United’s IT staff may not win m/any accolades, but one thing I do is appreciate is not having to enter my Mileage Plus number each time I call reservations on my mobile phone. Because that number is the primary...
Continental/United Update Livery
I still am rooting for this design, but at least the merger team at Continental/United is making some progress on the livery of the combined carrier. When UA and CO announced they were getting hitched in May, they revealed this livery for...
A Note to the Disgrunted Passenger at UA Baggage Claim Last Night at LAX
Dear Disgruntled Passenger, Hi. I was the young man being assisted at the United baggage claim counter last night at LAX when you stormed in and demanded to cut to the front of the line. It was apparent that...
Partner Blackout Dates on United Airlines
Beyond the scope of StarNet blocking by United, some Star Alliance airlines simply do not make award travel available on specific dates, usually around major holidays or in high tourist season. While UA is very cautious about releasing any...
Delta to Begin Service to Iceland Next June
Yesterday afternoon I received an e-mail that Delta was starting service to Reykjavik, Iceland next June. The once daily flights will depart late from JFK, arriving the following morning in KEF and return late morning from KEF, arriving just...
United Airlines "Mechanics" Show You How to Recline Your Seat
I haven’t had the pleasure of flying on UA to Sydney this year, but apparently first class passengers flying from Los Angeles to Sydney are receiving a more personalized touch. The following request is from United’s representative on FlyerTalk:...
Time to Invest in a Lifetime Continental Presidents Club Membership?
I’m at the point of the year again where I’ve reached a fork in the road. I’ve re-qualified for 1K status on United, so my elite benefits are safe through at least January 2012, but now I must decide...
Free Alcohol in United’s Economy Plus August 6-16
United will offer passengers flying in Economy Plus a free alcoholic drink during the first beverage service August 6-16. While UA has not explained why it has chosen to do this, I would guess it has something to do...
Discounted Shorthaul Awards now Available on AA too
Responding to United’s recent promotion, American is offering discounted awards for trips of 700 miles or less (each way). Travel must conclude by December 15 and tickets must be booked by August 31. At 17,500 miles roundtrip or 8,750 miles one...
Tinkering with my award reservation
Perfecting an award itinerary is an art requiring patience and skill. With the ability to make free and unlimited changes on United awards (1K/GS benefit only), segment by segment you can construct an ideal award itinerary. As I mentioned earlier, when I booked my trip China...
Newark to Frankfurt via Brussels on Continental/Lufthansa for $263 a/i
SN Brussels Airlines is offering a tremendous deal right now on economy tickets from Newark to Frankfurt via their Brussels hub. Many dates have already sold out, but try out different dates in October and November if you are...
Win a 10% Off eCert from United (and maybe a million miles)
United has created a couple of games that I have to admit are very addicting. The first is called “Legroom Legend” where the object is to “use fancy footwork to guide tossed items onto your tray table.” It starts easy,...
30% Off United Airlines Mileage Economy Awards (<700 miles only)
For a limited time, economy award trips under 700 miles in the U.S. and Canada are 30% off on United. These flights must be on United metal and be booked at least a week prior to departure. Only economy...
United Airlines Joins Facebook
A new friend has joined Facebook: United Airlines. image courtesy of United Airlines UA’s wall is already filling up with interesting material–from greenhorns seeking advice on how to redeem travel vouchers to discussion over the future of UA’s livery to Double...
Why united.com is called .bomb
.bomb is an affectionate term for United Airlines’ website given by its frequent flyers. Why .bomb? Because for years–probably as far back as United has had a website, numerous technological issues have persited that cause the website to bomb out by giving...
My Award Trip is Booked
An update on my award trip: it is booked. I called back UA and ticketed it without any hassle. I don’t know if there are any damaging notes on the reservation that will prevent me from making changes when space on...
United declares my award itinerary is invalid!
And I guess it is… On Monday I posted about my award trip to China scheduled for this December. Last night, I called United to book the ticket (the award was on hold for 72 hours) and was immediately put...
Off to Buenos Aires on United Airlines!
I may not be going to China this week, but I am taking a trip to Buenos Aires on United. I have a meeting in Boston on Thursday and found that a ticket on UA to BOS was more...
StarNet blocking is back—at least on Lufthansa flights
After two hours of searching on the ANA tool tonight, I assembled a decent itinerary for my December trip to China. It wasn’t perfect, but it was workable. As I reported yesterday, no StarNet blocking on any Star Alliance...
Aggravating Phone Call to UA Reservations
I was planning to leave for China last night, but cancelled the trip due to a scheduling conflict with my day job and an aversion to sharing the Great Wall with 2,000 tourists or spending hours in line at...
