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Everyone loves a bargain – but maybe not at the expense of comfort. When you’re crammed into a middle seat between a sneezer and a snorer, you start to reconsider if the ultra-savings was worth it.
United Airlines, while not considered a low-cost carrier, could be a solid option for flyers looking for comfort and easy ways to save money with travel rewards. This legacy carrier’s frequent-flyer program has a lot to offer, and with 4,600 daily departures to 357 airports in 48 countries, United and the Star Alliance take you where you want to be.
Here are four things the United Airlines MileagePlus program gets right.
With generous sign-up bonuses and at least 1 miles per $1 spent on eligible United purchases, restaurants, hotel nights and more, miles add up quickly.
And if you book with the United℠ Explorer Card, get perks such as one free checked bag, get 25% back on in-flight purchases, priority boarding privileges and up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit.
In general, you can earn MileagePlus miles on flights with Star Alliance partners and redeem your miles for flights on Star Alliance airlines. If you have Gold elite status or above your partner flight benefits include an extra baggage allowance and access to the airport clubs around the globe.
» Learn more: How to get started with frequent flyer programs
And if you are booking an international trip, United’s Excursionist Perk — a free one-way award with certain multi-city itineraries — can add savings to a trip. Members who book an itinerary with three or more one-way awards will be eligible to receive one of those one-way awards for free if it meets specified conditions.
MileagePlus elite members can also save on fees for tickets booked within 21 days of departure. Fees are reduced or waived for MileagePlus elite members.
Flights with United Private Screening offer films and TV shows you watch on your own device via the United app.
Wi-Fi is available on most planes, with United promising more coverage and better service to come.
MileagePlus Exclusives offer members the chance to bid on one-of-a-kind adventures, including VIP access to Broadway shows, sporting events and foodie events with Michelin starred chefs.
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2019, including those best for:
Planning a trip? Check out these articles for more inspiration and advice:
The United Airlines MileagePlus rewards program: The complete guide
United replaces first-class intercontinental flights with Polaris seating
Go ahead, use your travel rewards for regular expenses
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Independence High School football coach Tyler Schilhabel, who was paralyzed following an ATV accident eight an a half years ago said he was looking forward to stepping off the football field to spend quality time with his new wife on their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic last week, until his travel plans took a different turn, “We flew with United Airlines, we flew from LAX and had a connecting flight to Chicago to the Dominican Republic. When we flew to Chicago the first time we were seven rows back and I require an aisle chair to get me on and off the plane because my regular chair is too wide to fit on the airplane,” Schilhabel said.
However, Schilhabel said he was denied timely access to an aisle chair when he landed in Chicago from LAX and if it wasn’t for the flight attendant who helped him, he wouldn’t have made his connecting flight to the Dominican Republic, “What had actually ended up happening was one of the flight attendants who knew that I was in a rush and the aisle chair wasn’t there, he actually picked me up lifted me and put me into my normal chair so that I could make my connecting flight.”
Upon landing in the Dominican Republic, Schilhabel said the airline also failed to provide a safe deplaning option for him, and his wife was also injured as they tried to exit the plane, “We landed in the Dominican Republic and they didn’t have an aisle chair ready so we waited there for about 20 minutes and they brought an aisle chair but they did not have a ramp, or a jet way, or an elevator to get me off the plane. All they had was a flight of stairs so the aisle chair was no use so I had to scoot on my bottom all the way to the front of the plane and when we realized there wasn’t a ramp or anything else my wife and I just decided no it’s not safe we don’t trust them to carry me down the flight of stairs so we just hopped down, she grabbed my legs and I hopped down step by step on my bottom. When we got to the very bottom she actually slipped and hurt her wrist.”
On the way back from the Dominican Republic to Chicago, Schilhabel said the airline provided the aisle chair but then problems resurfaced when he once again tried to deplane, “We waited about 25 minutes for everyone to get off the plane once again and then I waited for an additional 20 to 25 minutes for an aisle chair to get there and it never arrived. We had a connecting flight, we still had to get through customs so I scooted on my bottom all 31 rows to the front of the plane, got on my chair, got through customs, we were able to make our connecting flight.” Schilhable also added that getting off the plane was humiliating.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation depending on the type of disability related need, passengers may be required to ask for specific accommodations 24 hours in advanced or check in one hour before standard check in time for the flight. Schilhable said ever since his accident he knows the drill very well and planned ahead as usual.
“When I make all of my reservations for my flights I put on the notes that I require an aisle chair and a ramp slash elevator at all arrivals and destinations and I make it a point to get there even earlier before anybody else so that I can talk to whoever is at the front desk to let them know once again,” Schilhabel said.
Schilhabel said after United Airlines saw his social media post on his Facebook about what happened during his travel the company reached out to him 24 hours ago to apologize. He said United Airlines offered $2,000 worth of vouchers and an additional refund but he declined their gesture, “It’s not necessarily about the money or getting anything in return, it’s just the fact that people have been treated like this on multiple occasions not just myself and it seems like they haven’t done anything to fix it.”
