With 1K status now in the bag (in fact, I was surprised to see that I have banked over 120K EQMs already this year after all the flights credited), my travel on United for the year may be over....
Why Soldiers Should Not Board First on United Airlines
It is Memorial Day today in the United States, a day in which America honors those soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of their country. What started out as Decoration Day in 1865, when freed...
On the Matter of Flight Attendant Professionalism
I utilize public transportation to get to and from work at Frankfurt International Airport and run into a LOT of uniformed airline personnel, particularly from Lufthansa and United. United has a crew base in Frankfurt and therefore has a lot...
Remarkably Efficient and Friendly Service from United Reservations
Much to my delight, I have been up late the last few nights booking awards for people and have been on the phone with United quite a bit. Without any equivocation, I have to admit that the every single phone call...
United Enforcing E-Certificate Expiration Dates
Watch those expiration dates on your United e-certificates because all of a sudden UA seems to be enforcing them. For the last few years, UA’s e-certificates, issued for service problems experienced onboard or on the ground, have had expiration...
United Eliminates Pillows in Domestic First Class
For an airline that claims to be transforming itself into “world’s leading airline,” you have to question the recent decision to remove pillows from domestic first class flights. Yet that is exactly what United has done this week, following the model of their...
"You’re Flying from Washington to Chicago via Brazil?"
You should have seen the face of the United Airlines agent at Sao Paulo last week when I asked for a seat assignment change (moving to an open center section of five seats at the last minute) and she pulled...
Systemwide and Regional Upgrade Reciprocity Coming to Continental/United this Summer
Good news for holders of confirmed upgrades instruments on United and Continental: your upgrade options will soon widen. This morning I received the following e-mail from United: We understand how important upgrades are to you. Currently, elite members of...
United Mistakenly Reinstates 9/11 Flight Numbers
An insensitive and inexcusable mistake or an honest oversight that was quickly corrected? As United and Continental merge into a single entity, they continue to take steps to align the operations of the two airlines. UA and CO recently...
Continental/United (Partially) Align Standby Policy
United and Continental have made changes to their standby and same-day confirmed flight change policy that bring the two carriers closer to alignment. Good news for Premier Executives–standby and even confirmed same-day changes are now free on United and Continental....
I Gave Up Three Upgrades to Get Back to Frankfurt Two Hours Early
If my colleagues at Star are reading this: take note! I care about getting to work on time. It has been a draining three days, but my mileage run around the world is near completion: one flight remains. This morning I arrived in...
Taking Advantage of Continental’s Last Day at Washington Dulles
Starting tomorrow, Continental will move to the D-gates and Continental Express to the lower A-gates at Washington Dulles. Up this point, CO has operated at the far A-gates right about where the B-gates start as a separate entity from...
Silent Treatment from the Purser
Yesterday afternoon I flew from San Francisco to Kona on United and as my seatmate and I were getting settled in our seats, the purser walks by and places a sheet of paper down between us. He says nothing but is...
Reciprocal Seat Assignments Now Availabile Online with Continental/United
For months, seat assignments have been a major annoyance on mixed Continental/United itineraries. A CO-operated UA codeshare booked on united.com required that you copy the reservation reference number and proceed to continental.com to assign seats. The same was true...
United Purser Packs Picnic Lunch For Me
The plan was to fly from Boston to San Francisco this afternoon on United, but I opted to standby for a morning transcon so I could have dinner with family this evening. The flight was zeroed out and although...
United Changes Boarding Procedures to Align with Continental
Yesterday I was surprised when my Honolulu – Los Angeles flight boarded economy class passengers by row rather than by zone, starting with the back of the plane and moving forward. I assumed it was a HNL quirk and...
Op-Up to Asiana First Class from Seoul to Tokyo
Hello from Honolulu. I’ve missed blogging the last week, but the time off has been refreshing. Both Tokyo and Seoul were great cities and I look forward to returning to both places, though especially Seoul so that I can...
The Bully Got His Way
Don’t you just hate it when bullies get their way? I flew from Denver to Boston on United today and one of the passengers was quite a character. He was an older man, about 70, with a tacky plaid...
Watch Those United Upgrades on Continental Codeshares!
While the Continental/United integration process remains a work in progress, one benefit that we saw almost immediately after the merger was reciprocal upgrades on the two carriers. But based on what happened to me today, this technology has not...
From First Class to Economy: My 58K Mile Journey Begins
There is never an ideal time to take time off from a busy job, but with my brother graduating from university next week, I constructed my trip to Japan and South Korea as well as my mileage run from...
