Go here. Enter your mileage plus number and do what you do by flying at least 3 qualifying round trips. 
Sorry for the late post on this one.
My fellow frequent fliers recently engaged in a long thread on the best ways to get compensated on United for non-weather-related delays and cancellations.
Here’s the summary:
- For United, their customer service phone lines appear to be better than any other channel for communicating problems; Delta appeared more responsive through their email channels
- Some folks have had better success with United Customer Care through the on-line channel since they have issues getting through on the phone even with status
- United typically provides 3 choices for compensation: A $200 e-certificate, 20% off a worldwide economy-class ticket, or 9,000 miles
- Certificates are arguably the best deal because they have no blackout dates and are transferable (good for gifts!); still limited to one per itinerary and only used on domestic flights including Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands
- Compliments don’t get you anything - only complaints (that’s sad…)
If you’re not happy with your service, United won’t know unless you let them know.
Today, British Airways announced it was planning to cut 3000 jobs by the end of the fiscal year due to falling passenger numbers and yields. I will guess that most airlines are going through similar challenges.
In an economy as bad as this one, customer service makes all the difference. Flyers may not have as many choices as we are a "semi-captive" audience due to the constraints of available flights and routes by airlines, but bad press is bad press. Don’t kid yourself as the next generation of frequent flyer will read stories like this and wonder what kind of business United is running.
The title of the article says it all:
Man denied first-class seat on United for wearing track suit
If you want to run your airlines into the ground what better way to do it that humiliate and embarass your best customers? The weak response in which United claims to have mistaken the passenger as a employee only adds insult to injury.
Nice try, United. How about admiting you have customer service problems and make amends. That’ll get you a lot farther than trying to tactically address every customer service blow-up that happens.
United, time to wake up and smell the coffee.
This is pretty big news. I recall this used to be customary on certain airlines back in the late 90’s and early 2000. It’s somewhat indicative of the traffic in this economic downturn for United to make an offer like this, but its a big bonus for frequent flyers who have elite status.
United plans to launch this in the 2nd quarter of 2010 so you’ll have to wait a little bit, but if you’re thinking about getting elite status this year, this might be the extra incentive you were looking for.
All the details can be found here (http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6867,53216,00.html).
From the website:
Upgrades. They’re complimentary. They’re unlimited. They’re yours. When Unlimited Domestic Upgrades are launched, we’ll be transitioning all of our elite members to the new upgrades, replacing 500-Mile Upgrade certificates. Elite members can still use their existing Regional Upgrades during their full 12-month validity period. However, new certificates will no longer be issued. If you’re not an elite member, don’t worry – you’ll still be able to use your existing certificates any time during their full 12-month validity period, just like you do today. Further details on Unlimited Domestic Upgrades and other exciting enhancements will be available on Mileageplus.com in early 2010. Stay tuned.
We know how you value the ease of travel being an elite member brings to you. Now we’re making it even easier. In the second quarter of 2010, we’ll automatically request an Unlimited Domestic Upgrade on behalf of all elite members and up to one companion when they travel within the Continental U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Happy flying.
United is running a promotion for those of you interested in qualifying for status with the airlines. This is your last chance before the end of the year window closes. After registering, you will receive double miles or segments towards status if you travel between Sept 3rd and December 15th 2009. You can find the offer details here.
From the website:
A special opportunity to help you retain elite status or earn a higher level. Earn your choice of either double Elite Qualifying Miles* (EQM) or double Elite Qualifying Segments (EQS) on qualifying United® or United Express® flights.
For a limited time only you can save on award travel. The time frame is limited as you need to book between July 15 - July 24, 2009 and fly between August 18 - November 18, 2009. I played with a few options as I was looking at a flight to Barcelona in late August but wasn’t able to find anything available using award travel. These airline offerings are typically a mixed blessing. The airline hopes to get rid of excess seat inventory due to poor demand planning, but the popular routes are not available because…well they are popular. The promotion is structured to target as many folks as possible by giving the impression of high availability and big savings.
Unfortunately, the outcome usually results in potential customers NOT finding anything worth flying because the routes are terrible, the timing isn’t right, or the destination is undesirable. We end up wasting our time playing with arrival / departures dates. It’s like taking your garbage, wrapping it in a shiny box, and offering it to your best customers. It produces the opposite affect as we don’t feel like we’re getting a special promotion – we feel like United doesn’t really value us as a customer so much as just a revenue stream (i.e. dumping ground) with little intelligence. It should be painfully obvious the target demographic travels a lot, values their time, and doesn’t have much flexibility. This promotion totally ignores all those key factors. United needs to take a step back, look at their customers, then tailor their promotions for the right target audience.
Hey United, how about figuring a way to immediately communicate which routes have excess capacity in the time frame given so we don’t waste our time when you already know. Our time is just as important as yours.
