United Airlines is extending the status of its top-tier Global Services members for another year with no strings attached.
United Airlines Extends Global Services Status
In an email that went out to members this morning from Luc Bondar, the President of MileagePlus, United announced it would extend the status of Global Services members through January 21, 2023.
Dear Members,
As a United Global Services members, you’ve shown extraordinary loyalty to United over the years, earning our highest level of status.
We know many of you are returning to travel for the first time in over a year or are limited by international destinations that remain closed. We hope this gesture of appreciation for your loyalty gives you more time to enjoy flying United and our partners with all the benefits of Global Services status. you can also take advantage of our newest benefit and enjoy complimentary United Club access whenever you travel domestically on United or United Express.
As the world continues to open up, we hope your enjoy the exciting benefits of your earned Global Services status for another year, and we look forward to seeing you onboard soon.
An inset in the note added:
Even though you haven’t been able to travel as much over the last year, you deserve recognition for your loyalty, which is why we’re extending your Global Services status through January 31, 2023.
Will United Extend The Status Of All Elite Members?
A United Airlines spokesperson told Live and Let’s Fly:
“Throughout the pandemic, United has made numerous changes to make earning and maintaining status easier to show appreciation for Premier members.
While this extension is only for earned Global Services members, United has additional MileagePlus promotions in the pipeline that will help all our Premier members re-qualify for status this fall—more to come on this next week.”
I still tend to think lucrative promotions this fall and before the end of the year will allow travelers to re-qualify with minimum to zero effort.
I also hold out some hope that United will just extend the status of everyone for one more year or at least for those MileagePlus members who reside outside the United States and have been particularly prone to a slowdown in international travel to the USA.
Many MileagePlus members in Asia and Europe simply have not been able to travel o the USA this year, which makes flying on United very difficult.
CONCLUSION
United Airlines is extending the status of Global Services members through January 2023. While United is not (yet) extending the status for all MileagePlus elite members, I do tend to think this move is a sign of what is to come.
As a 1K-Million Miler, I’m hopeful that they will extend the same courtesy to 1K Members too. I’ve been a 1K for many years and unfortunately, due to the Covid pandemic had to cancel multiple trips to Asia, Europe and Africa this past year. I would have unquestionably reached 1K again if not for having to cancel my trips, not because I wanted to, but because the countries I was supposed to travel to, closed all travel to their respective countries. I’m hoping United sees that and does not penalize us from no fault of our own.
Me too @Jeff. I’ve been a 1k for 10 years or more with United and also hold BA top tier status and am about to earn Platinum Pro with AA but I do most of my travel on United internationally and in paid business class. That’s there money maker demographic I believe and if they don’t extend status for me, Ill just switch to another airline because my loyalty to them is based on earning tons of miles each trip that I can then use to take my family on nice vacations (to make up for me being gone so much on business travel!).
Based on some data I saw about how many domestic travelers have managed to get 1K though, I doubt they will extend that benefit, sadly.
This is coming across the board to many companies. Mark my word…
Given the trajectory of the delta variant, I suspect we’re going to see another downturn on business travel. My firm had pretty firm plans to reopen at least hybrid in September, but now we’re taking a wait and see approach, specifically citing the progression of the delta variant. As a result, I think UA is going to be far short of the number of Premiers they want.
It may be wishful thinking, because while I flew once a couple of weeks ago, I (a 1K predominantly through international travel, especially to Asia/Australia) no longer see myself doing any business travel this year. I’m a million-miler, so I won’t fall below gold, but if I lose the incentive in 2022 to keep flying UA to retain my 1K status, I may finally decide that I’m a free agent for my business class travel and go with other higher quality airlines.
I assume that airlines aren’t stupid and that they will extend nearly everyone’s memberships.
Sure, there’s an incentive to achieve status by spending but the incentive to book with an airline who gives you status is also great. If American gives me a platinum extension then I’ll book with them because I get better seats for my family. Otherwise I’ll choose the cheapest.
