Deceptive flight numbering by United Airlines (sham on them)!

Hey all

My wife has booked us a package deal through United Vacations to
Hawaii. When first looking at our flight information it looks like we
have a nonstop flight from Denver to Hawaii, but after doing some
research to see if my wife really go us the best deal it becomes
apparent that is not the case. Looks like we have to change planes in
San Francisco. I think this is very deceptive and I have mind to call
United an ear-full. My daughter tells me that many airlines do this
all the time. I think, as these are two separate flights they should
be numbered that way and not just UA77.

Anyone else's thoughts on this very deceptive practice?

Sam Smith

Hmmmm
Maybe your wife mistook "Direct" as "Non Stop"
For the most part, trying to get the lowest price or "best deal"
using packages involves a stop at an airlines Hub.
Perhaps next time, you, and not your wife, need to do the travel
planning and buying.
One nice thing is that SFO is a pretty nice airport to hang out at.
Try the Boudin Sourdough Bread there.(the best IMO)
Pick some up and bring with you to Hawaii.
United 43 is a nonstop from DEN to HNL.
I didn't look to see if thats a seasonal or limited scheduled nonstop.
Maybe United doesnt fly Nonstop on your day of travel.
Who knows?

Hawaii. When first looking at our flight information it looks like we
have a nonstop flight from Denver to Hawaii ...

I think, as these are two separate flights they should
be numbered that way and not just UA77.

Hmmn. On what date do you think you have a ticket from Denver on UA 77?

I spot checked a bunch of dates between now and Christmas, and it only
flies SFO-HNL.

wrote:

apparent that is not the case. Looks like we have to change planes in
San Francisco. I think this is very deceptive and I have mind to call


There are a couple of advantages to having the multiple flights under a
single number. If there is a snafu, United has greater responsability to
accomodate you than if you had booked the trip on the same planes but
with two separate flight numbers.

From a marketing point of view, the USA airlines are very big on making
their schedules compete to appear first on reservation systems, so the
ability to market that denver-hawaii as a single flight increases the
odds that someone would book it (and yes, this is deceptive advertising).

From a capacity planning point of view, it allows UA to provide booking
classes that are available to only those booking the den-hnl flight.

Say UA wants to do a seat sale DEN-HNL with 20 available seats. It can
put 20 seats in V class on the flight 77, and none on the actual real
flights. This way, those flying DEN-SFO or SFO-HNL will not be eating up
on the inventory of V seats reserved for DEN-HNL.

When I did a spot check on United Vacations in January 08
This flight number popped up 77
when you click on the 77, this comes up


Flight Details


Denver to Hawaii, Oahu
United Airlines 77

Flight#:
United Airlines 77

Departs:
Denver (DEN)
1:23 PM - 19 Jan '08

Arrives:
Hawaii, Oahu (HNL)
7:46 PM - 19 Jan '08

Type:
Change of Aircraft Enroute

Class:
T

Meals:
L

Departure Terminal:
Not Available

Arrival Terminal:
M

Flight Duration:
08HR 21MIN

Trip Duration:
09HR 20MIN

Miles:
3351

Trip Miles:
4318

Hidden Stop:
San Francisco (SFO)


So It appears your wife didnt click on that.
It clearly shows a change of aircraft @ SFO
so u have an hour layover..not bad

EasySchedule results
Depart: Denver, CO (DEN)
Arrive: Honolulu, HI (HNL)
Distance: 3364mi / 5382km
Duration: 9h23m
Date: January 18, 2008

Printable Version
Back



Leg 1 - United Airlines 77
Departure Denver, CO (DEN)
Departure Time 13:23
Arrival San Francisco, CA (SFO)
Arrival Time 15:03
Aircraft Type 735
Meal No Meals Served
Distance 966mi / 1545km
Duration 2h40m
Operated By United Airlines

Leg 2 - United Airlines 77
Departure San Francisco, CA (SFO)
Departure Time 16:05
Arrival Honolulu, HI (HNL)
Arrival Time 19:46
Aircraft Type 763
Meal Food for Purchase
Distance 2399mi / 3838km
Duration 5h41m
Operated By United Airlines

In article .com,
wrote:

Looks like we have to change planes in
San Francisco. I think this is very deceptive and I have mind to call
United an ear-full. My daughter tells me that many airlines do this
all the time. I think, as these are two separate flights they should
be numbered that way and not just UA77.

