Flying United... should I switch departures?

[EpcotPhoenician]

The flight I'm currently booked for (JFK to MCO, late May) with United is only 30% booked. A large number of seats are open in coach, and about half are open in first class. I'm flying first class.

I'm worried that this flight will get merged with another (or cancelled entirely) due to low booking. My worst nightmare is getting put onto a connecting flight, or a flight later in the evening, ruining the entire arrival day. Three rows of seats just opened on a flight departing 1.5 hours earlier (perhaps a large group cancelled?). The open seats are in United Economy Plus, so I would be losing my first class cabin seat.

Am I being too worrisome here? Has anybody flying United into MCO had their flight changed/cancelled entirely?

 

[KLAIT]

I dislike United for this exact reason. We have had our reservation changed twice now. Both times I had booked first class and when they merged/changed we were not assigned seats. Both times I had to call and it took forever. I was disappointed with the last resolution. United is the only airline that flies into our rural airport so we have no choice.

I would encourage you to watch daily so you stay on top of any potential changes to make sure they happen quickly

 

[_19disnA]

Have flown a lot with United and never had any issues. Switching your reservation to another flight is no guarantee you won't have a similar problem. People seem to speculate why flights change and it could be for a number of reasons, not just combining flights due to a low usage rate. They have always sent me an email if something about the departure time changed. I have never seen it necessary to stalk their reservation site daily.

 

[nolatravelgirl]

The number of open seats on the map is not reflective of whether the plane is full. United sells plenty of 'basic economy' tickets that do not allow pre-reserved seats. Secondly, most seats are booked within 3 weeks of flight and while you are going on vacation that is just a small fraction of folks on planes. Most are business travelers who don't book months in advance. Finally, they don't just cancel flights, especially this close to the date. Even if the flight isn't selling well that same plane could be completely booked for its next leg and canceling one leg could have a huge logistics domino.

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

The number of open seats on the map is not reflective of whether the plane is full. United sells plenty of 'basic economy' tickets that do not allow pre-reserved seats. Secondly, most seats are booked within 3 weeks of flight and while you are going on vacation that is just a small fraction of folks on planes. Most are business travelers who don't book months in advance. Finally, they don't just cancel flights, especially this close to the date. Even if the flight isn't selling well that same plane could be completely booked for its next leg and canceling one leg could have a huge logistics domino.

Thank you for the info! I'm definitely overthinking this.

 

[yaywatermelons]

The flight I'm currently booked for (JFK to MCO, late May) with United is only 30% booked. A large number of seats are open in coach, and about half are open in first class. I'm flying first class.

I'm worried that this flight will get merged with another (or cancelled entirely) due to low booking. My worst nightmare is getting put onto a connecting flight, or a flight later in the evening, ruining the entire arrival day. Three rows of seats just opened on a flight departing 1.5 hours earlier (perhaps a large group cancelled?). The open seats are in United Economy Plus, so I would be losing my first class cabin seat.

Am I being too worrisome here? Has anybody flying United into MCO had their flight changed/cancelled entirely?

My United flight mid-June was just cancelled. We planned a pool day for day 1 to ease into our trip, so that's not a problem but our return flight went from a non-stop to the West Coast to a one stop in Newark (from 5 hours travel time to 11). Not to worry you, but your fear is valid. This change happened exactly 60 days out for me. If you're flying in May, you may be safe. (Or check your email you could have been cancelled at the same time.)

The other thing I'd caution, if United changes the flight they owe you a first class seat or refund. If you change the flight, you may forfeit some of what you paid for.

Good luck!