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Update 2/12/16: United brought back the nonstop calendar. The single column for Saver and Standard economy space remains.
I covered two months ago why the new united.com stinks for award searching. My biggest complaint is that even if you specify a “nonstop only” search, the search calendar does not show you nonstop only results.
I used to be able to see space on a route for two months at a time on united.com, now I can see it one day a time. As a professional award booker, anything that makes searching slower is something I don’t like.
Luckily there is a way to get the old united.com and its better search results to load.
- Open up Private or Incognito Browsing
- Type ual.com into the URL box.
Here’s how to open Private or Incognito Browsing on Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
Then go to ual.com, and you’ll get the uglier but better old united.com.
Perform a search like San Francisco to Delhi nonstop, and you’ll get a calendar like this of nonstop availability. It’s a thing of beauty (the space and the fact that I can see two months at once)!
Type the same search into the new united.com, and you get this garbage calendar, which doesn’t answer your query about direct award space at all. Instead “[t]he calendar reflects all flight options” including connecting options that you specifically don’t want to see.
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Have you ever heard of award segments being available only when booked in combination with another segment? Specifically, I was booking from DEN-FRA-DEL on LH and when I called to book, I was told that the FRA-DEL segment was not available, even though it was shown (and bookable!) on united.com Once I asked the representqative to search DEN-DEL, it showed up as available and she told me that the FRA-DEL leg was only available when booked together with DEN-FRA. I didn’t know award availability worked that way?
Most likely agent was just bad at her job
Try it though, Dec 3 look at availability DEN-DEL, you will see LH760 has saver award space in economy. When you search just FRA-DEL (Dec 4), it’s gone.
Have you ever heard of award segments being available only when booked in combination with another segment? Specifically, I was booking from DEN-FRA-DEL on LH and when I called to book, I was told that the FRA-DEL segment was not available, even though it was shown (and bookable!) on united.com Once I asked the representqative to search DEN-DEL, it showed up as available and she told me that the FRA-DEL leg was only available when booked together with DEN-FRA. I didn’t know award availability worked that way?
Most likely agent was just bad at her job
Try it though, Dec 3 look at availability DEN-DEL, you will see LH760 has saver award space in economy. When you search just FRA-DEL (Dec 4), it’s gone.
For those of you with premier status/Chase United MP card, make sure you log in after accessing the page. Award availability can be better, and I can confirm that logging in doesn’t revert back to the new interface (in my case).
For those of you with premier status/Chase United MP card, make sure you log in after accessing the page. Award availability can be better, and I can confirm that logging in doesn’t revert back to the new interface (in my case).
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Scott- I find if I use an old bookmark for signing in to United’s website, I end up with the old site and search flight search engine. No need to open an incognito browser (I’m using Chrome). See if you get the same results. Bookmarked link follows:
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/account/account.aspx
JP
Works for me. This is great because my work computer only has IE, and I’m not allowed to install a new browser. Thanks!
Scott- I find if I use an old bookmark for signing in to United’s website, I end up with the old site and search flight search engine. No need to open an incognito browser (I’m using Chrome). See if you get the same results. Bookmarked link follows:
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/account/account.aspx
JP
Works for me. This is great because my work computer only has IE, and I’m not allowed to install a new browser. Thanks!
Thanks for this tip. I had been searching the new United website for award tickets and hated it. The old version of the website is so much better for this. I hope we’ll be able to access the old site for a long time. This is a great tip.
Thanks for this tip. I had been searching the new United website for award tickets and hated it. The old version of the website is so much better for this. I hope we’ll be able to access the old site for a long time. This is a great tip.
The new site also seems to put the kibosh on the Free One Way.
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This trick no longer works. I tried today and get nothing but the new website.
Didn’t work for me just now either.
I get the old one didn’t know there was a new from my old Fav.
I printed the page and scanned it then sent to U maybe it’s different because it 2 or3 years old FAV… email address @ Bottom…………Of scan.
Home computer W7…. Old Fav works on explorer AND your bypass works on Firefox type in .
New laptop W7… on explorer nothing works on Firefox your bypass works type in..
OLD IS GOOD !!!!!!!
I”M SURE IT WILLN”T LAST LONG…
Datapoint: for me, was dead on Chrome, but worked on Firefox. Now, works again on Chrome incognito, and also firefox. so weird.
Thanks for the data point
Dead for me now as well. Regardless if using IE, Firefox, Chrome – InPrivate, Private or Incognito. Unfortunate. I liked the old site for the reward search….
No matter how I try and get to the old United — name resolution on their end is forcing a redirect now to their new website: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/?domain=www.ual.com%2f
Yes, after posting this, it came back for a few days, but now also dead for me.
ME too ..Out with the OLD and in with the new ……….My old Fav too.
[…] change was so terrible for award searchers that my subsequent post “Trick to Make the Old United.com Load” was one of the most viewed of 2015 because it allowed you to access the old United.com and […]