Avoiding the United.com “Error” Screen

If you’ve been trying to book a stopover with United.com then you may have been frustrated by the Error screen a time or two.

Sometimes you put in a route that follows all the rules (one stopover and two open-jaws) but it still doesn’t let you book! It only gives that Error message. In this post we’ll go over basic reasons why you get the error, some ways around it and why you really need to make sure your flight actually gets ticketed.

The Basic Reasons

First off, the error can come for some very simple reasons:

• There are no flights available.
• Your flight times overlap.
• It’s too long of a route.

To make sure there are actually flights first search oneway flights (or use a different browser). If there is nothing that entire month it will not give you other options it will often just show the error.

Overlap. Sometimes you may have clicked a flight available that arrives after your set time for departure (or the only available time for departure). Simple solution, just move your search dates but the computer doesn’t tell you why, it just gives the error. First search a oneway and simply check when your flight arrives (time and date), then search for the next flight that’s under 24 hours and it’s considered a valid layover.

And for those on the west coast going to Europe and Asia, this is especially a big deal, the route may be too long. There is a mileage limit and if you route too crazy, you may excede it.

When there’s no good reason.

Still, there are times where it just feels like you are doing everything right but the computer hates you. The flights are properly spread, there is availability, it’s not too long and it follows the rules and you still get the error. The truth is that the computer is a little fickle.

I got an email from Laura asking for help on a trip to BKK, CNX and HKT. She wants a stopover in Bangkok then she wants to continue on to Chiang Mai and open-jaw to pick up her flight in Phuket. Perfectly fine open jaw and stopover. Yet, all I get is an error.

It gave the error so I hit back and changed the search based on where it was routing me through then I searched oneway from the international hub to see it was indeed available – JFK or IAD. So when I replaced CVG with JFK using the multidestination search, it worked. Went all the way though and gave the right price. So now when searching the route with JFK, I go down to the bottom and change the cities from there.

For some reason playing around here I could get it to start in JFK and end in CVG but not the other way around and not from CVG alone. Of course, you could always take a Southwest flight to NYC to catch your flight (leave plenty of time if you do). Also, for some reason it does not like the open-jaw from CNX to HKT. It’s clearly not a mileage issue as HKT is further from BKK than CNX, yet I can route to and from HKT without a problem.

Why is it this so? No idea. But every once in a while I can trick United into giving me the original route it denied. This is even more of a mystery to me. In other words, I got the error searching for CVG and replaced it with JFK in the multidestination tool and once it finds those routes I go down to the bottom and switch it back. Once in a blue moon it works.

However, with this route the best I could do was a flight out of JFK and returning to CVG. But at that rate, since the stops in Thailand are so close together, you might as well book a oneway to Bangkok and a oneway home from Phuket. Still, in this case it is a valid routing and you should just call and book it. Search it one at a time and then call it in. From there you have an open jaw from CNX and HKT but I’ve gotten Bangkok Airways flights for $50 and they are the only airline I’ve seen with a lounge for economy passengers. Not a joke… Crackers and juice for all!

Sometimes you “cookie” out

Maybe I’m the only nerd with this problem, but I’ll be searching crazy United stopover routes for so long that eventually it just stops working at all. Even simpler versions will get the error after a while. I use to just reset the cookies but now I’ve discovered a better way.

After my post on how expedia (and other search engines) will track your cookies and raise ticket prices, I was tipped off with a better way of clearing cookies. With Google Chrome you just hit “command” + “shift” + “N” and it opens a new Chrome window that has and keeps no cookies. So not only does this work for Expedia and searching for tickets but with United. Truth be told it’s an easier way to search for oneways on United.com as if you do it in another tab it will mess up your other search. Anyways, sounds goofy but if I’m having problems with United.com or need a new search, I just open up a new cookieless window.

Make sure your ticket actually books (side rant).

On the Aruba – Panama – Puerto Rico ticket I recently talked about in my post on long layovers with United miles, I actually had a slight problem. Well, a big problem actually. The ticket didn’t really want to book. I first got an email saying that the flight should be ticketed soon.

Then I got an email saying there is a delay in the ticketing.

Okay, bummer. Then, the Copa Airlines part of the ticket never booked and the rest did. Meaning, I could get to Aruba but not off. Major problem.

So I cancelled and booked the the same ticket except this time I could book into the flight that doesn’t have to switch airports in DC. So it was actually a better find. It went right through. I got the confirmation email and all within 10 minutes. Why didn’t it work the first time? No idea. Perhaps the minor airport transfer threw it off? Doubtful. Perhaps it was just struggling booking on Copa at the time. Who knows?

Most people don’t have to worry about it, but I’m sure glad I saw that email. And it kind of goes along with the rules of this sport: just try again. Try searching again from different airports, try calling back, try a day later, etc… Just try again until you get the answer you want. I follow a similar train of thought with United.com.

Anyways, avoid the simple mistakes but understanding your stopover rules, check your times and availability and sometimes try clearing cookies. Hopefully after reading this you’ll know a little more what to watch out for in order to avoid the Error message on United.com.