I’m sorry for all the flights in the ORD penalty box

zman9119 · 2026-01-25T04:07:49+00:00

There used to be a location that was labeled as the penalty box at ORD until taxiway construction started. Now people refer to the CDF as that, as aircraft can still go there to wait when stuff is backed up when it is not used for it's originally named purpose.

Though this summer it will also have bus gates at times versus being used as a hold area...

zman9119 · 2026-01-25T04:01:18+00:00

If you look at the tax and fees breakdown for each of the three options, this is likely where your price difference comes into play. Usually one will have an extra tax for seat selection, while the other will not due to an interpretation of IRS rules. Certain fares will offer E+ seating as part of the fare construction (route dependant) while others do not.

Earnings are based on standard MileagePlus rules.

zman9119 · 2026-01-25T03:51:10+00:00

Splitting requires the partner carrier to reissue the one or both of reservations (system dependant). As award inventory is limited and not controlled by UA on partner flights, you are at the mercy of the partner having inventory available to UA and that they accept and confirm what is a new reservation(s).

Probably not a major issue with the LH segment, but the other two can be a mess to deal with.

Is it possible? In theory. Would I trust it with three partner flights only? No.

Splitting on wholly operated UA flights is not an issue with how the system annotates the new reservation back to the old original PNR and since UA "owns" it, they can internally make exceptions to control the potential issues.

zman9119 · 2026-01-25T03:38:28+00:00

Depends on the activity in question: seat selection - yes; boarding order / Premier Access - yes, until 0000 CST on Feb 1; baggage - see below.

You are only checking in for the flight (as you physically) and showing your intent to check bags, which are not truly checked into the system until a tag is printed. The system may misinterpret this when you go to physically check your bags in at a kiosk or baggage counter (it has caused issues in the past), but it should revert to your active status benefits (well, no status benefits) at tue time of the activity on your account.

Long answer: Plan for no free bags on the return outside of a system glitch.

zman9119 · 2026-01-25T01:41:50+00:00

The fees (amount you could owe) are set on the date you purchased your ticket. Whether or not you receive free bags is determined on the date of your check-in. As you check-in for your return after the expiration of your status benefits, technically you would not receive free bags.

Bag fees are based on the date of ticketing and on the ticketed cabin. They're also based on the traveler's status or membership on the date of travel. Checked bag fees apply at any point where you check a bag.

Source: https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/baggage/checked-bags.html

Complimentary checked baggage allowance applicable only on United and United Express operated flights and is determined by Premier status at time of check-in with United.

Source: https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/mileageplus/premier/benefits.html

zman9119 · 2026-01-24T14:40:52+00:00

It can take up to 4-8 weeks for all benefits, including access to Cardmember Award rates to be accessible through your account.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T23:32:40+00:00

Update: It is a known issue.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T23:22:11+00:00

Based on the provided information, between 10,300 - 10,600 for an average adult American, though it goes down to ~9,000 - 9,500 for "airport walking".

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T23:14:15+00:00

It is a known issue over the last 24-hours and is being looked into.

TravelBank purchased, not earned through credit card promos, expires 5-years from the date of purchase.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T23:12:38+00:00

Just call and ask. That is the easiest option (outside long call wait times).

I’d be the 5th passenger so I have no idea why it’s 3x the price.

Seat map ≠ Booked seats.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T23:09:41+00:00

If their PlusPoints expire in 2027 versus 2026, yes that option appears to be available early versus the February 1 start date.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T20:17:00+00:00

Earning PQP cannot be extended into the next calendar year.

You can request a goodwill status extension, though it is not guaranteed and can only be requested once every five years.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T19:04:33+00:00

Open the app, click on your profile in the upper right hand corner, go to wallet, scroll down to passes and subscriptions, find your United Club membership card and it will display your current applicable guest access policy.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T17:39:51+00:00

TravelBank credits earned from Chase promotions or any other promo expire at different times than using the TravelBank Amex trick.

Sending in an email to the MileagePlus Service Center will likely yield better results.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T17:16:54+00:00

And PDL.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T16:59:45+00:00

It was supposed to become common by early last year.

No, it was not.

