Recently I found myself booking an award seat from Tokyo to South Florida in a premium cabin for early June 2019. Conventional wisdom has taught me that when you plan to fly during a popular vacation time your best bet for a low-cost award seat is to book early, book last-minute, or be flexible. Considering I don’t like the unknown with waiting to the last-minute, and I couldn’t be flexible, I went to book a trip with my typical resources early. Starting my search, I couldn’t find any affordable space using Delta Skymiles, which didn’t surprise me as most of their awards are over priced. I also couldn’t get a single seat on American Airlines or Japan Airlines, which did come as a bit of a shock as I can usually find at least one seat to some US destination. Finally I was able to find an option with United Airlines miles on ANA but the only flight available leaves me with an unconscionable 10 hour layover in a United Airlines hub and a connecting flight in coach. The worst part being that there is no lounge access during the layover, even booked on a premium ticket, due to strict United lounge access rules. Considering it was my only option, I booked it.
After booking I set up an award flight monitor with ExpertFlyer and AwardNexus which should advise me should any earlier flights become available, although it will cost $75-$125 in change fees. Upon some further digging I don’t think that United Airlines has sold a single seat on most of their earlier connecting flights this far in advance and the idea of a saver level ticket is nothing more than a fallacy to United Airlines revenue management team.
United Airlines Everyday Awards
Thirteen months ago United introduced everyday awards and they went into effect last November. It was pitched to customers as a way to allow for greater award availability across the board and allow customers to redeem their miles for less than the standard award cost. Under the new change United promised to not increase current award cost which they have upheld. United Airlines saver level domestic awards still cost just 12,500 miles per person. In reality, United cut domestic saver level award space to minimal levels and made more everyday award space which can not be combined with a partner airline awards leaving you with fewer options rather than more.
The mystery of Domestic Saver Availability
Currently you can book a United saver level award on ANA on June 2, 2019 from Tokyo (HND) to Chicago (ORD) in business class for 80,000 United Miles.
You should be able to add-on a domestic leg for free, pending the saver level award availability. Unfortunately you can not get from Chicago (ORD) to Miami (MIA), Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) or PBI (West Palm Beach) due to lack of award space. This is a flight that is 305 days from departure and it should be available this far out. Upon looking at the seat map you will find something that looks like this 
It would appear that there are at least 6 seats taken which would seem like a fair number of saver award seats out of 150 total economy seats. When you go to ExpertFlyer, the seat map paints a different picture
The 6 seats that were assumed occupied aren’t actually sold seats, they are just blocked from being selected. They are probably for passengers with limited mobility or special needs. This is consistent across most of the flights, leaving me to believe that they never intended to offer any saver level seats on this flight at all. Looking at the 30 days award availability chart looks like this
There are a total of 8 direct flights between Chicago and South Florida on a daily basis. During the 30 days surrounding June 2 there are a total of 11 one-stop saver level award options and 1 non-stop option out of 240 non stop flights spread out over just 3 days. That is a dismal 0.4% availability for non-stop flights. The number get even worse when you are looking for first class award space as there is legitimately no space available connecting or nonstop.
What can United do to fix the problem?
As I see it United Airlines has two good options to fix the issue.
- They should offer the ability to buy up into the everyday award cost for the domestic leg. For example, if 80,000 miles is minimum the cost of a saver level business class award from Tokyo – South Florida, you assign a value to the domestic segment. For this example I will assume 12,500 of those miles are dedicated to the domestic segment. If coach is currently selling at 15,000 miles for the domestic segment, your new award cost should be 82,500 miles. If you want first class, which you technically should be entitled to, than it would cost you 102,500 miles.
- United should just increase their award charts to what they want to earn and stop playing games with everyday awards. Domestic saver availability is at its lowest ever, keeping the system this way will only anger more people than it will appease.
I am hopeful that United Airlines will do something to remedy the situation as this isn’t the first time I’ve run into the issue, but in reality United is probably happier having less domestic saver award availability and less redemptions as a result. I wouldn’t expect any big changes soon.
The award availability listed above is strictly for customer who do not have the MilagePlus Chase credit card. The credit card does open up some additional space which can mitigate these issues but I would not recommend opening up the card just increase award availability.
When United was asked about this issue on Twitter they suggested to contact MilagePlus, but we all know what happens to most advice. If I do hear back from them I will let you know.
I am finding the same problem with UA international flights in general. They seem to have cut out the direct saver award class space completely. I’m not a rookie at this, and the only saver award space I could find to Rome in J was out of Chicago to Istanbul to Rome. Most of the saver space was on lousy routes with mediocre partners on old A330’s. 70K of miles should do a little better than that. United is reaching the bottom of the barrel quickly. I could never book an award flight for someone at 310K points for a J class, and that’s all UA shows.
I don’t think that lounge access is correct. Also I am sure you can find another way into a lounge at ORD.
Also did you consider just purchasing a flight from ORD to Florida as a connection?
Unfortunately this has become the norm for all of the “big three”. It is frustrating but has become reality when booking award travel with domestic connections.
The lounge access is correct. See the link here. https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/airport/lounge/access.aspx
I am sure I can get into a priority pass lounge or buy someones unused united club vouchers but the Polaris lounge access is really what im after.
Purchasing a flight would cost $139, which is higher than the change fee cost. The other problem with purchasing a connector is that you would not be protected and re-accommodated in the event of a delay or cancellation.
With Delta you can find non-stop saver level awards 300+ days out from departure, with American you can find space but you will have to connect, with United space never seems to be available connecting or nonstop. It is a problem they need to address
Thanks for the link – how tricky these rules are. Looks like the only folks disallowed are *A partners in premium. We’ll be connecting at IAH from Polaris and will be allowed lounge access during the connection. Whew.
I’m ORD based and they have basically shut off the 12.5k and 25k saver awards. I frequently fly ord-sfo and it’s not uncommon for there to be 3 to 6 months streches with ZERO 25k saver first awards. I get it’s a profitable hub to hub route. But with 10 flights a day, most with 20 or more F seats, and not one is available at 25k miles, that not revenue management…that’s a policy shift.
Luckily, UA is still pretty generous with saver J on their own metal. This is where I burn most of my miles. But the domestic situation is getting worse and worse for the majority of members who want to use their miles for domestic travel.
“The worst part being that there is no lounge access during the layover, even booked on a premium ticket, due to strict United lounge access rules.”
What does this mean? Thanks
United Lounge Access Policy Can Be Found here
https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/airport/lounge/access.aspx
If you are connecting from an international business class ticket with a partner to a domestic economy class ticket like I will be, you will not get any lounge access in your connecting city. Polaris lounges and United Clubs all say “Customers may only access a United lounge location at the departure airport for their business class flight.”