Monday, June 25, 2012

United PerksPlus Update-Point Conversion and Online Redemption Tools

The following update is for our customers enrolled in the current RewardOne® and/or PerksPlus® loyalty programs, which are designed to reward small and mid-sized enterprises for business travel on United, United Express and Lufthansa. As these customers transition to the new United PerksPlusSM program, the following should be noted: 1. Points Transfer and Conversion – Existing RewardOne and PerksPlus customers who signed up before 9:00pm CDT on June 20, 2012 and linked their United PerksPlus accounts will have seen their legacy program points converted to the new United PerksPlus on June 21, 2012. Points converted and transferred will include all outstanding balances in the legacy programs through March 31, 2012. Customers who enrolled after 9:00pm CDT on June 20, 2012 through June 30, 2012 will receive their points transfer in July. 2. United PerksPlus Online Redemption Tool – All United PerksPlus customers who have enrolled successfully in the program before 9:00pm CDT on June 20, 2012, and had legacy program balances that transferred over, now have access to the Online Redemption Tool at http://unitedperksplus.united.com. Customers must log in to their new account then click “Redeem Points” to access this tool. 3. Program Termination – Any outstanding balances in existing RewardOne and/or PerksPlus accounts will be removed after July 1, 2012. Please advise your eligible customers to complete the enrollment process in the new United PerksPlus prior to this date. For existing customers that currently enjoy corporate discounts on United, please remind them that they have until this date to redeem all outstanding points. The United PerksPlus Service Center is available for assistance with general program information. Please call 866-230-3296 (Mon. - Fri. 8:30am - 7:00pm ET) in the U.S. or Canada. United PerksPlus Enrollment Process: In the event your customers have not had the opportunity to enroll in the new United PerksPlus program, we encourage them to do so at their earliest convenience in order to take advantage of the extended retroactive credit deadline of June 30, 2012. To enroll, simply follow the three-step process below. Prior to beginning the enrollment process, please have your existing User ID and password available as reference: • If you are an existing RewardOne and PerksPlus customer, please log into http://rewardone.united.com to authenticate and begin the enrollment process. • If you are only a PerksPlus member, please log into www.perkspluspartners.com with your existing User ID (three numerical and two alpha characters) and password. • Once you have logged in successfully, select the link labeled “click here” to enroll into the new United PerksPlus program. The system will then automatically direct you to the Terms and Conditions page. • Once you accept the program’s Terms and Conditions, your existing company information will automatically be uploaded to help you begin the enrollment process. • During enrollment, you will have an opportunity to upload your travelers by their MileagePlus number. Please note that the new MileagePlus number consists of eight alpha-numeric characters. • If you are in need of password assistance with your customer’s existing PerksPlus account, please call 888-737-5775 (8:30am – 7:00pm ET, Monday – Friday) or e-mail PerksPlusNorthAm@united.com • If you are in need of program support with your customer’s existing RewardOne account, please call 800-395-4922 (8:00am – 4:30pm ET, Monday – Friday) or e-mail RewardOne@coair.com www.premieretravel.com

What To do With Your Frequent Flyer Miles

Travelers and consumers are very loyal when it comes to racking up miles on their favorite carriers and using credit cards to earn them miles even when they do not travel. But most travelers are not quite sure how to redeem their miles or how to best leverage them into good use before they expire worthless. Before you let your miles expire, think about magazine and newspaper subsciptions. There is no need to pay a dime out of pocket when you have miles that you can redeem. You can also gift those magazine to relatives or friends. The value is great. Take for example the Wall Street Journal. A 39-week subsciption will cost around a $129, but can be redeemed for as low as 2700 miles. Doing the math, it is easy to compute that 9 subsciptions of the WSJ would equal to one 25,000 mil flight redemption. The value of the 25,000 in subsciptions is $1161, and you don't have to jump through any hoops for availability or black-out dates. Other ideas to work your miles is to donate them to charities and 501c (3) non-profit organizations who will be grateful to put those awards into good use and give you the receipts for your generous donations. Many savvy travelers understand the rules and use their points to redeem upgrades, hotel stays, car rentals and other benefits. www.premieretravel.com

Friday, June 15, 2012

Airlines: The On-Time Machine!

Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, and one of the most powerful lobbying organizations, today reported the best industry on-time performance in more than two years. However a closer look tells a somehow different story. Many airlines have engaged in the habit of padding their flight times so that they appear to be on-time. I was recently on a flight from Washington to Dallas/Ft. Worth. The flight time was listed at 3 hours and 2 minutes, wheels-up to wheels-down. While the flight did leave exactly on-time, we arrived in Dallas a whopping 35 minutes earlier than the scheduled arrival listed. Sometimes, the early arrival catches the ground crew and gates unprepared and the passengers would sit for a while waiting for the plane occupying the gate to free up the slot, or for the ground crew to arrive. While it is understandable that airlines have to account for air traffic control delays, weather and other factors, some flight times are comfortably padded that accurate and reliable information for the travelers are hard to come by. www.premieretravel.com

Friday, June 8, 2012

TSA Pre-Check

June 8, 2012 From United Airlines: TSA Pre-Screening Update United is partnering with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to deliver TSA Pre✓TM, an expedited secu rity screening program at several airports, with Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Los Angeles International (LAX) and Houston Intercontinental (IAH) starting this summer. The TSA Pre✓TM allows travelers to move through security with greater efficiency and ease when traveling on an itinerary wholly within the United States. Participants may enjoy benefits such as no longer removing the following items at the security checkpoint: shoes, 3-1-1 compliant bag from carry-on (all liquid restrictions still apply), light outerwear/jacket and belt. Full details of the TSA Pre✓™ program are available on the TSA website: www.tsa.gov Participating airports for United flights TSA pre-screening designated security checkpoints are currently located at the following airports. Additional locations may be added in the future. For the most updated information on participating airports, please visit www.united.com Airport Designated Security Checkpoint Open Date for United Passengers Chicago O’Hare International Airport Terminal 1 Late June 2012 Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport Terminal South Checkpoint June 2012* Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport South Pier Gates 10-22 June 2012* Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Lindbergh Terminal, Checkpoint 4 June 2012* Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Checkpoint 5 North June 2012* Portland International Airport ABC Checkpoint June 2012* *Expedited screening will only be available to customers who check in online, at a kiosk or via a mobile device. Customer Participation MileagePlus® members are invited to participate in this program by logging into their MileagePlus profile and updating their traveler information and preferences. This is a one-time sign up for United departures via www.united.com. Additionally, U.S. citizens currently enrolled in the Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI Trusted Traveler programs can also participate by providing their Known Traveler or PASS ID number. For more information on how to sign up for the program, customers can visit TSA Pre-screening Sign-Up and enter their MileagePlus number to sign in. Frequently Asked Questions Q. Can customers sign up for the program at the airport? A. Customers need to opt-in via united.com, and the process takes 24 hours to complete. Note: Members of a Known Traveler program can provide their Known Traveler/PASS ID number to an agent at the airport, however, opting in can only be done on united.com. Q. How will customers learn if they qualify for TSA Pre✓™ lane entry? A. Eligibility information is embedded in the barcode of the passenger’s boarding pass and detected by the TSA Security Checkpoint scanner. Customers should be directed to a TSA agent to scan the barcode to determine eligibility. Q. Where is the dedicated TSA Pre✓™ security lane located? A. Lane location will vary by airport and TSA will have signage. Q. Is enrollment in TSA Pre✓™ reciprocal among domestic carriers? A: No, current traveler participation is driven by TSA and requires personal data to be collected and shared with TSA. Enrollment information is not shared between carriers. Q. If customers are already signed up for TSA Pre✓™ with one carrier, are they able to use the expedited check points for other carriers in the U.S.? A. This is depends on the airline that generates the boarding pass. If the boarding pass was generated by United, the customer should be able to approach any TSA Pre✓™ checkpoint and see if he/she qualifies for that segment. Q. How will customers know which airports offer TSA Pre✓™? A. Customers can visit the TSA website at www.tsa.gov for the most up to date information

