[casnoopy80]

I have been given the run around with United and it drives me nuts. They offer a military fare if travel before July 31st but when you call in(you cant do online) you not only get charged the over the phone booking fee but they dont even offer a good rate. It was over 400 for a military fare but the general fare was 240. Than they advertised 99.00 each way military fare hmm but when I call they dont have it anymore. Its so frustrating.
They advertise to pull you into there site and than push you away by not helping and calling to talk to a supervisor gets you NO WHERE! Emailed them too they didnt even responsd after the second time...

[casnoopy80]

This is copied right from there site but hmm they seem to not have any flights for the "MILITARY" fare. As I write this I have been on the phone with them for 30 mins and they keep saying the fare is 480.00 but its a regular fare not a military becase military is more... WRONG WRONG WRONG..

fares exclusively for our Armed Forces & family - extended through July 31, 2008!



United continues to support our Armed Forces and their eligible family members, by offering reduced domestic fares applying to U.S. point-of-sale only, for travel through July 31, 2008. These fares are for active-duty members of the Navy, Marines,

[ChrisH]

Usually when airlines offer such fares, as $99 each way, they only sale a few seats at that rate, and then it goes up. They do the advertising to lure you in, but it is the same with any other company, airline or not, that advertises something, but when you read the fine print, you find it isn't quite as they advertised, or it was for only a select few products. Car companies do it all of the time, for example.

At the airline I worked for, when we did "military fares", there was a seperate code we put into the computer, to get the "military fare", and often times it was the same exact price as the regular fare, or only $20-30 cheaper, at best. There really is no way around it, even with a supervisor, they cannot sale a fare for cheaper than is programmed into the computer.

I wouldn't waste your time with them, to be honest. Go with another airline, or use Orbitz to find the cheapest fare. The military, bereavement, etc., fare are really nothing more than scams.

[wkharris2001]

I don't know how exactly it works at united, but at the airline i work for, the military fare is about 10% cheaper than the full published far (the highest coach fare) BUT the military tickets are changeable at anytime without a change fee.

[casnoopy80]

I still think its just wrong the way they do things. I think the airlines are going to start losing big with all these charges. How is it I can find a ticket which I did for 298 but the next day its 498. its like really so its like a game and so frustrating.. Ahh

[Silent Bob]

It actually is like a game, military or not. You have to grab it while its hot or else you lose. I've not only seen fares change day to day, but I'm talking in minutes! Don't forget you have to also note that plenty of people are looking to snag that same fare. You're best bet is to try another day and see if you can get that trip, if not just forget about it and look for another low fare on another airline.

[Capn Ron]

Military fares are negotiated with the government and usually cover the government's fiscal year. The military fares do allow changes without without penalty but the same inventory must be available on the flight you are looking to change to. There may be lower fares for the same itinerary but they have restrictions that charge for changes. Many times when a deployment is scheduled the military fares for that particular city (where the base is located) are booked quickly. I work in reservations for one of the major airlines and all the military fares I have seen are good until July 31. That is when new fares will be applied as negotiated with the government.

Reservations and finding a fare you like is like investing in the stock market or buying something on eBay - it is a dynamic environment, changing constantly. If you decide to buy a stock @ $20/share and wait an hour that price may not be available due to others buying and selling that same stock. The airlines have a certain number of seats available for each fare and there are many fares for each flight. Once lower fares are purchased, the price goes to the next higher fare and so on. Try to find a ticket to Rio for Carnival - they are booked 11 months in advance! If you find a fare and itinerary you can live with book it and put it on hold for 24 hours and then you can do further shopping on the internet.

People constantly ask me if that fare will be available tomorrow. I don't know what events are going on at your destination that would make people want to go there on that particular date or if a family reunion just booked 25 seats on the plane. Sometimes it is the luck of the draw to find the right fare. Flying for business, most people want to go early in the day and return in the evening. These flights will be booked early and if you wait they will be more expensive. If you can move your flight time to the middle of the day the fare will usually be lower. On vacations at resorts most people want to arrive early and fly out later in the morning. Usually you can get a much lower fare if you return early in the morning in this situation. By changing the flight times by an hour or two you can sometimes cut the fare in half. Good luck!