United Airlines new Virgin Australia/Velocity Partner

[jpp42]

I am travelling on the flights below, they are both UA406 but not sold as a non-stop like QF1 SYD-LHR or QF1 SYD-SIN-LHR but I have a feeling VA will treat it as a single flight because of the same flight number.

There is no reason you wouldn't earn the correct SC and points for these. They are still separate segments, just as with the two segments of the QF flights.

Minor point but airlines advertise the QF flights as "direct" with one stop, not "nonstop." Nonstop only applies if there are in-fact, no stops at all. Your YVR-DEN service under the same flight number could still be called "direct" under official airline terminology, even though it requires the change of planes at LAX. Note how the availability is the same - it's one fare (similar to a married segment).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

There is no reason you wouldn't earn the correct SC and points for these. They are still separate segments, just as with the two segments of the QF flights.

Minor point but airlines advertise the QF flights as "direct" with one stop, not "nonstop." Nonstop only applies if there are in-fact, no stops at all. Your YVR-DEN service under the same flight number could still be called "direct" under official airline terminology, even though it requires the change of planes at LAX. Note how the availability is the same - it's one fare (similar to a married segment).

IIRC Qantas doesn't count QF1/2 as separate segments. QF 1 SYD-SIN-LHR is one segment, one set of SCs and points

 

[docjames]

IIRC Qantas doesn't count QF1/2 as separate segments. QF 1 SYD-SIN-LHR is one segment, one set of SCs and points

Correct QF 1/2 post as SYD-LHR-SYD and QF 9/10 post as MEL-LHR-MEL (unless you board in SIN/PER respectively then it posts as the single segment).

 

[henry99]

Question re VA/UA..
My son is travelling VA MEL-SYD then UA SYD-SFO-IAH-BOG. All on one ticket.
Will he be able to get all BPs and check his bags through from MEL-BOG? He only has two hours to do Dom-Int at SYD so if his bags are checked through it should be doable. If not, it’s pretty tight to get bags, transfer, do immigration and then get to the UA flight in that time.

Last year I was on ADL-SYD and then SYD-SFO with a 2 hour connection in SYD. Had plenty of time to catch the bus from DOM to INTL terminals and get to the gate ~ 30 minutes before boarding. Also worth noting that for some reason I had to pick up my BP for SYD-SFO in SYD so potentially he might be able to get all BPs for the UA legs in SYD

 

[jpp42]

IIRC Qantas doesn't count QF1/2 as separate segments. QF 1 SYD-SIN-LHR is one segment, one set of SCs and points

Ah thanks for that correction, however you can have a stopover there in which case it's separate segments.

In any case, for OP the UA406 is separate segments (but married) as shown in EF.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Ah thanks for that correction, however you can have a stopover there in which case it's separate segments.

In any case, for OP the UA406 is separate segments (but married) as shown in EF.

Yeah. I suspect UA FFers would be right on it!

 

[Bagpuss]

IIRC Qantas doesn't count QF1/2 as separate segments. QF 1 SYD-SIN-LHR is one segment, one set of SCs and points

Correct and the same for Velocity.

The rule of thumb for a segment is you take off and land. However, it also needs to change flight numbers, albeit rare.

 

[muppet]

There is no reason you wouldn't earn the correct SC and points for these. They are still separate segments, just as with the two segments of the QF flights.

Minor point but airlines advertise the QF flights as "direct" with one stop, not "nonstop." Nonstop only applies if there are in-fact, no stops at all. Your YVR-DEN service under the same flight number could still be called "direct" under official airline terminology, even though it requires the change of planes at LAX. Note how the availability is the same - it's one fare (similar to a married segment).

Ahh yes sorry. Thanks for correction, I did mean “direct”.

 

[muppet]

Hi all

Does anyone have experience with UA’s reuse of flight numbers on the same day and status credit posting?

I am travelling on the flights below, they are both UA406 but not sold as a non-stop like QF1 SYD-LHR or QF1 SYD-SIN-LHR but I have a feeling VA will treat it as a single flight because of the same flight number.

View attachment 330624

Sadly there were direct flights available that I didn’t choose because of the SCs … but I didn’t notice the flight numbers.