23ABC News reached out to United Airlines and after they initially sent us a link to how to request a wheel chair online they later responded with a statement saying quote:
“We are concerned to learn of our customer’s unacceptable experience. We have reached out to our customer to deeply apologize and we are working with our team to understand what occurred and fix it.”-United Airlines
Shilhabel said United Airlines also asked him to take down his Facebook post but he told them no. As of now Schilhabel has not spoken with any attorneys.
Your emotional support animal in training may not get to fly business class anymore.
Or any other class, for that matter.
United Airlines
UAL, +3.35%
is changing its policies regarding emotional-support animals, banning animals under the age of four months from the cabin, “to further ensure the well-being of our employees and customers while accommodating passengers with disabilities,” the company said in a blog post on Thursday.
“This is just another move in a long line of moves to restrict pets on air crafts,” Christopher Elliott, founder of consumer advocacy organization Elliott.org, said. “Animals could go the way of peanuts on planes at some point in the future — ideally airlines do not want to have any animals in the cabin.”
‘Animals could go the way of peanuts on planes at some point in the future.’
The new policy will go into effect on Jan. 7 and comes weeks after Delta Air Lines
DAL, +4.78%
made a similar change. “Animals under the age of four months typically have not received the necessary vaccinations that help ensure the safety of our employees and customers,” United said. The airline did not respond to request for additional comment.
United will also limit animals allowed on flights, banning all emotional- support animals that are not dogs and cats. Service animals, which unlike emotional support animals are trained to assist a qualified person with a disability, are still accepted on flights as long as they are a dog, cat, or miniature horse, the new policy said.
This comes after United turned away one passenger in January 2018 for attempting to board with her “emotional support peacock,” for whom she had purchased a ticket.
“When people think of pets as children, they will do anything to fly with them.”
The number of animals in the cabin has been on the rise in recent months, despite the fact that Delta
DAL, +4.78%
, American
AAL, +6.59%
and United
UAL, +3.35%
Airlines have tightened paperwork requirements on emotional support animals. Most service animals, which are trained to assist a qualified person with a disability, are still accepted on flights
Delta said it had six biting incidents in a period of two months in early 2018 and the number of “animal incidents” on planes, ranging from urination to barking and biting, has increased 84% since 2016, Delta chief operating officer Gil West told The Wall Street Journal in August.
The airline carries an average of 700 emotional-support animals per day on flights, up from 450 a day in 2016, West said.
Delta banned pit bull dogs from flights in July 2018 after a dog scratched a flight attendant, and United Airlines banned dozens of breeds of dogs from flights in May 2018, including Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, all kinds of Pugs and Boxers, Shih-Tzus, Mastiffs, American Bully, Pit Bulls, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Pekingese. Many of these breeds have been found to suffer respiratory problems on flights.
Elliott said the rise in animal passengers reflects a larger shift in how people view their pets — one airlines are struggling to combat.
“The role pets play in society has really shifted in the past couple years,” he said. “When people think of pets as children, they will do anything to fly with them. But pets should really stay at home.”
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Kari Paul is a personal finance reporter based in New York. You can follow her on Twitter @kari_paul.
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Carly Stern For Dailymail.com
Airline food is rarely thought of as haute cuisine — in fact, its bad reputation is the inspiration for some of the most cliche jokes ever.
So it’s come as a surprise to quite a few foodies and frequent fliers that United Airlines would put out its very own cookbook.
Now available for $29.99 from the airline’s online shop, the United Polaris Cookbook promises to include ‘a collection of mouthwatering recipes inspired by the United Polaris onboard dining experience.’
Cook at home! United Airlines is selling the Polaris Cookbook online
Whip something up: It includes 40 recipes inspired by the airline’s business and first class dining
The 40 recipes are inspired by the United Polaris business class experience, and a portion of proceeds will be donated to The Trotter Project (Pictured: Food serviced on United in business and first class)
Though the concept might raise more than a few eyebrows, the cookbook’s not teaching how to make those flavorless meals of microwaves mush so commonly served in coach.
The cookbook sells for $29.99 and can also be bought with a branded apron
Rather, it’s business and first class meal service that’s inspired the 40 recipes inside.
‘The United Polaris cookbook was created by United chefs in partnership with chefs from The Trotter Project,’ a United representative told Food Wine.
‘The 40 recipes are inspired by the United Polaris business class experience. A portion of proceeds will be donated to The Trotter Project to continue its mission of inspiring the next generation of culinary professionals.’
Chefs from The Trotter Project — who include Della Gossett of Spago Beverly Hills, Michael Armstrong of Tao Group New York, and Top Chef’s Richie Farina, formerly the executive chef at Michelin-starred Moto Restaurant— also contribute to food served onboard.
Not the first! Other airlines have put out cookbooks in the past, including Southwest (left) and American Airlines (right)
‘Round the world! Delta put out several cookbooks in the ’60s and ’70s that drew recipes from different countries
Hawaiian Airlines had a cookbook too, and Delta published First-Class Meals, which was compiled by flight attendants, in 1987
The onboard menu on flights changes monthly, so you might not actually be able to order each of the dishes while flying.
Dishes in the cookbook include Coconut Soup with Sambal Oelek Chicken.