Monday, June 4, 2012

Air Wars: United loses Battle of Houston, Immediately Lays Off 1300

The hotly contested Houston battle between Southwest Airlines and United came to an end when the Houston City Council voted 16-1 in favor of allowing Southwest Airlines to start international routes from/to Houston Hobby Airport beginning in 2015. United Airlines did not respond kindly and immediately terminated the employment of 1300 workers at its hub at Bush Intercontinental, even though Southwest does not start operating for at least 3 years. In a statement, United explained why the pink slips were handed immediately: "Throughout the debate on the development of HOU (Hobby-Houston) as an international airport, United has made the point that a competing international airport at HOU would result in a diversion of passengers we carry today to Hobby. This would drive a reduction of 1,300 jobs at United and our partner airlines at IAH (roughly 800 jobs today and 500 jobs in the future). We expect to begin a 10 percent reduction in planned IAH capacity beginning with the fall 2012 schedule change. Some of you have asked, “Why so soon, if Southwest does not intend to fly international flights out of HOU until 2015?” Here’s why: There is a segment of our operation at IAH that is not profitable today. We have operated these flights expecting that future growth will improve the routes and make them profitable. As a result of the city’s decision to develop HOU as a competing international airport, the growth will not occur and, as a result, we will cut unprofitable flying in our schedule now rather than continue to lose money with no expectation of improvement. “These are the kind of tough decisions we make every day,” said Network SVP Greg Hart. “We have a responsibility to our investors and all of our employees to invest where we have the best opportunity of generating profits.” The changes would reduce current capacity at IAH by about 6 percent with reductions planned for several domestic and international markets. The other 4 percent of the 10 percent reduction in planned capacity will come as a result of not starting service that was part of our longer-term plan for IAH." www.premieretravel.com

Friday, June 1, 2012

United Airlines Revises Baggage Policy

United Airlines continues to streamline its policies, procedures and integration as part of "becoming United". Here's the latest: United will accept up to two pieces of checked baggage per person with a maximum weight of 50 pounds (23 kg) per bag and a maximum outside dimension of 62 inches (157 cm) per bag in exchange for the applicable service charges set forth below. Charges disclosed in the chart below apply to first and second checked bags. Additional checked bags, or any bags that exceed these allowable weights and dimensions, are subject to additional charges. Outside dimension of a bag is equal to the width, height and depth of the bag added together. Please review United’s Excess Baggage policy for further details. View baggage policy frequently asked questions. Connections and stopovers Checked baggage service charges apply at any point where bags are checked. For a trip that includes one or more connections, bags will be checked to your final destination, and the charge for checking a bag from your origin to your destination will apply. For a trip that includes a voluntary stopover, your bags will be checked to your stopover point, where you will collect your bags. When you resume travel, you may check your bags again, subject to applicable charges from the new point of check-in to the destination. Baggage service charge exceptions Some customers are exempt from certain checked baggage charges. Select “Baggage Service Charge Exceptions” above to view a chart with more details. Passenger status Maximum number of free checked bags Maximum weight per bag MileagePlus Premier® Silver Star Alliance® Silver MileagePlus Explorer Cardmembers OnePass Plus primary Cardmembers 1 50 lbs. Presidential PlusSM Cardmembers Full-fare United Economy® 2 50 lbs. MileagePlus Premier Platinum MileagePlus Premier Gold MileagePlus Premier 1K® Global ServicesSM Star Alliance Gold United First® United Business® United BusinessFirst® United Global FirstSM Active U.S. military personnel (leisure travel) 3 70 lbs. Active U.S. military personnel traveling on official business in United Economy 4 70 lbs. Active U.S. military personnel traveling on official business in a premium cabin 5 70 lbs. Customers traveling with MileagePlus Premier members or dependents traveling with active U.S. military personnel are also exempt from baggage service charges as indicated above, as long as they are traveling in the same reservation. This exemption will not apply to group reservations that include 10 or more customers. First and second checked bag service charges First and second checked baggage service charges apply for certain United Economy fares between the destinations indicated below, based on dates of purchase and travel. Charge amounts are shown in U.S. dollars (USD). Note: Baggage service charges shown below apply for ticketing and travel on or after June 1, 2012. Different charges may apply depending on the date your travel was purchased. Please see PDFs listed below for all other ticketing and travel dates. If you purchased tickets between July 15, 2011, and May 31, 2012, for travel on or after August 15, 2011, view the Pre-June 1, 2012, Checked Baggage Service Fee Chart. If you purchased tickets on or after June 1, 2011, but before July 15, 2011, for travel on or after July 1, 2011, or if you purchased tickets on or after July 15, 2011, for travel before August 15, 2011, view the Post-June 1, 2011, International Checked Baggage Service Fee Chart . www.premieretravel.com