United Airlines Flight Change Policy

Air travel offers an easy and quick means to cover your journey. However, due to some unexpected happenings, you have to adjust your travel plans accordingly. If you follow United Airlines’ flight change policy thoroughly, you will be in a position to manage these situations more efficiently. This guide covers crucial parts of the policy, including fees, eligibility, and the different methods of changing your reservation.

Understanding Change Fees:

United Airlines Change Fees Policy of United Airlines Reschedule Flight Fee levies change fees when you change flight reservations you already booked. The specific fees are based on the ticket type you booked; these can be Basic Economy, Standard Economy, Premium Economy, Business Class, or First Class, and the destination you select.

Basic Economy: These tickets are usually cost-effective and come with many limitations. Typically, you cannot allowed change the Basic Economy Fare.
Standard Economy, Premium Economy, Business Class, and First Class: These tickets offer far more flexibility for changing flight, provided you pay the fees. The fees that you pay varies and is influenced by the following determinants:

Fare Class: Higher fare within the same cabin category (e.g Economy) often allow for more flexibility and possibly lower change fees.
Destination: The distance between your starting point (origin) and the point where you finally reach (destination) shapes the change. Longer flights have higher change fees.
Timing of Change: If you request a change nearer to your departure, the fees may be higher.

Apart from the change fee, you may also pay if your new flight is more costly than your original flight.

The Grace Period of 24 – Hours:

United Airlines provides a policy that is very friendly toward customers: the 24-hour Grace Period Policy. United Airlines offers a customer-friendly policy known as the 24-hour grace period. You can change or cancel your flight booking with this without paying any change fees, subject to the following conditions fulfilled by you:

Booking Timeframe: You must have reserved your flight at least a week before your scheduled departure.
Change/Cancellation Window: You must request a change or cancellation within 24 hours of your original booking.

This grace period offers a great deal of flexibility, particularly in case you need to change your travel itinerary soon after booking.

United Same-Day Flight Changes:

Due to some unforeseen situation, you may travel on the same day as your original booking but on a different flight (United Airlines Switch Flight). To your great fortune, the United Same Day Flight Change Policy offers flight changes on the same day as your original booking but on a different flight. Here, you need to know the following:

Availability: The chances of changing your flight booking on a different flight depend on whether the seat is available on that flight.
MileagePlus Status: The fee related to a same-day change differs based on the status of your MileagePlus, United’s frequent flyer program.
MileagePlus Non-Premier and Premier Silver Members: A payment of $75 change fee
MileagePlus Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, and 1K Members: These members are entitled to the advantage of waived change fees for same-day flight changes.
Flight Requirements: The new flight that you select must be a United or United Express Flight, and its scheduled departure should be within 24 hours of your initial change request.
Fare Difference: You may be required to pay the difference in fare if in case your new flight is costlier than your original flight.

Methods By Which You Can Change Your Flight as per United Airlines Flight Change Policy:

United Airlines offers many easy ways to change your flight reservation:

Online: The United Airlines website permits you to manage your existing booked flights. Access the “My Trips” section of the website and find your booking. After this, you can find options for changing your date of flight, destination, or even adding another flight to your itinerary. The website will show any relevant change fees or fare differences before you confirm the changes.
Mobile App: To enjoy the convenience in your hands even while moving outside, download the United Airlines mobile app. The functionalities of both the website and app are the same, allowing you to find the details of the trip and initiate changes in flight with the help of your smartphone.
Phone: If you want to make a flight change over the phone, you are required to call United Airlines customer care service. Here, you need to provide your booking details and any particular change that you want to make.
Airport Ticket Counter: While this is not the best option, you can reach the ticket counter of United Airlines at the airport to request a flight change. However, you have to consider that airport wait times can be lengthy, and staff may be busy helping other passengers.

Additional Points to be Considered:

Basic Economy Restrictions: As already said, Basic Economy fares usually don’t allow changes. However, you may be entitled to a complete refund if you cancel your Basic Economy booking within 24 hours of booking, provided the scheduled departure time of your flight is at least a week from the time of booking.

COVID-19 Flexibilities: At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, United Airlines initiated temporary policies to address uncertainties related to travel.

Frequently Asked Questions on United Airlines Flight Change Policy

Can I change the date of my flight with United Flights?

Yes, you can change your date of travel.

Can I change my flight to a Basic Economy ticket?

Basic Economy tickets usually have many limitations, and changes are not permitted. Check the particular fare rules for your ticket or contact United Airlines for help.

Can I change my flight on the same day of travel?

Yes, United Airlines offers same-day flight changes for a fee, subject to availability and fare class rules.

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