United Airlines is a major international airline headquartered in Chicago. It was founded in 1926 and has grown rapidly in the decades since. In 2010, United merged with the now defunct Continental Airlines to become the third largest airline in the world in terms of both fleet size and the number of routes it operates. The airline has eight major hubs across the US, with its busiest at Chicago-O’Hare Airport, operating flights to more than 200 domestic destinations and over 100 international airports spread across five continents. It is also a founding member of the world’s largest airline alliance, the Star Alliance, making it a great option to build air miles for frequent international fliers.
October 01, 2022
United Airlines' central hub is the O’Hare Airport in Chicago, with the company headquartered in the nearby Willis Tower. Its secondary hubs can be found in Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Washington, and Guam. As well as a strong U.S presence - with over 200 domestic locations available to passengers - United fly to 120 international cities across five continents. Popular destinations include New York, Cuba and Rio. United currently runs 4,500 + daily flights with an extensive fleet of 1,300 aircraft.
MileagePlus is the name of the frequent flyer programme for United Airlines and is free to join. Once you have signed up, you can earn points or miles by spending money with United Airlines or any of their partners. Purchasing flights is the primary way to do this – however, there are other ways, including booking hotels and restaurants and shopping with a United credit card. Points can then be spent on airfare, cabin upgrades or holiday experiences.
Regular flyers who build up enough points will start to move through the MileagePlus Levels. For example, the first level beyond basic membership is Premier Silver which gives eligible passengers complimentary checked-in cabin bags and priority boarding, among other perks. Unlike some frequent flyer plans, MileagePlus points never expire, offering flexibility about when you use them.
When you fly with United, there are seven different types of tickets.
Basic Economy
Seats allocated
Checked in bags start at $35
Carry on only allowed on transpacific and transatlantic flights
No flight changes
Last to board
Standard economy seating
Economy
Choose your own seats
Checked in bags start at $35
Complimentary carry on
Flight changes allowed
Standard main cabin seating
United Plus
Choose your own seats
Checked in bags start at $35
Complimentary carry on
Flight changes allowed
Priority boarding
Additional leg room
* On certain United flights upgrades to Premium Plus are available, which include premium seating and complimentary beverages and food.
United Business Class (transcontinental, Latin America and the Caribbean) / First Class (domestic flights)
Choose your own seats
Two checked in bags
Complimentary carry-on
Priority boarding
Extra legroom in reclinable, leather seats
Charging point
Wide range of entertainment services
Premium food and beverages
United Polaris
Polaris is United’s premium offering for long-haul journeys, which, although described as a business class proposition, is the highest level of service they have on offer.
Choose your own seats
Two checked-in bags
Complimentary carry-on
Lie flat seats
Charging point
Private entertainment screening and noise-reducing headphones
Restaurant quality cuisine and beverages
First people to board
All United passengers can bring one personal item as standard, such as a rucksack.
Basic Economy
Basic economy passengers are only allowed to bring an additional carry-on bag if they are flying to South America, or on a Trans-Atlantic / Trans-Pacific flight. Any other passengers bringing a carry-on will need to pay the checked bag fee. If they need to pay at the gate, it costs an additional $25.
Economy and United Plus
Economy and United Plus passengers can check in up to two check in bags, standard fees apply.
First and Business Class / Polaris
First, business class and Polaris passengers can bring two complimentary checked-in bags
Standard Fees
First bag - $35
Second bag - $45
Third bag - $150
Fourth bag - $200
Overweight bags
Bags above 23kg are chargeable as overweight
Bags between 23kg and 32kg - up to $200 (Fees vary depending on destination)
Bags between 32kg and 45kg - up to $400 (Fees vary depending on destination)
Bags over 45kg will not be accepted
Oversized bags
Bags between 63 and 115 linear inches - $200 - $400 (Fees vary depending on destination)
Bags above 115 linear inches will not be accepted
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