Kathie

I happened to log on to my United account today and noticed there was a schedule change on our November flights. Actually, it wasn't a schedule change, but a rerouting. While we have our usual SEA-NRT, NRT-BKK flights, on the way home we have to fly BKK-NRT, NRT-SFO, SFO-SEA.

So for anyone else who flies the Seattle Narita non-stops, after mid-November, they are no longer!

Craig

Boy, that stinks. I am sure that when the economy recovers, they will reinstate it but I realize that won't help you in November.

I check my United itinerary once a week with the fear that they will cancel or change something. Fortunately, our trans-Pacific flight to NRT goes out of Chicago so I think we're safe...

hawaiiantraveler

Craig said it well.

Think of it as more double eqm's this year

Aloha!

easytraveler

Oh, no! Not good that the flights have been cancelled.

Oh, good! Now you can switch to another airline.

sorry, but I absolutely hate United.

citywalks

I'm sorry to hear that. My experiences arriving from Narita to SFO have been fine with quick immigration and walk to United domestic for connecting flights, but others have had different experiences there so it must depend on time of arrival.

Kathie

Clearly I'm unhappy about it. Back in the old days, I had to fly to SFO or LAX to catch a transpacific flight on United. It was a pain. More than once I flew to SFO the night before because morning flights were unable to land at SFO due to fog. It was such a pleasure once they (re)started the SEA-NRT flights. Just one connection to Bangkok. And I especially liked landing in the US and being home!

HT, you're right about the EQMs We'll both easily make Premier Exec. I used to be Premier Exec every year, but then I stopped traveling for business and have only been a premier for a few years. Easy, I'm afraid I still have too many miles invested with United to make a change. There aren't a lot of options from Seattle.

The other good news is that the SEA-NRT plane was a 777 - my fave, except that the seats haven't been upgraded in Biz. The 747s we'll fly between BKK and NRT and NRT and BKK and the transpacific NRT-SFO all have the new seats.

Thanks for the sympathy, everyone!

rkkwan

<b>Wait a second!</b>

You may have been rerouted, but these flights are still on the schedule <b>and bookable</b> in late Nov, in February, etc... And I do not see any reports of them being canceled.

Check with UA to see what's going on with your reservations. But UA875/876 are still in the schedule.

Kathie

rkkwan, these flights no longer exist on the united.com site. I tried to check for these flights later in November, and none appeared. My only options Seattle to Narita or reverse were via SFO or LAX. I also called United and the agent said that about Sept 15 (I can't remember the exact date) United discontinued the nonstops between Seattle and Narita beginning mid-November. So where did you find the flights still listed? I'd love it if they were still available!

Kathie

Ray, thanks for the alert. It looks like it has been discontinued for a week or more and the plane converted to the new seats. So it doesn't exist on my return date, but does exist the next day. I'm on the phone right now asking to move my flight by one day. I'll let you know how it goes.

rkkwan

I went to united.com and search for roundtrip SEA-NRT for dates in late November and also mid-February.

For example, 11/22 to 11/29.

$1,062.20.

11/22 UA 875 1:26p - 5:00p+1
11/29 UA 876 5:30p - 8:58a

I can't be making it up. Both flights 777. Lots of empty seats in the back that are available, especially on the outbound.

ms_go

That's really odd. I just did a few random searches for SEA-NRT on united dot com for late November/early December and I'm seeing UA875/876 on the schedule for the dates I searched.

rhkkmk

is there no longer a flight from portland??

rkkwan

Portland is subsidizing DL/NW to continue to fly PDX-NRT. UA does not fly this route, and I'm not sure if it ever did.

Kathie

Kudos to Ray!

As per my post above at 9:48... (Ray, you and I were posting at the same time) the SEA-NRT, NRT-SEA flight was discontinued for a time while they converted to the new seats. The flight returns to service the day after my return from BKK to SEA. That's why when I searched for my date, no NRT-SEA non-stop flight existed.

I just got off the phone with United. I requested to move our reservations by one day so we return on Friday, Nov 27 rather than Thursday, Nov 26 since we were involuntarily re-routed. At first the agent said that there were no upgradable Biz seats available from BKK to NRT and only one from NRT to SEA. I asked her to check with a supervisor, about opening up seats for us. They were willing to do that, so we have one more day in Bangkok (yes!) and we still have our Biz seats and we're back on the non-stop NRT-SEA. So kudos to United as well!

Bob, United has never to my knowledge had a Portland to Narita non-stop.

All is well that ends well.

jules39

Yey! & way to go Ray!!

marya_

So, non-stop flight, new seats, business class, and a bonus day in your favorite city -- sounds like it was worth a couple of hours of aggravation to get to that outcome.

You are on a roll, Kathie. First, the Burma visa, now this, and isn't there some superstitious belief (often born out by experience) about things happening in 3's? One can hope.

Thanks to you and Ray for alerting us to an airline scenario unfamiliar to some of us. I just learned something new; I love that about this forum.

Femi

Nice job Ray!
Congratulations Kathie, you're back on track