They’re just using past year logic to decide who to keep rather than current flying (which most people can’t do).
They should reward those who traveled this year with an extra head start on the next year
@greg
I agree… I’ve been spending a lot.. and have already qualified on my own for 1k for 2022… I’m not saying give me Global Services… but isn’t my spend worth more than someone who has been on the bench all year?
I’m right there with MikeL. I’ve already requalified for 1K and still have more flying planned. I understand the argument for a blanket extension but if you’re going to do that it would be nice to do something to reward those who actually spent money flying UA planes in 2021.
@Matthew
Is it really that likely that UA would make such an allowance just for its ex-US elites? There are far more domestic elites, after all, who need to be satisfied and kept loyal.
Hope they extend for alll. Haven’t flown a single mile all year and very well may not fly until the fall/winter.
UA is also losing many elites because domestic business class is dominated by AA/DL and many have made the move there, including myself.
First there is no such thing as domestic business class, if a individual is on a domestic flight it is called first class. Secondly United has more domestic first class seats per aircraft and more economy plus seats per aircraft than either Delta or American and that is just narrow bodies. If we switch over to wide bodies United has more wide bodies and more premium seats (Polaris/PE/E+) on those wide bodies than American or Delta.
From what I can tell United isn’t loosing many if any elites and any they do loose they more than make up for it because Delta and American are loosing as well as customers switch their loyalty based on where they live
UA has narrowbody domestic business class, ever fly on a 757? They may be “loosing” the planes from the fleet soon but they are nice at the moment.
Didn’t they exit the P.S. 757s from the fleet during the pandemic? Those were the only ones that were billed as domestic business although Business pertains more to the level of service vs. amenities, domestically speaking.
Also they seem to be using different aircraft such as the 767, 787 for the Premium Transcon Service runs.
I’m happy for the GSs, but it doesn’t seem necessary to extend status for everyone. With all the generous promotions this year, I’ve already made Platinum and will easily make 1K before the end of the year just with a few flights to visit family and vacations. This was not a difficult or expensive year to earn status.
I’m annoyed about lack of promos for general members. I missed silver by a few thousand PQM in 2019 even though I had 3500 PQD, enough to qualify under the new system. This year, I’ll make Silver through organic flying. Annoyed I’m so hub captive I can’t consider taking of AS and DL’s better promos
I’ve been 1k for nearly 10 years now. Unfortunately, I’ve only flown once since Covid hit in early 2020. Do hope United shows some of that “we love to fly and it shows” love to its best customers.
I am a 1K in the UK. I flew this month for the first time in 18 months but thanks to United’s bonuses and specials I have qualified for 1K on one round trip from London to Honolulu in paid Polaris. I was surprised to qualify so easily but I think United has made it easier to qualify with a little effort this year. United is trying to accommodate without giving away the farm. But if things stay bad I don’t see any alternative than to extend everyone.
Travel will slow down again in the fall. Loyalty is a two way street so loyalty programs should extend the status of their existing customers.
As a non-US based 1K member, i struggle with UA’s promotions… they can give me all the incentives and promotions they want for me to fly UA, the realitiy is i just cannot as long as the White House does not remove the travel ban. The amount of intra-European flights i would need to take to qualify using Star Alliance partners is just beyond ridiculous…
Yet i understand UA does not have us international members of the radar,…
I have over 90K PQPs this year and am still 1K. I get missed for upgrades on every one of my rare economy flights due to extended status and corporate travel GS extensions. The reality is that United does NOT reward loyalty. Just fly the best product you can. Sometimes that is United, other times it’s ANA, Singapore, Jet Blue Mint or Quantas. I’ve earned over 150K PQPs in 2 years and get passed over for an upgrade for people who are cozy with the travel agent and people who have flown 2 flights a year for three years. This is not rewarding loyalty. If United is the best product (and often it is) then fly it but don’t expect them to reward you for it. GS is a corrupt scam not a royalty process