United Questions: Seat Selection on ANA Flight and Cancellations

[kbmartin]

Hey there! I have a couple of questions about flying with United. This is our first international trip, and domestically, we always fly Southwest, so I could use a little help!

I'm looking at booking a United flight operated by ANA. Apparently, you cannot choose your seats on the United website because the flight is run by ANA. Has anyone been in this situation? What do you do through ANA and how (to be able to choose your seats)? I really don't want to be separated from my husband (that would honestly make me pretty nervous as this is my first international flight), and choosing our seats is important because my husband is 6'4". I know the flight is going to be miserable for him no matter what, but I don't want to risk him ending up in a middle seat (we will be in the basic economy seating area and are not willing to pay $200 more per seat for extra legroom - it's just too much more for an already expensive trip). So, basically, it's imperative that we get the best economy seats we can.

One more question about United: I am reading that if you fly basic economy, you cannot make any changes or cancellations to your flight. Is that true NO MATTER WHAT? I always get a little worried about that - what if there happened to be an emergency or a death in the family? Are there ANY exceptions to this? I am a little nervous to drop $2,000 that couldn't be refunded in a dire circumstance. We would never change or cancel unless something very serious occurred.

Thank you for any help you can give!

 

[SPSRAS]

I can't answer your questions about the seat selections - but yes usually the most basic ticket cannot be changed or refunded under any circumstances. You should look into buying travel insurance for your trip - it is usually very inexpensive and covers things like sickness and medical emergencies. On our last international trip we flew Virgin Atlantic and I paid $30 for the extra travel insurance - so for the piece of mind the cost was minimal. You may also have some trip insurance provided by your credit card - you will need to check with your specific credit card company to see if they offer any trip cancellation insurance/coverage.

 

[MKTokyo]

Basic economy is just that - basic. One of the "features" of basic economy is that you are generally not eligible to select seats & you get what's left over. Plan to be separated & in middle seats. I would absolutely never fly basic economy for this & myriad other reasons - especially on a 14 hour flight - and I'm nowhere near 6'4". I would really consider finding ways to allocate more of your budget for your airline tickets.

As for emergencies, that is what travel insurance is for. No refunds from the airline.

 

[spikefriedman]

With ANA, once you've booked an economy ticket (not sure about Basic Economy) via United you can put your ticket number in their website. Then you can select your seats from there. Hope that helps!

 

[cedricandsophie]

In my experience you can only select seats 24 hours ahead. That’s in reg economy not basic So you will take what’s left. With basic economy you pay for all luggage, can’t select seats at least on us united flights As someone said there’s no way I would fly basic economy on any flight alone an international flight. The 200 per person us quite reasonable actually. And if premium economy is available I encourage you to find a way. It’s a miserably long flight and if you expect to arrive without ieg cramps and a backache I’d encourage you to get as much room as possible.

 

[kbmartin]

Thank you, everyone! You've all given me some things to think about.

 

[starry_solo]

Depending on where you're traveling from, Look for a non stop flight on an Asian airline. I know you're looking at ANA/United, but possibly Japan airlines?

 

[CarolynK]

We're flying ANA next month, booked with United miles. We have a UAL booking number, as well as an ANA booking number: once booked, United's website shows ANA's reservation number, for logging in to ANA's website.
Note, I am worried about such a long (14 hour!!) flight, and we're travelling in the relative comfort of business class.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I regularly fly itineraries like this between Tokyo and San Francisco/San Jose. The words "basic economy" have no meaning, it's all based on your fare class and there is no such thing as United "basic economy" on trans-Pacific flights. It used to be that booking a flight with a trans-Pacific leg automatically removes basic economy fares from any domestic legs of your itinerary but I don't know if that's still the case. If you're looking at the cheapest economy class fare, it will likely be non-refundable and cannot be changed. The 24 hr flight change protection in the US may not be available for this flight either. If this is an issue, you may be covered by buying travel insurance.

