Schedule Change Policies

We want to give you as much time as possible to plan your trips so we publish our flight schedules up to 11 months in advance. After we publish our flight schedules, we may make some adjustments to accommodate changes to aircraft and routes. These adjustments can include one or more of the following:

  • Changes to flight departure or arrival times
  • Changes in frequency of flights
  • Addition or discontinuation of routes
  • Changes to type of aircraft

  • It depends on how you booked your flight. If you booked through united.com, the United app or the United Customer Contact Center, we’ll send you an email or call you to let you know about any significant changes.

    If you booked through a travel agency, a travel website or an airline other than United, that source is responsible for notifying you of a schedule change. You can also view any changes to your reservation by reaching out to the source you booked your ticket from or by reviewing your itinerary on united.com

  • Most schedule changes are minor, but if the changes don’t work for you, other flight options may be available.

    If you want to explore other options, it’s important to know who to contact for assistance with a schedule change, and that depends on how you booked your flights:

    • Booked through a travel agency, travel website or an airline other than United

      If you booked your flights through a travel agency or a travel website or another airline other than United, you should receive notification of the change from them, and you should contact them for assistance with your reservation.

    • Booked directly with United

      If you booked your flights directly with United (through united.com, the United app or by phone through the United Customer Contact Center), you’ll also be able to review your updated itinerary through Manage Reservations, and you may be given the option to accept the changes online.

      If you don’t see an option to continue with the schedule change, or if your new itinerary doesn’t work for you, please call our United Customer Contact Center and we’ll be happy to help. You can also learn about our rebooking policy by reviewing the section below for more information.

  • If your flight’s schedule changes by more than 30 minutes, you can choose a different flight for free, as long as it’s on United or United Express® to and from the same place, and within 24 hours of your original flight. Just find your flight in My Trips and pick a new one.

  • When a schedule change happens, we try our best to provide you with options that minimize the disruption to your travel plans. In cases where the new flight options don't work for you and one of the following scenarios applies, we will offer you a refund upon request:

    • The scheduled departure or arrival time changes significantly.
    • If we are unable to accommodate you in the same cabin as purchased – refunded either the full price or the difference in fare.