Here’s hoping you’ll find the promotion plays into a trip you were planning anyways…
From an email sent to *josh* so it may not be available to everyone:
“Wherever your destination this spring, bonus miles are headed your way. Register before June 30, 2009, and you can earn up to 40,000 bonus miles when you purchase and fly up to three qualifying roundtrips on United® or United Express® between April 1 and June 30, 2009.”
Office details from United’s promotion page:
- Registration is required by June 15, 2009.
- Only travel completed on or after date of registration is eligible for this offer.
- Offer applies only to new reservations booked between March 19, 2009 and June 15, 2009, for travel between March 19, 2009, and June 15, 2009.
- Earn double Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM) on United and United Express (two times the actual base flight miles).
- This offer does not apply to Elite Qualifying Segments, class-of-service bonus miles, class-of-service EQM, elite bonus miles, redeemable bonus miles, or promotional EQM.
- Elite Qualifying Miles are not redeemable for flights but do count toward Premier®, Premier Executive® and 1K® status.
Short and sweet. Click here to sign-up. If you’re already flying, its more points for little effort. Given all the point devaluation events these days, you’ll need as many points as possible if you want to redeem them for flights. The following details are listed for your convenience, but also included in linked page.
Ticketing dates: October 1, 2008 - December 15, 2008
Travel dates: October 1, 2008 - December 15, 2008
“Selected Mileage Plus members can earn up to 40,000 redeemable bonus miles from United when they fly between October 1 and December 15, 2008. Register, and then complete up to six roundtrips (three domestic and three international) in one of the qualifying booking classes on United® or United Express® between October 1 and December 15, 2008."
You can earn between 2,000 miles and 40,000 miles total - the more roundtrips you fly, the more miles you can earn.
Domestic Offer (MPD618) (qualifying booking classes: F, A, P, C, D, Z, Y, B, M, E, U, H)
| One completed roundtrip | 2,000 bonus miles |
| Two completed roundtrips | 5,000 bonus miles |
| Three completed roundtrips | 15,000 bonus miles |
International Offer (MPD628) (qualifying booking classes: F, A, P, C, D, Z)
| One completed roundtrip | 5,000 bonus miles |
| Two completed roundtrips | 10,000 bonus miles |
| Three completed roundtrips | 25,000 bonus miles |
Happy Tuesday, road warriors.
United Airlines recently added the feature for Mileage Plus members to purchase an additional 1,000 miles on upcoming roundtrip flights for a fee of $20. So, in addition to the miles you earn with your flight, they are letting you tack on a few extras. Registration in advance of your flight is required.
Terms and Conditions
As you are a valued United® Mileage Plus member, we are pleased to offer you a special opportunity: Receive an extra 1,000 bonus miles on your next United roundtrip for just $20. Simply register and pay $20, and your account will be credited with 1,000 bonus miles after your next paid, qualifying flight on United, United Express® or TedSM.
Registration is required prior to travel for each qualifying roundtrip completed before December 31, 2008. There is no limit to the number of bonuses you can earn, though only one bonus can be applied per roundtrip. The registration fee is $20 per bonus.
Members must register for this offer at united.com/addmiles between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008. Valid credit card will be billed immediately for the registration fee. Registration fees are non-refundable and are subject to change. Prices are quoted in USD and include applicable federal excise tax. Roundtrip is required. A roundtrip is defined as travel from an origin city to a destination city with return travel beginning in the outbound destination city back to the first origin city with all segments on United, United Express or Ted. Open jaw and circle trips do not qualify. Valid only on paid, qualifying roundtrips completed between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008. Members will earn 1,000 bonus miles on the first qualifying roundtrip originating and completed after offer registration. Valid only on flights operated by United, United Express or Ted and not on United-marketed code share flights operated by other carriers. Offer is combinable with other bonus mile offers. This bonus may be earned a maximum of one time per qualifying roundtrip. Members may register to earn this bonus an unlimited number of times for qualifying roundtrips completed by December 31, 2008. The registration fee is $20 per bonus. Must be a Mileage Plus member to participate in this offer. Miles for the completed qualifying flight must be posted to the Mileage Plus account in order to qualify for this bonus. Allow 1-2 weeks after your flight posts to your account for the bonus miles to be applied. Bonus miles do not count toward elite qualification. All standard Mileage Plus rules and conditions apply. Miles accrued, awards issued and bonus offers are subject to the rules of the United Mileage Plus program. The Mileage Plus program, including accruals, awards and bonus miles offers, is subject to change without notice. Offer subject to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply. United and Mileage Plus are registered service marks. For complete details about the Mileage Plus program, visit www.united.com (MPD038)
This seems like a reasonable cost for miles ($0.02/mile) which is about market value of a mile. However, the miles do NOT count toward Elite Qualification.
This might also be viewed as a way for the airlines to capture more revenue from the consumer while further de-valuing the miles you accrue through actual flights.