Interestingly its not even the same plane. A321 to LAX and B753 to DEN.

Well to provide a data point with actual experience. Despite the flights not being bookable as a single direct flight (with a stopover), it posted in my velocity account as a single segment - YVR - DEN with the one flight number and one batch of SCs.

 

[MELso]

Well, just managed to snag a SYD-MEL-SFO flight in J using VA points on Boxing Day (26 Dec).

Can’t wait to try Polaris! (FYI there appear to be two more MEL-SFO J awards that day so get in quick! There are also SYD-SFO awards in Y too…)

 

[MELso]

For people looking to get to the US for Christmas, there are no fewer than eight (8) business class award seats from BNE to LAX on 22 December 2023 (I8 is showing on UA) bookable through VA...

 

[bcworld]

For people looking to get to the US for Christmas, there are no fewer than eight (8) business class award seats from BNE to LAX on 22 December 2023 (I8 is showing on UA) bookable through VA...

I dunno if demand suddenly drops off a couple of days out from Xmas....but I flew MEL-LAX on 21 Dec last year and at the point they started processing the upgrade list...Polaris was only about 22/48 seats sold...and that included upgrade requests that were processed days in advance like mine. So maybe they have a good idea of what is going to be very lightly loaded.

 

[Digicola]

Flew ANA to HNL connecting onto UA First to SFO, got to the United Club and learned connecting from a Star Alliance international flight does not grant lounge access on a subsequent domestic flight.

Luckily turns out WP does grant lounge access even if the intl sector isn’t with UA. VFF saves the day.

 

[BRIS_VA_HAWK]

Luckily turns out WP does grant lounge access even if the intl sector isn’t with UA. VFF saves the daday.

Dare I ask how the heck that works?? I wouldn't have thought that VA's goodness extended that far in VA2.0

 

[BRIS_VA_HAWK]

On an unrelated note, I was booked on a VA J rewards ticket on UA97 (BNE-SFO) today, which went tech on arrival due to a "fluid system" issue. UA Customer Service were going to send me via AKL with NZ and then realised I wasn't on a rev ticket and then (after 30 mins on the phone) tried to palm me back to VA. Velocity then (as expected) palmed me back to UA saying it was their responsibility as I'm already checked in etc.
Ended up having the ground staff at BNE booking me BNE-SYD this afternoon and then in J on tomorrow's SYD-SFO. A bit of a shame as I was looking forward to the Dreamliner, however J on a 777 beats Y on anything I guess
Interesting to see how the VA/UA relationship works in this regard...

 

[Digicola]

Dare I ask how the heck that works?? I wouldn't have thought that VA's goodness extended that far in VA2.0

UA staff kept on thanking me for being a gold member so I wonder if it just maps as star gold on their systems? Either way, it works!

 

[BRIS_VA_HAWK]

UA staff kept on thanking me for being a gold member so I wonder if it just maps as star gold on their systems? Either way, it works!

I'll try that tomorrow at SFO if I have time in between that and my domestic leg..

 

[Phoenix-1]

Anyone understand how the timings work to get a domestic connection on the same PNR? I can see SFO-SYD (arriving 7 am) and SYD-ADL (departing 2pm) as business reward seats but I can't get SFO-ADL.

I've previously booked SFO-MEL-ADL as one PNR but the connection was 3 hours I believe.

 

[CPMaverick]

A few years ago on United the rule was a maximum 4 hour connection on domestic USA and a maximum 24 hours on an international connection. But nowadays if the online search won't combine them, an agent usually won't either. So it's just a coughshoot.

If I'm not mistaken, VA will charge the same points for the award whether it's booked together or separately, right? If so I'd just book them separately. You can't check luggage through anyway so there's little to gain.

 

[Phoenix-1]

A few years ago on United the rule was a maximum 4 hour connection on domestic USA and a maximum 24 hours on an international connection. But nowadays if the online search won't combine them, an agent usually won't either. So it's just a coughshoot.

If I'm not mistaken, VA will charge the same points for the award whether it's booked together or separately, right? If so I'd just book them separately. You can't check luggage through anyway so there's little to gain.

No, they'll charge depending on total mileage. SFO-MEL or SFO-MEL-ADL are both 95.5k points + taxes.

Thanks though.