Triangle Trip

United is trying to win back more and more customers like us… I just got an email from United telling me that they will be removing the last minute (“close-in”) award processing fees effective July 30, 2009.  The award travel processing fees were $100 if you booked an award ticket within seven days of departure, and $75 for 7 to 21 days prior to departure.

Here’s the link to the official press release:  United Puts the Easy Back Into Using Frequent Flyer Miles, Eliminates Fee

This is United’s attempt to get its customers to use up their miles and so United can clear its balance sheet of people holding onto airline miles.  We should take advantage of this opportunity and burn up some miles.  This new policy does not eliminate the co-pay for upgrade (see previous post).  Delta need to follow suit as they are notorious with award booking fees.

Why I fly United I still don’t know.  It’s probably because every other domestic airline sucks too.  This is anti-anti-trust!

United has quickly follow through with its EQM offer (see original post) by applying my double and triple Elite Qualifying Miles to my Mileage Plus account in less than four weeks. See my statement from July 7, 2009:

United’s EQM offer ended June 15, 2009, and United stated at the start of the promotion that it will need 4 to 6 weeks to credit everyone’s account. I have seen promotions like this in the past where the airlines or hotels would take the maximum time to apply the bonus credits to you account.

I would have to praise UAL for their swift response to crediting my (hopefully others as well) Mileage Plus account. As a lowly Premier Exec, I guess now I will have to compete against 1,000,000 more 1K and Global Service members trying to board the plane and flight for overhead space.