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Pass Travel UPDATE                              June 27, 2013   

       

1) Retiree photo ID badges may now be ordered

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         A United retiree badge may assist in obtaining discounts at hotels, FedEx shipping, rental cars, etc. These badges have no expiration date, are not valid for use in TSA security lines and they cost $35 via PayPal. Note: The new retiree badges are NOT required for pass travel. Your government issued I.D. such as a driver’s license, state I.D. or passport is acceptable. 

To order a retiree badge go to FlyingTogether > employeeRES >Quick Links > Employee Profile. In the middle of the page, look for “Click here to obtain your Retiree Badge.” Follow the instructions on the badge ordering page.

1) Pay via “PayPal” (you do not need to open a PayPal account to obtain a badge)

2) Send an email to the Badging Office with the requested information and attach a jpeg passport type picture of yourself (against a light blue or off white background) and a jpeg of your government issued ID (take a digital picture of your driver’s license or passport). Kinkos or the UPS Store may help with jpeg photos.

3) Upon receipt of payment and processing, the badge will be sent to your address in 7-10 business days via FedEx.

Retirees may receive eligible discounts using a Verification of Eligibility letter, printed from the same section of employeeRES >Quick Links > Employee Profile page.

Employee/Retiree discounts are found by clicking on the Employee Discounts link on the Travel tab of Flying Together.  Note: some discounts apply to employees only, so read carefully!

                  Have questions about retiree badges? There’s a link to a Q&A at the bottom of the badge ordering page on employeeRES or send the Badging Office an email at badging@united.com.


2)  FC full, given a seat in Y?  Ask agent for BC!!

                 

         Currently, there is no SHARES automation to downgrade a pass rider from first class to business class when first class is not available.  This function is performed manually by the gate agents and applies to revenue customers as well as pass riders. If first class is full, and you have been given a seat in economy, kindly ask the gate agent if seats are available in business class.

 

3)  Boarding priority codes are listed

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         A Boarding Priority Chart has been published as a pdf on Flying Together > Travel > Travel Policies > Boarding Priority Chart. Look under Travel Policies in the LEFT PANEL of the Travel page. The chart should answer many questions retiree pass riders have about the PS codes they see on the rider list. Codes for jumpseat travel will be added soon. If you see pass riders boarded in improper order send complete details as soon as possible to etc@united.com.


4) Not comfortable with employeeRES? Call the UPL: 866-359-2737

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         Retirees are encouraged to use employeeRES or mobileRES to list; its the best way to look at passenger boarding totals (PBTs), pass rider lists, etc. 

However, if using the computer is just too complicated, or you dont have access to one, call the United Pass Line to make travel listings. 

Note: The six-digit password is your birth date in the mmddyy format, for example 071755.  Keep in mind, theres a $25 booking service fee per passenger  to make a new listing, change an existing listing to a different routing, switch pass types (personal pass to vacation pass or vice versa), or to change passengers. Its free if you want to simply change the date and or times using the same city pairs to an existing reservation.  

To save money when using the UPL, make round-trip reservations instead of two separate listings. If you make separate listings, you will be charged $25 per person for the outbound ($50 if two passengers are traveling) and another $25 per person when you call to list for your return flight (another $50 if two passengers are traveling), thats a total of $100!  By making a round trip listing, you will be charged the $25 booking service fee per person for the entire trip, a total of just $50. 

Better yet, learn to use employeeRES and/or mobileRES to list for free using a computer, Smartphone, or tablet. There are step-by-step tutorials (in either pdf format or as videos) in “WebEx Sessions & Reference Guides”, located in the left panel under Travel on the Travel tab of Flying Together.


5) Recent news snippets from the United Daily (archive on Flying Together)

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         6/19: 10 more 787 are ordered, including stretched models.

         6/14: Boeing A-350 has maiden flight; we have 25 on order.

         6/10: 787 service DEN-NRT-DEN is launched.

         6/07: Seasonal flying announced, including ORD-SNN.

         6/05: TSA drops plans to allow knives onboard.

         5/31: Economy pax boarded in WilMA order (window, middle, aisle).

         5/03: New uniforms for inflight & airport ops debut on JUNE 24th.


 6) Board date and YOS now calculated in days/months/years    

                 

         See item #1 in the RAFA April 18th update.

         Other items in that update are: #3) imputed taxes, #4) dont be late to the gate, #5) gate agents using Aero, #7) call 800-255-5801 for log-in issues on Flying Together and #11) the latest apps for airline travel.


7) Pass Travel questions?  Get answers

                 

         A new email system and better specialization have improved response times from the ETC (Employee Travel Center). However, beforecontacting them, you may be able to answer your own question on the Flying Together or RAFA websites. Heres how:

         1) Go to FlyingTogether>Travel (https://flyingtogether.ual.com/web/travel.jsp).

Look for the topic youre asking about (enrolled friends, vacation passes, etc). An overview of programs and policies is here: FlyingTogether>Travel>TravelPolicies>View More Policies. Some people have found it faster and more convenient to simply ASK ALEX. On the FlyingTogether>Travel page (in the right panel) just click on Ask Alex for help, then type the topic into the box. Alex has had over 200,000 hits since launching a year ago and shes getting smarter all the time.

         2) Watch a WebEx Session (in the left panel on the FlyingTogether>Travel page) either in video or pdf format about listing (creating a travel plan) on United using employeeRES or about buying Interline eTickets via ID90T.

         3) Visit the Travel Benefits page on the RAFA website to find links/phone contacts or to read the new pass travel summary, specific articles and past updates.

         4) Email the Employee Travel Center at etc@united.com.  Their new email system tracks keywords and routes your message to one of 18 specialists. Right after the new policy was implemented the ETC was swamped with thousands of questions, often taking weeks to reply. Now you can expect a reply in 24-48 hours.  If you report an incident that happened at an airport, your email will be acknowledged by the ETC and your details will be sent to the appropriate area for internal handling.  Due to the nature of confidentiality between a manager and their employee, you will not receive a final outcome response.  But be assured your report will be forwarded.  

         5) Still have a question? Call the ETC: 877-324-5555, option 5, option 5. Tell them youre a United retiree and ask away.  They are open Monday thru Friday from 8am to 5pm CST and closed on Company holidays.

         6) Finally: go to your RAFA meetings! The SFO council had a two-hour Pass Travel Seminar for retirees at their last meeting and the SEA council has held several seminars with rave reviews. RAFA members receive emails from their councils; make sure your council has your latest email address so youre in the loop!  More info is on the RAFA website (http://www.rafa-cwa.org).


Compiled by Kirk Moore, RAFA Travel Benefits Committee                      06/27/2013

CONTACT US

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RAFA-CWA
PO Box 135
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info@rafa-cwa.org

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