Flying question, not Disney related

[AndreaDM]

So we are planning a trip to Iceland in August. We have enough points for all of us to fly r/t from here to Chicago on United, but would have to pay for our r/t flights from Chicago to Iceland also on United. How would this work? Would we have to go through check-in again in Chicago? I'm guessing so since I think we'd have to collect our luggage. Anyone have any experience doing in international flight this way?

 

[Kerr84]

I think if they are both on United, you won't have to go get your bags. I would call though and ask United. They may just have to link the two reservations together.

 

[nolatravelgirl]

Why are you booking as two separate flights? Have you priced out the entire flight from BWI-ORD-KEF? Does it really make sense to book it as two separate tickets?

 

[AndreaDM]

Why are you booking as two separate flights? Have you priced out the entire flight from BWI-ORD-KEF? Does it really make sense to book it as two separate tickets?

Because as I mentioned, we can book one portion of the trip with points, saving us almost $700.

 

[wdp]

Because as I mentioned, we can book one portion of the trip with points, saving us almost $700.

This is an old article from a frequent flyer blog but is consistent with my experience. (It says that if both flights and tickets are on United you won't have a problem.) Note that when flying back into the US on an international flight you'll have to claim and recheck your bags at the connecting airport anyway (unless you're flying from a CBP "pre-clearance" airport.)

Just out of curiosity, did you try pricing two free tickets all the way through (using your miles) and two paid tickets all the way through? Worth a look, because if things go wrong (like delays leading to missed connections, or any schedule changes) then any problems will be easier to clean up on "through" tickets.

 

[AndreaDM]

There are 3 of us traveling so not enough points even for one way all the way and I don’t want to split us up just in case.

 

[wdp]

There are 3 of us traveling so not enough points even for one way all the way and I don’t want to split us up just in case.

Oh well -- sorry that alternative won't work. The separate-ticket solution you have in mind will be fine, but definitely call United beforehand to make sure that everything is cross-referenced in their system (and then remind them of it at check-in, and if any of the flights are delayed/schedule changed.) I'd also carry paper copies of all of the e-ticket receipts every step of the way (so that UA can easily find the record locators and e-ticket numbers to piece Humpty back together again if necessary).

 

[Lewisc]

You have to figure out how much extra it would cost to pay for your flights and use your points for a different trip or hotels. Separate tickets for each leg could cause issues if your flight to Chicago winds up with a schedule change or is delayed and you miss your "connection". I'd allow a lot of extra time for the connection.

If separate flights is the best solution, price wise, follow wdp's suggestion. I'd allow enough time if you need a supervisor to let you check your luggage through.

You may have an issue getting a boarding pass for your ORD-KEF segment. Some airlines won't let you get an international BP online without either showing your passport at the airport or having your passport already validated via a previous international flight.

You want enough time to try and get your ORD-KEF BP before boarding your flight to ORD. Again assume you may need to get a supervisor to help.

Worse case scenario allow enough connecting time to get your luggage, get your BP and check your luggage. Minimum of 3 hours. You have to check in for your ORD-KEF flight at least 60 minutes in advance. Could be an issue if you can't check in until you arrive at ORD.

 

[Cheburashka]

So we are planning a trip to Iceland in August. We have enough points for all of us to fly r/t from here to Chicago on United, but would have to pay for our r/t flights from Chicago to Iceland also on United. How would this work? Would we have to go through check-in again in Chicago? I'm guessing so since I think we'd have to collect our luggage. Anyone have any experience doing in international flight this way?

Yes, my son and I have flown from our city (which is nowhere near a coast or a major airline hub) via American to JFK airport in NYC, and from there, caught a separately booked flight on Air France to Paris, & the same thing on the way home. It was a lot cheaper that way, as the best deals to Europe tend to be from major East coast airports to major European airports, flying on European airlines. Pricing out tickets from my home airport to anywhere in Europe via any airline was really depressing in comparison to pricing out two separate flights with JFK as the hub.

On the way out, we took an early morning nonstop flight from our home airport to JFK, then caught an afternoon flight from JFK to Europe, so there were several hours of cushion time built in just in case the first flight was significantly delayed. (If you do this, be sure to leave on an early morning flight which are the most likely flights to leave on time, and don't take a flight with any stops). Yes, we had to pick up our luggage in JFK & go through security again for the international flight. Build in plenty of time for that (although in our case it didn't actually take very long), and again, build in time for delays. Also make sure that your absolute necessities for the trip & a few changes of clothes are in your carry-on bag, just in case your check-in bag doesn't make it.

On the way home, we flew to NYC from Europe and spent the night in a hotel connected to the JFK airport, and then flew home the next morning.

Obviously, this type of travel isn't for worrywarts, and plenty of posters might try to dissuade you from it. If you exercise caution in your flight type & times & luggage, and have a fair amount of tolerance for risk, it can work out very well. I liked the very substantial savings we got.

 

[EACarlson]

If everything goes right there shouldn't be a problem. UA should recognize that you have valid tickets on another UA flight and check your bags through. But if something goes wrong, it will go very wrong very quickly for you. Because you are flying on separate tickets, if your positioning flight gets cancelled, is late or has to divert for any reason, you're out of luck. UA has no responsibility to rebook you to Iceland, they could cancel the return portion of the ticket and you would have to eat the cost. Would UA do that? Probably not, especially if your positioning flight was with them.