertalk:

Okay, yes… not everyone understands fare classes and airline availability. But is such a display really so misinterpreted that it causes significant customer service issues? I don’t think that’s the entire story of why United is taking it down.

United points to the fact that other websites and services “scrape” this inventory and display it to their users. It’s a popular feature – one that allows those of us who understand its data to ultimately select flights. United knows this, but allegedly insists those who misinterpret it represent a larger population of users than those for whom it helps.

I don’t agree and I hate this change. Terrible move, United. I’m curious to see what the “new feature” is they’re adding tonight claiming to improve transparency.

I’ve reached out to ExpertFlyer to see if tonight’s change impacts that service, but have yet to hear back. [Edited 9/8/12: Yep, even ExpertFlyer is impacted:]

Related posts:

Airfare Pricing Buckets and Airline Fare Basis Codes REVEALED!

The New United Airlines Upgrade and Award Fare Buckets

Involuntary Denied Boarding Compensation Explained

On Thursday this week, the next round of passenger protections will take effect, including a requirement that airlines and other providers advertise airfare prices inclusive of taxes and mandatory fees. I took a tour around the web yesterday and noticed United Airlines (and Continental) have already begun advertising all-in rates.

First, I stopped by United’s website and noticed all their featured locations no longer showed a specific fare from each origin, rather a link to start a flight search.

When selecting between flight times, the all-in fare now populates in the middle box (shown below), whereas it used to only show the base fare requiring you to click through to book or click the link for “Price Breakdown” to reveal the total. Nice to see United launch this ahead of the deadline.

Over at Continental, fare amounts for specific city pair promotions and destinations are displayed, but they are inclusive of the mandatory taxes and fees. (Hey! There really is a $99 fare!)

I welcome this change since taxes and fees can equate for up to 20% of a domestic ticket’s total price, but do understand why airlines are against it. Gone will be attractive lead-in pricing, such as the $59 fares Virgin America had on their site yesterday (and today).

Come Thursday, that same ad will have to read, “From $69.80.” Airlines were staunchly against the new rules claiming other industries don’t have to advertise their products inclusive of tax and they feel it could lead to lowered demand.

Quick poll… would you like to see the base fares displayed, such as the $59 Virgin America example, or would you prefer to see the $69.80 all-in fare advertised?

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The other protections going into effect Thursday are:

• Bans against post-purchase price increases
• Allowing a reservation to be held for 24-hours at the quoted fare or the ability to cancel a reservation in the same time period without penalty, so long as the flights in question are at least one-week in advance
• Disclosure of baggage fees when booking flights and on itineraries
• A requirement that the same baggage allowances and fees apply throughout a passenger’s journey, irrespective of airline(s) flown
• Prompt notification of delays that exceed 30 minutes, as well as cancellations and diversions

As a blogger I bookmark and follow a huge amount of travel-related websites that feature news and reviews in the airline and travel industry. One of them is Tnooz.com whose tagline is “Talking Travel Tech.” It really is a fantastic site and they frequently cover global distribution system (GDS) issues and stories for which I enjoy and geek out on given my previous work history in the industry.

One article last week entitled “Six myths of air travel search on the web” caught my attention and I clicked in thinking I’d once again agree with their normally accurate reporting. Some of the conclusions in that article completely took me by surprise and I have to share my disagreements here.

Myth 1 – Air search is simple and easy. They claim, “Invariably, it is difficult to find prices and routes, and there is a bewildering array of options.” What? Go to any Online Travel Agency (OTA) or airline website, plug in your dates and to & from cities, and you quickly get a selection of routes and fares. I just don’t understand why they think it’s so hard to find this information.

They continue, “Users can spend hours looking at different possible options… (often finding a) bewildering array of options.” Yes, when you search for a ticket many pairings of flights appear, but they’re generally sorted by time-of-day and price. Is it really that difficult to comprehend the search results?

Myth 2 – It doesn’t matter where a user searches (the results are the same). In my experience, yes, I’ve occasionally found different hotel prices on different sites. It’s not very often and it’s normally due to the fact that the OTAs aren’t quick enough to pull down availability when a hotel reports expired rates. On the airline front, however, OTAs generally pull real-time availability and this article claims, “The results, regardless of search site, are inconsistent and generate little trust for the user.” When you actually click through to book a flight at a quoted fare, the OTA immediately confirms real-time pricing and will display a “We’re sorry, this fare no longer exists” message when warranted. Okay, maybe I’ll give them a little leeway in the “trust” issue, but they shouldn’t claim inconsistent results when OTAs do in fact pull actual pricing.

Myth 3 – Air search works. They claim, “Frankly, it doesn’t. For something that looks like a commodity product, an airline seat is complicated.” I’ll give them credit there as ancillary fees create a lot of confusion and inconsistency when searching across all carriers, but they continue on saying, “(some websites) often powered by ITA generate a result, but this is no longer dynamic. Meanwhile, the internal price from the call centre agent is dynamic and can be different.” Nope. ITA is by far the most powerful and accurate airfare search tool I’ve ever come across. If anyone has real-time availability and fares down, it’s ITA.

The remaining myths discussed do have their merit and I’d encourage you to read the full article. Maybe I’m being too critical because of my “expert” travel experience and abilities, but I do feel this writer misinterprets the ease we have in searching and booking air tickets today. Google Flight Search needs a huge amount of improvement to become a leading tool for flight bookings, as he acknowledges. He also notes the inability to book flights after having found an ideal itinerary on Kayak. His claim, though, that finding flights “should be a heck of a lot better than it is,” seems ridiculous in my mind. Don’t you find booking flights pretty convenient today?