MileagePlus Crowned Best Airline Reward Program in the Americas by FlyerTalk Community

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Mar 29, 2019, 15:47 ET

CHICAGO, March 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- United's MileagePlus loyalty program was recognized as the Best Reward Program of any airline in the Americas by FlyerTalk, an online community of frequent travelers who participate in an annual survey to determine the best travel programs and benefits. Voters also named the complimentary Economy Plus upgrades that MileagePlus Premier members enjoy the most "Outstanding Benefit" of any airline program in the Americas.

"What is especially meaningful about the FlyerTalk Awards is that they come directly from frequent, experienced travelers. We are proud of the recognition this community has given MileagePlus and the benefits we provide to our members," said Luc Bondar, United's president of MileagePlus and vice president of Loyalty.

United offers the most award destinations of any U.S. carrier between United and Star Alliance award flights, which serve over 1,300 destinations in more than 190 countries. MileagePlus members earn award miles by flying United, United Express, Star Alliance airlines or other airline partners, and by purchasing products or services from partners around the globe. Members can use these miles to access unique opportunities across the travel journey, including air travel, hotel stay, car rentals, and one-of-a-kind experiences money can't buy through MileagePlus Exclusives.

United continues to enhance its MileagePlus program, offering members new ways to earn and redeem miles as well as increased benefits. Recent highlights include:

The launch of the new United MileagePlus Explorer Card, which now offers an expanded 2 miles per $1 spent on hotel accommodations and restaurant purchases in addition to 2 miles per $1 spent on purchases with United, plus travel benefits and inflight a discount on inflight wi-fi, food and drinks.
Recent enhancements to the industry-leading MileagePlusX app to enable more ways for members to earn and use miles every day while shopping or dining.
Continued expansion of MileagePlus Exclusives, allowing members to use miles on unique and memorable experiences with a VIP touch across a wide range of mileage levels.
Greater opportunities to use miles starting as low as 1,000 for e-gift cards.
A new boarding process for all customers, allowing Premier 1K and Premier Gold members to board in an earlier group.

Every customer. Every flight. Every day.

In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers' best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today's announcement, United recently released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the airline industry and made DIRECTV free for every passenger on 211 aircraft, offering more than 100 channels on seat back monitors on more than 30,000 seats. The multimillion-dollar investment in improving inflight entertainment options will benefit the more than 29 million people expected to fly United's DIRECTV-enabled planes this year.

About United

United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,800 flights a day to 353 airports across five continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 770 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 559 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines