• 20 Dec, 2025
  • Travel tips

When you are all excited about your long-awaited holidays but are unable to fly due to an urgent matter, you may need to change your plans. Here comes the requirement to be aware of the flight change policy and process, which will help you navigate the changes without any fuss. United Airlines empathizes with passengers who are not able to take their flight at the last moment and provides them with easy methods to make changes to their flight schedule. However, if you have any confusion regarding this, you can refer to the following vade mecum, which provides comprehensive information that you need to know before making changes to your United Airlines flight schedule.

How to Navigate a Last-Minute Flight Change in United Airlines?

United Airlines offers various methods to help you easily navigate last-minute flight changes. Two of the most proficient ways to go through the flight changes process of United Airlines can be seen as follows:

Change United Airlines' Last-Minute Flight Through the Online Method

  • Visit the official website of United Airlines at www.united.com
  • Go to its "My trips" section.
  • Enter the confirmation number and last name.
  • Click on "Search."
  • Select the "Change flight" option.
  • Select the flight you want to change.
  • Choose your new flight to which you want to switch.
  • Go through the further procedure as prompted.
  • Complete the payment, if needed.
  • Receive confirmation of your changes at your registered email address.

Change Last-Minute Flights of United Airlines at the Airport

  • Go to the United Airlines ticket counter at the airport.
  • Ask the representative to change your United Airlines flight.
  • Provide them with the required information.
  • Inform them of the airline that you want to switch to.
  • Complete the payment process, if needed.
  • Receive confirmation of the flight change at your registered email address.

What Are United Airlines' Flight Change Policies?

Before you go through making changes to the schedule of your United Airlines flight, you have to go through the flight change policies of United Airlines to make your process easy and convenient, which can be seen as follows:

  • United Airlines doesn't allow you to make changes to your flight if you have booked a Basic Economy ticket with the airline.
  • If you want to change your flight after purchasing a Basic Economy ticket, you must first upgrade your flight and then make the desired changes.
  • You are not required to pay any change fee if you have booked an Economy, Economy Plus, or Premium Economy flight ticket and are flying on one of the following flights:
    • Domestic flights within the US, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico
    • Flights between Mexico and the USA
    • Flights between the Caribbean and the US
    • Any international flights that originated in the US
  • If you are flying on an international flight that doesn't originate within the US, you are allowed to make changes to your flight schedule, but you must pay a change fee to the airline.
  • Apart from the change fee, you are required to pay the difference between the fare of your new ticket and the original price.
  • If the price of your new flight is lower than the original one, you may be provided with a residual value in the form of future credit, provided that your fare conditions allow for the same. 
  • You can change your United Airlines flight to standby, where:
    • You can switch to your new flight whose origin is no more than 24 hours from your original flight.
    • The date of the departure must be the same as that of your original flight.
    • Origin and destination airports must remain the same.
    • You are assigned a seat 30 minutes prior to departure on domestic flights and 60 minutes before departure on international flights.

Conclusion

Various situations may necessitate changing your travel plans, requiring adjustments to your flight departure date or time. Hence, with the help of the article provided above, you can ensure that you change your United Airlines flight according to its policies, without any confusion or fuss. Moreover, if you have any queries regarding the process or policy of changing a United Airlines flight, you can reach out to its responsive customer service, which will help make the modification process smoother.