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Home » United Airlines » United Airlines Grants Lifetime Global Services Status To Medal Of Honor Recipients
NewsUnited Airlines

United Airlines Grants Lifetime Global Services Status To Medal Of Honor Recipients

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 26, 2019November 14, 2023 19 Comments

a gold star medal with stars on a blue ribbon

The Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious military award in the USA. Recipients of the award enjoy a host of benefits both inside and outside the military. United Airlines is adding to that list with free Global Services status and United Club membership that automatically renews every year.

Yesterday was National Medal of Honor Day. For the last four years, United has provided Global Services status, United’s top-tier status, to 74 Medal of Honor recipients. Global Servies status brings more upgrades, better service, and reduced fees. This year, United is adding free United Club membership as well.

Here’s a note from United President Scott Kirby to the Medal of Honor recipients about their free status and club membership:

The debt our country owes to your service can never be repaid; it can only be respected and honored.  As a US Air Force veteran, I’m personally honored to send you this letter and thank you for the sacrifices you made for our country.  In fact, I’ve collected about 40 signatures and challenge coins from living Congressional Medal of Honor winners and they are proudly on display at my home.  All of us at United Airlines want to thank you for having earned our nation’s highest military honor and in that spirit, the United family is proud to offer you United Global Services status each year, our invitation-only program for our most valued MileagePlus members. With Global Services status, you enjoy our highest level of service and benefits.

In recognition of your exceptional service, it’s now our pleasure to also provide you with United Club membership starting March 23, 2019. United Club membership gives you — and up to two guests traveling with you — access to more than 45 United Club locations worldwide. You’re also welcomed to visit any of our participating Star Alliance affiliated lounges and other partner lounges. You will be receiving your membership materials separately but can access your digital card via the United app. Just like your Global Services status, your club membership will automatically renew next year, so there’s nothing you need to do.

Consider this our way of taking care of you in some meaningful, albeit small, recognition for all that you’ve sacrificed for our country. We greatly appreciate your service and we look forward to saluting you on board soon.

Thank you,
Scott Kirby

It’s a nice gesture. As United states:

It’s a small gesture in light of what these individuals accomplished on the battlefield, but it’s one way we can say thank you. When it comes to flying heroes, the honor is all ours.

image: US Army

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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19 Comments

  1. Dan Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 8:56 am

    Great move by United.

  2. Greg Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 8:56 am

    Combat experience will come in handy for the battlefield upgrades

  3. Debit Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 9:20 am

    I think medal of bone spurs is much better. You can be racist, POS, sexually assault women, be a grifter, cheat, traitorous scum and still get elected president.

    • JohnC Reply
      March 26, 2019 at 9:36 am

      Your just as bad as the president. Not all stories or articles need to be about him.

      • Kevin Reply
        March 26, 2019 at 11:15 am

        @JohnC,
        Don’t feed the troll. His mom has been on his case to stop playing xbox in the basement and get a job. Unfortunately, no one wants to hire someone with an associates degree in Teledildonics.

  4. Jon Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 10:14 am

    Excellent !!!

  5. mallthus Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 11:26 am

    I saavy move by United. Lots of good press for doing something unequivocally good that costs almost nothing.

    • Dan Reply
      March 26, 2019 at 11:28 am

      Wait until the travel hackers get ahold of this though.

      “Earn lifetime United Global Services for free with this one simple trick!”

  6. Joseph Granese Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 11:30 am

    Metal of bone spurs?!?! Have some respect for the soldiers that earned those medals. As to your shitty OPINION of our great President Trump i do believe that nobody is holding a gun to your head to live in this wonderful Country that President Trump is and will make great again!!

  7. OnTheRun Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 11:55 am

    Kudos to UA! Yet another example of another airline being more American than American Airlines.

  8. Greg Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 12:11 pm

    This is an excellent move on their part.

    I probably would have gone one step further and also extended it to the widows of MoH recipients, since so many of them are awarded to those who gave everything.

    • Jmdejoli@outlook.com Reply
      March 27, 2019 at 11:52 am

      I agree on the Widows – with discretion to the partner who stood by the MOH when they earned it. However, sadly with divorce what they are in this country- there should be limits to number of partners.

  9. UA-NYC Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 12:39 pm

    Do they get the annual GPUs/RPUs though….

  10. Jake Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 12:44 pm

    Where are all the holier-than-thou DL fanboys now? Big bad United strikes again, right?

    • James Reply
      March 26, 2019 at 5:04 pm

      Probably back in 2016.
      https://news.delta.com/delta-recognizes-national-medal-honor-day

      (On a serious note bravo to Delta, United, and all companies that recognize all Medal of Honor recipients)

  11. Christian Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 2:14 pm

    I’m a little torn on this. On one hand this is a blatant publicity stunt, and I’m not a fan of using decorated veterans to facilitate publicity stunts. On the other hand, the Medal recipients actually get some tangible lifetime benefits. If United had wanted to do this with taste, they would have quietly offered the benefit while avoiding any press on the subject.

  12. Alison Reply
    March 26, 2019 at 7:35 pm

    A classy move by United.

  13. DaninMCI Reply
    March 27, 2019 at 11:07 am

    Class move by United even if they did spin some PR on it.

  14. Tricia McCall Reply
    March 27, 2019 at 10:59 pm

    This is the best I have seen from UAL and Scott Kirby! Thank you Scott! As an Air Force veteran myself and a flight attendant with UAL it makes me proud of you and our airline. I hope they offer GS to family of those awarded Medal of Honor posthumously.

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