Reading some of the responses on Flyertalk today after United announced changes to the Mileage Plus program for 2011, you would think the world was coming to an end. Relax. I’m not happy about the changes either, but we may...
Why I Won’t Arrive 15 Minutes Before Departure Next Time I Fly Out of Burbank
Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California is a handy little United Express station. Less 20 minutes from my house, it is always my airport of choice when I travel to and from Southern California. When mainline pulled out over a...
United Plays Bait and Switch with VDBs
I noticed yesterday morning that my afternoon SFO-PHL flight was zeroed out. I haven’t had a bump since February, so just the thought of picking up $400 in travel credits perked me up. I arrived in San Francisco about...
Why don’t passengers follow crew member instructions on regional jets?
I suppose a more apt question may be why don’t passengers follow crew members instructions on most flights, but I really felt sorry for the SkyWest FA working my SFO-BUR flight yesterday. After the aircraft door closed, she asked passengers...
United Airlines’ Unscheduled Stop in Iceland
When Delta announced they would begin serving Iceland from New York Kennedy, I secretly hoped that United or Continental might jump into the fray. Iceland’s economy may still be in doldrums, but why not have one flight to London...
SFO’s Best Gate Agent
Sometimes, a gate agent can just make your day. Due to favorable wind conditions and UA’s generous schedule padding (gotta retain that #1 in on-time arrivals status), I arrived in San Francisco one hour early this morning, leaving me...
United Integrates Check-In at O’Hare…Sort of
Starting Tuesday, if you’re flying Continental out of Chicago O’Hare, you will check in with United at Terminal 1 rather than at CO’s traditional check-in and ticketing desks in Terminal 2. But there’s one small problem: Continental customers will...
UA’s Smisek: Cleveland must "earn its hub status every day"
With a mega-hub in nearby Chicago, word on the street is that Continental’s Cleveland hub will be a casualty of the merger with United. CLE is only 314 miles from ORD. While San Francisco and Los Angeles (UA’s West...
United, Continental Pilots Butting Heads Over Seniority
The dust of the merger hasn’t even settled yet and already Continental and United pilots are quarreling. Let’s hope this sibling rivalry is ironed out faster than America West and US Airways pilots have worked out their differences (we’re still waiting on that)… On...
1,000 United Miles for Mobile Check-In
Earn 1,000 United miles for checking in for your flight on your mobile phone! Available on qualifying flights. Mobile check-in is currently available for any United- or United Express-operated flight within the U.S., Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin...
Best. Redeye. Ever. (in United Economy!)
Although my upgrade clearance record has been pretty bad lately on morning transcons, it has been perfect on Sunday night redeyes from either Los Angeles or San Francisco to Philadelphia. Last Sunday, however, my luck ran out and I...
Earn 1,000 Bonus Miles from United Airlines
Earn a quick 1,000 miles from United just for updating your united.com profile. Dear Matthew, As a valued Mileage Plus® member, you should be the first to know about opportunities to earn award miles, partner offers, fare sales and...
A Surprisingly Stellar Flight on United Express
I always avoid United Express when I can for many reasons. First, I find that mainline crews are usually more professional and warmer than the rookies making $7/hr on Express. Second, although UA’s larger regional aircraft now feature Economy...
New BOB Snack Box Choices on United
Once again, United Airlines has altered their snack box choices this month, available for purchase on most afternoon and evening flights longer than two hours. UA donates a portion of the snack box proceeds (though we don’t know how...
Great News! New Bathrooms Coming Soon to Philadelphia Red Carpet Club
Anyone who has been to United’s Philadelphia Red Carpet Club knows that the bathrooms are in an utter state of disrepair. Although the club was refurbished in 2009 and closed temporarily by the Health Department earlier this year, the...
United’s Dulles Dilemma
With the Continental/United merger now a reality, the future of Washington Dulles as United’s main East Coast hub bears discussion. The current UA facilities at IAD, though functional, are unseemly when compared to leading airport concourses across the U.S. and around the world (and even...
"Would you mind moving from business to economy so my wife can sit next to me?"
I will occasionally run into passengers, almost always families traveling together, who will ask me to move seats so they can be seated next to each other. I think it’s rude to ask, but will generally comply as long...
UA849 (PHL-LAX) Diverts to Nashville
As Maxwell Smart would say, “Missed it by that much…” Something happened aboard United 849 tonight, the evening non-stop flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. I was booked on that flight and missed it due to a mix-up at...
More on United’s One-Way Star Alliance Awards
We still don’t have an official announcement about one-way Star Alliance awards on United, but they are definitely bookable now by calling United Reservations. We can also breathe a collective sigh of relief: multiple UA res. agents have confirmed...
RE: What United Giveth, United Taketh Away
Earlier today, I blogged about my confirmed upgrade from IAD-BOS mysteriously disappearing overnight. From what I gathered at Dulles this morning, someone with a fat-finger in inventory management accidentally cleared all the waitlisted upgrades last night (to put it...