In general, to select your seat, you will need to find your ANA confirmation number and then do it through their website: https://thepointsguy.com/2017/06/tip-finding-confirmation-numbers/
Sometimes it can take up to a week for it to become available because your purchase with United is not immediately transferred over to ANA's systems.

I would suggest booking through ANA's website directly because cutting out one middleman makes everything much easier. The cheapest fares still won't be refundable but seat selection will be much easier.

edit: United Economy Plus is basically only slightly less terrible legroom than regular Economy but ANA's Premium Economy actually has wider seats in addition to better legroom. I believe ANA premium economy also gives you lounge access at the airport and priority baggage which is actually substantial if you don't already have Star Alliance Gold status.

 

[MKTokyo]

We're flying ANA next month, booked with United miles. We have a UAL booking number, as well as an ANA booking number: once booked, United's website shows ANA's reservation number, for logging in to ANA's website.
Note, I am worried about such a long (14 hour!!) flight, and we're travelling in the relative comfort of business class.

You will be fine! Being stuck on a 14 hour flight is tough no matter what but ANA's long-haul flights all have lie-flat business class seats now & that makes it much easier. You can fully recline the seat without having to worry about bothering anyone else because they're designed for that purpose. I like JAL's food a little more but ANA gives you more privacy. You will have your own little cocoon.

 

[kbmartin]

First, after looking further, it doesn't list our price as "basic economy" - just "economy." It looks like we can choose our seats once we book. That's what I meant when I originally said basic economy (the opposite of premium economy), but I can see how that might have been mistaken! Still, economy doesn't sound so fabulous.

Does anyone know if United offers travel insurance? I know sometimes it is a question that is asked while one is booking. Neither of my credit cards offers trip insurance. I am a complete newbie to this, so any advice is appreciated!

 

[cedricandsophie]

First, after looking further, it doesn't list our price as "basic economy" - just "economy." It looks like we can choose our seats once we book. That's what I meant when I originally said basic economy (the opposite of premium economy), but I can see how that might have been mistaken! Still, economy doesn't sound so fabulous.

Does anyone know if United offers travel insurance? I know sometimes it is a question that is asked while one is booking. Neither of my credit cards offers trip insurance. I am a complete newbie to this, so any advice is appreciated!

You can go to any number of travel ins sites to get insurance that covers flights, hotels, etc. but be sure to read carefully. The insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason is often not available or very costly. So if you need to cancel it needs to be for medical reasons, with doctor proof, weAther etc. and if there are preexisting conditions that’s another add on cost or not available at all depending on timing. Just google travel insurance to see the companies. The price usually depends how on how much you are insuring in terms of dollars as well as the cancellation reasons you are willing to pay for.

 

[kbmartin]

Another update! We are actually going to book through ANA and not use United at all. Better seats and price, plus the ability to change a reservation (with a fee). This makes me feel much more comfortable. Man, am I nervous to book, even so! I keep wondering: Will we have saved enough? Will I know what I'm doing when I plan beyond booking a flight?

Again, thank you everyone for your help!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I believe ANA premium economy also gives you lounge access at the airport and priority baggage which is actually substantial if you don't already have Star Alliance Gold status.

What is priority baggage? For my Tokyo portion, I'm flying Hong Kong - Narita, and Narita - Los Angeles, both ANA in Business (used miles). I'm assuming these would get priority luggage? I never even realized it was a benefit (and I try to do my research beforehand )

 

[gelatoni fan]

What is priority baggage? For my Tokyo portion, I'm flying Hong Kong - Narita, and Narita - Los Angeles, both ANA in Business (used miles). I'm assuming these would get priority luggage? I never even realized it was a benefit (and I try to do my research beforehand )

You can use the business class check in lines at both Hong Kong and Narita. There, they will attach a priority tag to your bag which means it will be taken off the plane first so you will spend less time waiting at arrivals for your bag. You are also allowed a heavier bag for free (I believe an extra 20 lbs). You still get priority baggage if you check in at the Airport Express station in Hong Kong so don't worry if that's what you plan to do.