For those really dedicated to cooking a first class meal, United is also selling a gift set for $48.99 that includes the cookbook and a branded apron.
Surprisingly, the airline isn’t the first to publish its own cookbook: American West, Hawaiian Airlines, Delta, American Airlines and Southwest all have, too.
Southwest published Feel the Spirit, Savor the Fare in 2006.
Delta most recently published First-Class Meals, which was compiled by flight attendants, in 1987, but also put out several cookbooks in the ’60s and ’70s.
In 1964, American Airlines published My Fair Lady Cooks, a cookbook for ‘fair ladies.’
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If your New Year’s resolution is to eat more stroopwafels, those wafer sandwich cookies with a gooey center, United Airlines has you covered.
In a tweet last week, the Chicago-based airline announced plans to add the cookie back to its snack menu this month. Its tweet received almost 2,200 likes and was retweeted about 200 times.
It was just six months ago that the airline removed the Dutch sweet from its cabin service, to the aghast of social media users who were not at all happy with news of a replacement, a maple-flavored wafer. In the Netherlands, stroopwafels are traditionally served atop a steaming cup of coffee or tea, which softens the caramel-y goodness sandwiched in between the two wafers.
United’s decision to return stroopwafels to the snack rotation has been met with cheers from many travelers on Twitter, along with suggestions to also add Garrett’s popcorn to the mix.
As one person replied, “My wife just told me I need to pick up my business travel in January to compensate for all the stroopwafels I didn’t bring home the second half of 2018. Guess I’ll be #1k (someone with 100,000 frequent flyer miles) in 2019.”
But not everyone is a fan. Another person asked instead for their flight to be on time.
And then there was this reply: “Really? That bit of sugar laden carbohydrate? This is terrible news, the seats keep getting smaller and people keep getting fatter, that StroopWaffle isn’t helping the situation. How do you deal with the tooth decay?”
MORE COVERAGE
United Airlines raises requirements for frequent flyer program’s most elite status »
United adding flights from O’Hare to Colorado, Florida, Oregon and Nova Scotia this summer »
United Airlines could power jets with fuel made from trash at new Gary plant »
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Airlines
United Airlines will no longer accept emotional-support kittens and puppies under four months of age and will ban emotional-support animals outright on long flights as it tries to crack down on soiled cabins and biting incidents that have harmed passengers and crew.
The Chicago-based airline joins rival Delta Air Lines in tightening its rules. Delta took the lead in banning young puppies and kittens last month.
Airlines have been tightening restrictions after a surge in emotional-support animals on flights. Passengers in recent years have brought animals other than dogs and cats — including a turkey, a pig and a duck — on board as emotional-support animals. United last year denied boarding to a passenger traveling with a peacock as an emotional-support animal.
Support and service animals fly free of charge and without a carrier under the 1986 Air Carrier Access Act. But passengers and crew members have complained about animal allergies, dirtied cabins and aggression from the animals.
United is also limiting emotional-support animals to dogs and cats, which will be banned on flights longer than eight hours.
“We have seen increases in on-board incidents on longer flights involving these animals, many of which are unaccustomed to spending an extended amount of time in the cabin of an aircraft,” United said in a statement.
Additionally, only dogs, cats and miniature horses will be allowed on board as service animals.
The changes take effect on Jan. 7, but United said it would honor reservations made by Jan. 3 with the old rules.
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If you feel like you’re being nickel-and-dimed each time you travel, you’re not alone. Buzz60’s Sean Dowling has more.
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Flying the friendly skies is about to get a little bit sweeter.
In 2019, United Airlines passengers will once again be able to enjoy a cult-favorite cookie on their next flight. Just after Christmas, the airline tweeted that it’s bringing the Dutch stroopwafel back into its snack rotation on all domestic flights this January.
But, of course, there’s a catch.
The treat will only be served on flights that depart prior to 9:45 a.m. local time, so passengers will need to head out early if they want to satisfy their (free) craving for something sweet.
United originally offered the stroopwafel, which is a waffle-style cookie filled with caramel that originated in the Netherlands, back in 2016 when the airline began offering free snacks again to Economy Class passengers. But when they added a maple-flavored cookie to the menu last June, United ditched the stroopwafel on morning domestic flights — much to many passengers’ dismay.
To say that plenty of cookie lovers are over the moon that the Dutch treat is returning is an understatement.
One woman even claimed her husband became such a fan of the cookie after eating a stroopwafel on their first flight together that they served the snack at their wedding:
Here’s what some other excited flyers had to say:
United even replied back:
In a video posted to United’s employee Twitter account, the airline demonstrates how to eat a stroopwafel, recommending setting it atop a cup of coffee first to heat it up, so the caramel inside becomes a little gooey, then it should be broken in half before eating it.
Of course, there were plenty of people who wished United would start serving healthier snacks or just focus on improving overall flight experiences:
Now let’s just hope the airline doesn’t remove it again like they did with tomato juice, which almost resulted in a real passenger revolt.
For those who are really digging the stroopwafel but can’t be bothered to take an early flight, McDonald’s has recently been serving up a Stroopwafel McFlurry at select restaurants in South Florida.