CHICAGO, Sept. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, United Airlines announced PlusPoints, a new upgrade benefit for Premier Platinum and 1K members that creates more opportunities – and more freedom – for them to be upgraded on flights. Top tier members will receive a bank of points that they can use to upgrade on all flights across United's global network, where they previously would have used Regional Premier Upgrades (RPU) or Global Premier Upgrades (GPU). With PlusPoints, members will be able to access all upgrades through united.com or United's mobile app, two features that make managing upgrades easier and are unique to United. United is the only global U.S. airline that lets members request all upgrades without making a phone call.

"We're making it even easier for our Premier members to use upgrades when and how they want," said Vice President of Loyalty and President of MileagePlus Luc Bondar. "The new PlusPoints program increases the overall number of upgrade opportunities for top tier Premier members, expands the fare classes where they can be used, and lets members request upgrades on multiple flights all at once. We already make it easy for members to manage all of their upgrades online, and the move to PlusPoints is yet another way we are making MileagePlus the best loyalty program in the industry."

How PlusPoints Works

On December 4, United will replace Regional Premier Upgrades and Global Premier Upgrades with PlusPoints. Each RPU will be worth 20 PlusPoints and each GPU will be worth 40 PlusPoints. Members using one RPU today to upgrade from Economy to United First on domestic U.S. and North American flights will use 20 PlusPoints from their banks. A member using one GPU today to upgrade from Economy to United Polaris business class on international long-haul flights will use 40 PlusPoints.

More Flexibility to Request Upgrades

PlusPoints gives members more flexibility to decide how to use their upgrades and creates more opportunities for them to be upgraded. Starting in December, members can use their points to join upgrade waitlists on multiple trips, and points won't be deducted from their accounts until upgrades are confirmed. Spreading upgrade requests across multiple trips makes it more likely that one or more of their trips will be upgraded. Members will still be able to confirm upgrades at booking if space is available.

PlusPoints also makes upgrading to and from premium economy more flexible. Upgrading from Economy to United Premium Plus and from United Premium Plus to United Polaris business class will be possible for less than the value of one GPU.

Fewer Restrictions, More Options

PlusPoints offers members new options to request upgrades and gives them the ability to customize their travel experience. While RPUs were restricted to upgrades in select regions, PlusPoints can be used for any United flight. Additionally, Premier Platinum members will now receive enough PlusPoints to upgrade from Economy to United Polaris business class, while Premier 1K members will be able to upgrade from discounted Economy fares to Polaris. From time to time, United may also allow 1K members the opportunity to use additional PlusPoints to skip the waitlist and receive a confirmed upgrade at booking when traveling on select international long-haul flights, even when upgrade fare classes are closed.

Importantly, PlusPoints does not replace or change United's Complimentary Premier Upgrades benefit. In recognition of their loyalty, all Premier members will continue to be placed on upgrade waitlists for flights operated by United and United Express when available. For more information on PlusPoints visit http://mileageplusupdates.com/.

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 announced that luxury skincare line Sunday Riley will make products exclusively for United customers to experience in amenity kits, released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the airline industry, introduced ConnectionSaver, a new tool dedicated to improving the experience for customers connecting from one United flight to the next 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.

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 4,900 flights a day to 356 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 783 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 561 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 27 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 Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines

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