Those who are loyal to United Airlines will remember April 2017 as a particularly difficult month to be a United MileagePlus Premier flyer. From the entire United Flight 3411 situation, to scorpions on a plane, to one couple claiming they were removed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, it is a difficult time to be a regular aboard Chicago’s airline.
In the immediate aftermath, many social media users called for boycotts of United. In some ways, they worked: stock prices went down and the chief executive was forced into an apology tour. While some flyers may avoid flying the “friendly” skies for an indefinite amount of time, it is my hypothesis that United may ultimately be okay in the end. Here are two reasons why flyers will boycott United – and three reasons why they will not.
Why We Will Forget: Easy-to-earn United MileagePlus Miles
For years, United had one of the top-rated frequent flyer programs, MileagePlus. This claim is not without merit: MileagePlus miles are easy to accrue, were easy to redeem and could simply be earned by flying around the world. Between 2003 and 2012, MileagePlus won nine straight awards as the best North American frequent flyer program from Global Traveller Magazine, before earning honors once more in 2016.
Today, there are still plenty of different ways to earn United MileagePlus miles. From the United MileagePlus Explorer credit card, with the current 50,000 bonus miles offer for qualified accounts, to bonuses offered through the MileagePlus Mall and MileagePlus dining, there are more ways than ever for travelers to earn miles without stepping on an aircraft.
Of course, those miles are only useful if they can be put towards frugal travels. Unfortunately, many frugal travelers have experienced problems with doing just that.
Why We Won’t Forget: The Continual Devaluation of MileagePlus
Over the last three years, the airline has introduced many changes to the MileagePlus program. In 2014, United announced that Elite Qualifying Dollars would become an additional metric towards earning status. By 2015, United joined Delta Air Lines in basing earned miles base on ticket pricing.
In 2016, the airline restructured bonuses based around booking class. By the end of that same year, MileagePlus miles continued their downward spiral of devaluation with yet another award chart change.
Although MileagePlus miles can be easy to earn, many frugal travelers find limited ways to use them for domestic travel. As a result, many travelers (like me) may opt to no longer collect this currency, but opt for flexible points instead.
Even though United MileagePlus miles may be difficult to use for domestic travel, there is one good use for them in the bigger picture.
Why We Will Forget: Star Alliance
The original of the three major airline alliances, Star Alliance remains the largest and largest reaching carrier group in the world. With headquarters in Germany, the Star Alliance encompasses 27 airlines with flights to 192 countries.
Through the Star Alliance, frugal travelers can exchange their miles for international travels across carriers, including the luxurious premium cabins aboard foreign partners.
From Lufthansa to Singapore Airlines, many travelers opt to use their MileagePlus miles to fly in better first- and business class cabins at a better price than paying in cash.
Unless you live in a gateway city where United and their partners fly mainline flights, your challenge may include getting to your intermediate destination. This may require flying aboard a regional carrier.
Why We Won’t Forget: The Regional Carrier Conundrum
Nobody enjoys flying aboard regional carriers. These carriers, branded in the disguise of our favorite airlines, usually offer limited assistance when things go wrong and fly uncomfortably small aircraft. For many of us, getting to a mainline flight requires at least one flight on a regional carrier.
It is important to note that the UA3411 incident took place on a regional carrier, which could have contributed to the confusion and policy changes. Because of the difficulty of flying on regional carriers and the frustrations of small aircraft, many may switch their allegiances to carriers that offer less regional flights from their home airports.
Although the arguments for and against United seem even at this point, the carrier has one last argument that may aid it in the end: United Polaris.
Why We Will Forget: United Polaris
As Frugal Travel Guy saw in November 2016, United Polaris is the first major change to an American carrier’s premium product. Starting with the first United Polaris lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, the product shows the first dedication to a truly noteworthy premium product that can compete with international carriers.
In addition, the United Polaris product is not just limited to those flying aboard the carrier. Those on first class tickets aboard Star Alliance partners can also take advantage of the lounge’s many amenities. Because it is the first of its kind for a domestic carrier, the United Polaris lounge is an attractive advantage to keep bringing luxury flyers back.
At the end of the day, will United be worse off for the month of April 2017? While there have been short-term repercussions to face, the Chicago-based carrier may ultimately weather the public relations storm due to the pros outweighing the cons.
Will you continue to #BoycottUnited? Or will your travel plans remain unchanged? Let me know where you stand in the comments below!
Written by Frugal Travel Guy @ http://www.frugaltravelguy.com
Written by Frugal Travel Guy @ http://www.frugaltravelguy.com