Anyone else's thoughts on this very deceptive practice?

Seems to me it's even more deceptive when it involves an international
flight and immigration and immigration clearance occurs at the hidden
stop.

I think I encountered this situation -- and on United, in fact -- when
searching for non-stop Zurich-SFO flights recently. If I'd booked one
particular flight that came up on screen without looking carefully at
the flight description, I might have missed the immigration stop at
Dulles; and if so, not only would the hope of catching some
uninterrupted sleep on the flight been substantially reduced, but I'd
might have then arrived at the United domestic terminal in SFO, with
family waiting outside the immigration doors at the SFO Intl Terminal.

But it is also true: Transferring between United domestic planes or
gates in SFO is likely to be pretty painless.

wrote:
Hey all

My wife has booked us a package deal through United Vacations to
Hawaii. When first looking at our flight information it looks like we
have a nonstop flight from Denver to Hawaii, but after doing some
research to see if my wife really go us the best deal it becomes
apparent that is not the case. Looks like we have to change planes in
San Francisco. I think this is very deceptive and I have mind to call
United an ear-full. My daughter tells me that many airlines do this
all the time. I think, as these are two separate flights they should
be numbered that way and not just UA77.

Anyone else's thoughts on this very deceptive practice?

As others have said, it's direct, but it's not nonstop. Relax and enjoy
your flight(s). The only possible problem is that when they issue
frequent flier miles, you'll get credit for a hypothetical nonstop from
Denver to Honolulu and not for the sum of the routes you actually flew.
So if you're hoarding miles, plan accordingly...

Louis

On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:25:44 -0800, wrote:

Hmmmm
Maybe your wife mistook "Direct" as "Non Stop"

A "Direct" flight doesn't imply a change of planes part way to
your destination, either. But the practice seems to be becoming
common, and I believe, usually involves a change from a
code-share flight on one airline to the airline you think you're
going to be on (or the other way around).



--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:37:18 -0500, Nobody
wrote:

wrote:

apparent that is not the case. Looks like we have to change planes in
San Francisco. I think this is very deceptive and I have mind to call


There are a couple of advantages to having the multiple flights under a
single number. If there is a snafu, United has greater responsability to
accomodate you than if you had booked the trip on the same planes but
with two separate flight numbers.

From a marketing point of view, the USA airlines are very big on making
their schedules compete to appear first on reservation systems, so the
ability to market that denver-hawaii as a single flight increases the
odds that someone would book it (and yes, this is deceptive advertising).

From a capacity planning point of view, it allows UA to provide booking
classes that are available to only those booking the den-hnl flight.

Say UA wants to do a seat sale DEN-HNL with 20 available seats. It can
put 20 seats in V class on the flight 77, and none on the actual real
flights. This way, those flying DEN-SFO or SFO-HNL will not be eating up
on the inventory of V seats reserved for DEN-HNL.

The two legs might not even be truly on the same airline; one leg
may be a code share flight.

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:09:40 -0700, Louis Krupp
wrote:

wrote:
Hey all

My wife has booked us a package deal through United Vacations to
Hawaii. When first looking at our flight information it looks like we
have a nonstop flight from Denver to Hawaii, but after doing some
research to see if my wife really go us the best deal it becomes
apparent that is not the case. Looks like we have to change planes in
San Francisco. I think this is very deceptive and I have mind to call
United an ear-full. My daughter tells me that many airlines do this
all the time. I think, as these are two separate flights they should
be numbered that way and not just UA77.

Anyone else's thoughts on this very deceptive practice?

As others have said, it's direct, but it's not nonstop. Relax and enjoy
your flight(s). The only possible problem is that when they issue
frequent flier miles, you'll get credit for a hypothetical nonstop from
Denver to Honolulu and not for the sum of the routes you actually flew.
So if you're hoarding miles, plan accordingly...

And keep your boarding passes