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Home » Continental Airlines » Taking Advantage of Continental’s Last Day at Washington Dulles
Continental AirlinesUnited Airlines

Taking Advantage of Continental’s Last Day at Washington Dulles

Matthew Klint Posted onMay 16, 2011 9 Comments

Starting tomorrow, Continental will move to the D-gates and Continental Express to the lower A-gates at Washington Dulles. Up this point, CO has operated at the far A-gates right about where the B-gates start as a separate entity from United. The move means the Continental folks at Washington Dulles will lose their jobs as UA takes over the gate and ground operations for the CO flights and you could tell the mood was somber today before my flight from Dulles to Houston.

But whether out of bitterness or goodwill, the CO agents were very accommodating today. I was waiting in line to check on an upgrade and a young couple in front of me was trying to move their flight to Houston from tonight to tomorrow afternoon. After initially saying it was not possible, the agent said, “Oh, what the heck. It’s our last day,” and rebooked them for free on the flight they wanted tomorrow.

Intrigued, I thought I might as well try my luck. The flight to Houston was full, though not oversold, and I was not looking forward to a few hours in the back of the bus before continuing down to Sao Paulo, Brazil on another flight I had been unable to upgrade. So I asked if it might be possible to move to the non-stop UA flight from Dulles to Sao Paulo tonight. The agent, a different one than had helped the young couple, tapped on her keyboard for a few minutes and said, “Sure, why not. We’re outta here tomorrow.” Soon, a new itinerary popped out that included the n/s UA flight to GRU tonight.

The CO agents were so accommodating, I decided to press my luck further. I saw that I was rebooked in H class and asked the agent if she would mind moving me up to Y or B class to help my upgrade chances. She took my ticket, begin typing again, then asked me if I wanted Y or B. With a smile, I suggested C or F but she laughed and said Y or B. Choosing Y was a no-brainer.

I’m still on the waitlist for the flight down to Brazil tonight, but that little change from H to Y will earn me an extra 2,500 EQMs and shaved the upgrade fee from 25,000 miles + $250 to 12,500 miles and no co-pay. Not bad for such a reasonably priced ticket!

Normally I would never gloat about something like this (and I have had similar good fortune before). But I share this with you because I know the CO folks will be checking out for the last time tonight and to show that even with SHARES coming to UA it is possible to work situations to your advantage.

Let’s hope that upgrade clears. Even if it doesn’t, I’ll be enjoying Economy Plus and earning lifetime flight miles on UA. That’s worth more than the ~2,500 RDMs I sacrificed by bypassing Houston. And I still prefer being on UA to CO.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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9 Comments

  1. Matthew Reply
    May 16, 2011 at 1:18 am

    This is rich! My flight just went mechanical. A re-configured 777 has been dispatched and our departure delayed 12 hours. I’m off the Westin hotel with meal voucher in hand…

    Eight less seats in business class tomorrow, so I don’t know if this upgrade is going to happen (sadly, I was not re-booked in full C this time).

  2. Nick Reply
    May 16, 2011 at 2:32 am

    Depending on the load, may only be a small impact (since you are in full Y).
    I’ve stayed at that hotel before, and it is decent, though hopefully by now they have figured out how to get to that hotel (taxi driver thought it was the old Westin, not the new Westin right at IAD)

  3. John B Reply
    May 16, 2011 at 4:29 am

    Always enjoy reading your adventures…!

  4. Carl Reply
    May 16, 2011 at 12:20 pm

    Took UA 861 IAD-GRU on Friday. Right on time. Old configuration, but SWU cleared at the gate. By the time you get to GRU you will need to turn right around for the return! Good luck on your UGs. If you are on 842 to ORD that may use the aircraft that came in from ORD and would already be boarding. Let us know how it works out. PS: You probably got 2 stays at the LH Senator Lounge!

  5. Darren Reply
    May 16, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    Did you receive an “automatic compensation” email from United for the mechanical delay?

  6. HansGolden Reply
    May 16, 2011 at 6:58 pm

    I’ve found being rebooked into Y doesn’t change my mileage earning anymore. It’s now based upon purchased fare class rather than booked fare class.

  7. FriendlySkies Reply
    May 17, 2011 at 2:28 am

    It’s unfortunate that UA decided to terminate the CO employees, instead of dumping the Air Wisconsin agents at the A gates, and replacing them with the CO people..

  8. Matthew Reply
    May 17, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    @Darren: No, and I am not happy. I expected at least $400. This time, I will call UA.

  9. Matthew Reply
    May 19, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    Called UA and got a $350 e-voucher. Was told that UA does not print paper vouchers anymore (after I mentioned that I live in Germany). I don’t think that’s the case, but am thankful for what I received.

    UA is stingier than they once were–even earlier this year my friend scored a $600 e-voucher on a shorter delay on a domestic flight. And he was just a 1P!

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