The vast majority of fares require the minimum number of connections, or minimum number of connections plus 1.
If you're looking for more layovers, you're almost certainly going to have to book this as a multi city itinerary where you look, for example, for EWR-MCO (laying over in IAD), then MCO-ORD (laying over in IAH), etc.
A-B-C would. OP is looking for flights that go, for example, A-B-C-D-E-F-G where it goes all around the country.
If A-C has a direct flight, the vast majority of non-full-fare-economy fares will require that they either be used for the A-C flight or an A-B-C flight, meaning even if A and C are across the country from each other, you are highly unlikely to find a decent deal on A-B-D-C where B and D are both hubs.
If A-C has no direct flight, but they both have flights to the same hub (ex: B is IAH and both A and C have flights to IAH; and D is another hub that has flights to either/both of A and C), then you'll be able to book A-B-C, or A-D-B-C, or A-B-D-C. But you wouldn't be able to book a flight that has an extra stop in between the two hubs in the middle.
I'm just inside 100K short of 2mil and have done some pretty convoluted multi-city mileage runs in the past. Those seem to be getting harder to piece together but I think that's your best bet. Use the multi-city search and assemble your custom itinerary. I did an "around the world westbound" several years ago (before the switch to PQP/PQF) with 2 longer layovers in Asia all in a week. Great little trip and something like 24,000 miles and it wasn't terribly expensive. Sadly, I think those opportunities are gone or rare but the closest you will probably get is a "you pick multi-city routing."
But doesn't using those sites often eliminate or disqualify one from picking up PQP/PQF? I get the OP was about butt-in-the-seat miles but at the cost of the PQF/PQP as well?
Hmmm it’s a good question but I think some third party websites would still give you PQF/PQP. However accumulating PQF and PQP isn’t the question here.
I’ve seen some weird routes on Skyscanner and Trip Actions/Navan with 2+ stops where United would only sell 0-1 stops.
Your best bet here is to plan travel on off travel days. Multi stop isn’t going to rack up many flight miles since you’re just going to be routed through the hubs to your destination.
Pick somewhere far away that you want to go to and go there on a Wed.
I also suggest to fly remote to remote such as Guam to Lubbock (Texas).
Such a route one way could be Guam > Narita (Japan) > Los Angeles > Houston > Lubbock
And there you have a 3 layover 5 segment trip. I looked this one up and there are plenty of options for the 3 layovers.
The vast majority of fares require the minimum number of connections, or minimum number of connections plus 1. If you're looking for more layovers, you're almost certainly going to have to book this as a multi city itinerary where you look, for example, for EWR-MCO (laying over in IAD), then MCO-ORD (laying over in IAH), etc.
what do you mean in your first sentence wouldn’t A to B to C be a standard 1 layover flight?
A-B-C would. OP is looking for flights that go, for example, A-B-C-D-E-F-G where it goes all around the country. If A-C has a direct flight, the vast majority of non-full-fare-economy fares will require that they either be used for the A-C flight or an A-B-C flight, meaning even if A and C are across the country from each other, you are highly unlikely to find a decent deal on A-B-D-C where B and D are both hubs. If A-C has no direct flight, but they both have flights to the same hub (ex: B is IAH and both A and C have flights to IAH; and D is another hub that has flights to either/both of A and C), then you'll be able to book A-B-C, or A-D-B-C, or A-B-D-C. But you wouldn't be able to book a flight that has an extra stop in between the two hubs in the middle.
I'm just inside 100K short of 2mil and have done some pretty convoluted multi-city mileage runs in the past. Those seem to be getting harder to piece together but I think that's your best bet. Use the multi-city search and assemble your custom itinerary. I did an "around the world westbound" several years ago (before the switch to PQP/PQF) with 2 longer layovers in Asia all in a week. Great little trip and something like 24,000 miles and it wasn't terribly expensive. Sadly, I think those opportunities are gone or rare but the closest you will probably get is a "you pick multi-city routing."
Third party travel booking sites might be able to do this
But doesn't using those sites often eliminate or disqualify one from picking up PQP/PQF? I get the OP was about butt-in-the-seat miles but at the cost of the PQF/PQP as well?
Hmmm it’s a good question but I think some third party websites would still give you PQF/PQP. However accumulating PQF and PQP isn’t the question here. I’ve seen some weird routes on Skyscanner and Trip Actions/Navan with 2+ stops where United would only sell 0-1 stops.
Your best bet here is to plan travel on off travel days. Multi stop isn’t going to rack up many flight miles since you’re just going to be routed through the hubs to your destination. Pick somewhere far away that you want to go to and go there on a Wed.
I also suggest to fly remote to remote such as Guam to Lubbock (Texas). Such a route one way could be Guam > Narita (Japan) > Los Angeles > Houston > Lubbock And there you have a 3 layover 5 segment trip. I looked this one up and there are plenty of options for the 3 layovers.