After security at HKG, you can use the Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways or United Airlines lounge. Singapore Airlines will likely be the one they recommend but Thai Airways has massage chairs and sometimes better food. At Narita, there is also an ANA arrivals lounge that you can use. I have never used it but ANA's lounges are generally excellent.

At Narita, after checking in, you can use the Gold Track priority lane to go through security. There are two ANA lounges you will have access to as well as the United Airlines lounge. For a 4 to 5PM departure I recommend you go to the ANA lounge near gate 50 if you want sushi (tuna, salmon and shrimp) but the other ANA lounge may be closer to your gate and still has good food. All the lounges in HKG and NRT also have showers but there is sometimes a wait.

 

[Lesley Wake]

You can use the business class check in lines at both Hong Kong and Narita. There, they will attach a priority tag to your bag which means it will be taken off the plane first so you will spend less time waiting at arrivals for your bag. You are also allowed a heavier bag for free (I believe an extra 20 lbs). You still get priority baggage if you check in at the Airport Express station in Hong Kong so don't worry if that's what you plan to do.

After security at HKG, you can use the Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways or United Airlines lounge. Singapore Airlines will likely be the one they recommend but Thai Airways has massage chairs and sometimes better food. At Narita, there is also an ANA arrivals lounge that you can use. I have never used it but ANA's lounges are generally excellent.

At Narita, after checking in, you can use the Gold Track priority lane to go through security. There are two ANA lounges you will have access to as well as the United Airlines lounge. For a 4 to 5PM departure I recommend you go to the ANA lounge near gate 50 if you want sushi (tuna, salmon and shrimp) but the other ANA lounge may be closer to your gate and still has good food. All the lounges in HKG and NRT also have showers but there is sometimes a wait.

Awesome! It’s always great to get information from people who really know the locations! I will make sure to copy and paste this post into my trip notes!

 

[Haley R]

You can use the business class check in lines at both Hong Kong and Narita. There, they will attach a priority tag to your bag which means it will be taken off the plane first so you will spend less time waiting at arrivals for your bag. You are also allowed a heavier bag for free (I believe an extra 20 lbs). You still get priority baggage if you check in at the Airport Express station in Hong Kong so don't worry if that's what you plan to do.

After security at HKG, you can use the Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways or United Airlines lounge. Singapore Airlines will likely be the one they recommend but Thai Airways has massage chairs and sometimes better food. At Narita, there is also an ANA arrivals lounge that you can use. I have never used it but ANA's lounges are generally excellent.

At Narita, after checking in, you can use the Gold Track priority lane to go through security. There are two ANA lounges you will have access to as well as the United Airlines lounge. For a 4 to 5PM departure I recommend you go to the ANA lounge near gate 50 if you want sushi (tuna, salmon and shrimp) but the other ANA lounge may be closer to your gate and still has good food. All the lounges in HKG and NRT also have showers but there is sometimes a wait.

I’ve never seen anyone mention the gold track priority lane for security. We can use this even if we just have an ANA business class ticket?

 

[gelatoni fan]

I’ve never seen anyone mention the gold track priority lane for security. We can use this even if we just have an ANA business class ticket?

Yes. Gold track is available for anyone departing on a Star Alliance flight in business/first class or has Star Alliance Gold status. ANA is a member of Star Alliance.

 

[Haley R]

Yes. Gold track is available for anyone departing on a Star Alliance flight in business/first class or has Star Alliance Gold status. ANA is a member of Star Alliance.

Wow I didn’t know that. Thanks!

 

[Barb68]

I see no one has posted on this thread in awhile but it does address my question.. so based on what I read here I can book a flight on United that is opperated by ANA and then go to ANA for my seat selection. Will they allow me at that time to purchase premium economy?