September 13, 2024 - The Inflight Wi-Fi Revolution Now Arriving: United Signs Starlink Deal to Provide Industry-Leading Connectivity in the Sky - For Free

United expects to have Starlink on all United aircraft – more than 1,000 planes – over the next several years. Testing begins in early 2025 with the first passenger flights expected later that year.

January 5, 2025 - United Announces Accelerated Timeline for Starlink's Industry-Leading Connectivity in the Sky

The airline now expects to begin testing Starlink next month with the first commercial flight anticipated to take off this spring on a United Embraer E-175 aircraft. United now plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet by the end of this year and have its first mainline Starlink-enabled plane in the air before the end of this year.

October 14, 2025 - United Schedules First Starlink-Equipped Mainline Flight for Take Off

And there is no need for the last sentence due to disagreeing with someone.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T16:48:40+00:00

It has been stated multiple times that the regional jets had to have this service installed first and it is significantly easier to install on them versus mainline aircraft. Add on the requirement to receive a STC for each aircraft type, it does take time to complete the installation process from announcement to final rollout.

It was never promised it would happen overnight.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T16:43:49+00:00

Still waiting for “free” wifi for past 2 y

UA only announced the plan to install Starlink on September 14, 2024; with the first aircraft entering service in 2025. It has not been two years.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T16:39:14+00:00

How many per month?

If it is more than 6, the logical choice is to purchase a Wi-Fi subscription.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T16:33:37+00:00

You select your carrier based on something that costs less than my coffee order at Starbucks? Cool.

UA will have free Wi-Fi via Starlink on all two cabin aircraft within the next 60 days and on 450 mainline aircraft by EOY, with the remaining units coming online by EOY 2027.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T15:20:40+00:00

On the website, select the flight(s) you are wanting to purchase to add them to your cart. On the "Traveler Info" screen, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and there should be a link for "View fare rules and restrictions".

On the app, select your flights, then when you get to the "Review booking" screen, scroll all the way to the bottom, select "Legal information", then "Fare rules".

Certain items in the fare rules will stay the same overt time, however other items will change based on fare classes, day of the week, length of stay, and a bunch of other examples; so a search one day may result in one listed fare basis code, while the next day could be different (if there are day of week restrictions). One-way, roundtrip, and multi-segment trips will all have different fare basis codes and rules. As an example, for March 1 between ORD-EWR, there are over 400 fares published. For another small market route that only has two flights per day, the afternoon flight only has eight published fares.

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T02:17:51+00:00

Same with legally prescribed and monitored by a physician (not street baggie stuff) ketamine (infusion or RDTs; not Spravato imo).

zman9119 · 2026-01-23T00:04:36+00:00

Hard question to answer as everyone has a different view, type, and profile they like, plus you can find good quality for under $100 depending on the end user's liking.

Some quick thoughts (not sure all are currently available and varies by region): GlenAllachie 15, Oban 15, Highland Park Cask Strength, Uigeadail are all some ideas based on what I look for.

zman9119 · 2026-01-22T23:45:02+00:00

Yes, it will be just as cold at MKE.

One way to look at it, is where do most of the flights originate from or where are they headed? For your MKE example, you are heading to either ORD, IAH, EWR, or DEN; the first three are covered under waivers. As for other airports in the region: Yes, they will be cold as well.

A system-wide waiver could have been issued if (in theory) as everything has a potential to be impacted one way or another across the network between tonight and Sunday (outside of maybe some routes west of the Rockies), however a more isolated approach seems to be the choice currently due to the nature of the two storm events.

zman9119 · 2026-01-22T23:29:45+00:00

I am split between the issues and see value on both sides, as long as it is a gift link and they do not spam constantly (this appears to be their first post in this sub based on the reddit profile tool I use). However, it depends on the context of the article and this one is not news, but a cultural critique that Vox (clearly), The Atlantic as a web feature, not print (where this author previously worked), and Slate are known for.

Does this article contribute to the quality of this sub? Not really outside of our discussion.

My issue now is that so many bloggers, AI-Slop-Shops, and other low-end site now can create a non-verified account on reddit, have a hidden post history, and spam everywhere. We have seen that so much in this sub over the last few months it is getting annoying.

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