Two bookings on same flight - will UA allow it?

SBD

Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2012
Posts
105
Hi all,

I want to book a reward fare for an internal domestic flight on UA in Y using Velocity points, as a backup, then either replace it with a reward on the same flight in F if one becomes available or with a cash ticket in F that I'll buy closer in. This flight would be a connection to an already booked international UA journey in Polaris.

I'm worried about the Contract of Carriage rules about what they call "duplicate or improper reservations": "Reservations made for the same passenger on flights “on or about the same date” between one or more of the same or nearby origin or destination cities may be canceled without notice."

Does anybody know if is this a concern? Is it automatic, i.e. guaranteed that my plan will fail? Or is it a risk, and if so how big or small a risk? Or is it really only a problem in theory and something loads of people do every day without issue?

Obviously I'd need to book the F ticket before I cancel the Y ticket (not doing so would defeat the purpose of having it as a backup).

Any thoughts, advice, ideas, or observations on this situation?

Thank you,

SBD
 
What you’re proposing is fine.

The identification and cancellation of duplicates is common and happens. Sometimes the airline will contact you and ask which of the two bookings you wish to keep. But they’re not obligated to do so and can cancel whichever one they want. But it’s not ‘instant’.

In your case you will be booking a new seat and cancelling the old one in quick succession. No issues there.
 
Read our AFF credit card guides and start earning more points now.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

Not sure about UA but I did similar and Qantas cancelled one. They sent me an email asking which one I wanted but when I went to my account they'd already cancelled one of them and it was the one I wanted to keep if forced to cancel one. Needed a phone call to sort.

It took a couple of days for Qantas to figure it out.
 

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top