Pass Travel UPDATE June 17, 2016
In this issue:
- Updated “Other Airline Travel” page
- myUAdiscount tips
- Get “linked” for easier pass riding
- Go mobile!
- Trip Planning:Europe
- Travel Insurance
- Recent news from United
1) Updated: “Other Airline Travel” page on RAFA
Is United oversold or doesn’t fly where you want to go? Buy ZED tickets on Other Airlines! View RAFA’s updated Other Airline Travel page: “4 Steps to Worldwide Travel”.
2) myUAdiscount tips
Gotta get there on time? Can’t risk flying standby? Get a confirmed seat, Mileage Plus credit, 2 free bags, and 20% off full revenue! Read the tips:
a) Before buying myUAdiscount, check Expedia, SeatGuru, etc. to see what other carriers are charging forthe same route. Remember, you get 2 free bags on myUAdiscount.
b) Purchase via the Flying Together>Travel>myUAdiscount tab. Read about program, then click the little blue “Book” link to be sent to united.com. If you don’t use the blue “Book” link you won’t get the 20% off. You and your pass riders can buy these tickets.
c) During your flight search, open “My search preferences” and select “United and United Express only”. There is NO discount on other airlines.
d) If the prices do not say “Employee Fare” or have a blue star, you’re not getting the discount; be sureyou used the little “Book” link.
e) Check prices far in advance; they may be cheaper 2-3 days out or sometimes 24 hours beforedeparture; costs can change by the minute.
f) Fare rules apply to your ticket: free changes are only allowed for 24 hours following purchase; beware of hefty change fees after 24 hours.
g) There are no free upgrades, but you can purchase an Econ+ seat (usually cheaper when selecting your seat on the seat map). You may also buy a FC seat, if available.
h) NEVER buy a myUAdiscount ticket and list for standby on the same flight, you will lose your pass travel privileges.
i) Definitely sign up for Mileage Plus (it’s free), you will accrue miles! And then link your MP account number with employeeRES…see #3 below.
j) If your flight is delayed/cancelled you are entitled to compensation/lodging just like a real person!
3) Get “Linked”for easier pass riding with the United app
Notes from RAFA:
a) Everyone (employees, retirees, the general public) can use the United app; download it for free from the app store or via united.com/.
b) To enjoy the full travel experience of the app for pass-riding, link your MileagePlus number in employeeRES first. Be sure your name on your MP account matches your name that’s in employeeRES. Don’t have a MileagePlus account? It’s also free! Join here.
c) Watch an exclusive sneak peek video on how to list for space available flights using the app, which will be released later this month: Go to FlyingTogether>Travel>”United app & Pass Travel” (in the left column) or click here.
Published in the United Daily 6/10/2016:
Get ready: Use the United app for all your travel needs
Coming soon, you’ll be able to use the United app for your full employee travel experience at your fingertips while on-the-go.
You can already use the United app to check in and view boarding passes, boarding totals, seat maps and the standby list. When we launch enhanced features later this month, you’ll be able to book and manage positive space, space available and myUAdiscount travel flights and much more! We’ll provide more details when the enhanced features launch.
To take advantage of these great new features on the app, we encourage you to link your MileagePlus number to your u-ID if you already haven’t done so. Linking the two numbers allows the app to identify you as an employee/retiree and provide you with employee travel features. To link these numbers, simply go to employeeRes > Quick Links > Employee Profile and add your MileagePlus number to your profile. The linkage can take up to 24 hours to process, so we’re giving you advance notice so you can take advantage of the new features as soon as it’s available. If you don’t have a MileagePlus account, you can sign up for one for free on united.com.
Stay tuned for more information, and in the meantime, read our Q&A and quick reference guide on the Travel tab’s United app and Pass Travel page. Soon a chart will be posted on that page to show the benefits.
4) Go mobile!
This is an updated article from the August 2014 RAFA Pass Travel UPDATE
Whether you’re pass riding, flying confirmed on myUAdiscount or using a ZED ticket on another airline; utilize your mobile devices to buy/list, check-in and make changes to all your air travel on-the-go.
“Recently I went to Europe and was able to buy ZED tickets on Lufthansa from Italy to Sweden via Germany, and list for my return flight on United, AMS-IAH-SFO, all on my iPhone using the FlyingTogether “full site” and my credit card; cool!”……SFOSW retiree
Can you do that? Nope? OK, lets review:
1) Employees & retirees use United’s intranet website,“FlyingTogether”.
2) The general public uses United’s public website,“united.com”.
3) Everyone can download the United Airlines app to their mobile devices.
To book a flight, we normally use the "Flying Together” website (it requires a u-ID and password). The web address (url) for "Flying Together” is:
https://flyingtogether.ual.com
Using a computer: If you type that address into your computer’s browser (Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc) it will take you to the FlyingTogether “full site”.
The “Travel" tab has everything you need to know about pass travel (programs, policies, tutorials). You can buy discounted confirmed seats (myUAdiscount) and buy Other Airline (ZED) tickets on the Travel tab. Use “employeeRES” to list/pre-pay for standby flights on United.
Using a smartphone/tablet: If you type the address https://flyingtogether.ual.com into the browser on your mobile device it will take you (after password entry) to a different version of Flying Together called "FT Mobile”, which is simpler and easier to navigate on smaller screen.
One option on the “FT Mobile” menu is the Travel tab; click on that and you’re taken to “mobileRES” (a simplified version of employeeRES for UA pass travel designed for mobile devices). There you can check loads, list and check-in for United flights*.
*Important note when using mobileRES: you cannot list for any United flight that incurs service charges, departure taxes or customs fees because mobileRES does not accept credit cards. Likewise, mobileRES cannot be used to buy myUAdiscount tickets or tickets on Other Airlines (credit card needed). However, at the very bottom of the mobileRES screen is a link to “Full Site”; click on that to go to the full "Flying Together" website.
You may list and pay for United flights with service charges/taxes/fees using your mobile device by accessing employeeRES via the “Full Site”.
You can buy Other Airline tickets and myUAdiscount tickets using a smartphone/tablet on the “Full Site”. Go to the “Travel” tab, “Travel Programs”, then go to the "Other Airline" or “myUAdiscount" page.
When using a computer you should bookmark the Flying Together website so you don’t have to type the address into your browser again, although you will still log-in every time. If you don’t know how to bookmark a website in your computer’s browser, ask a kid or Google it.
When using a smartphone or tablet you should create a shortcut icon that appears on your home screen so you don’t have to type the url address for FlyingTogether or mobileRES into your browser again. If you don’t know how to do that on your mobile device, ask Google.
Finally…there’s the award-winning United Airlines app; it’s an excellent application for mobile devices and especially for MileagePlus members. It can be downloaded for free from the app store or via united.com>Travel Information>Mobile tools.
s When pass traveling, it’s very smart to have the United Airlines app on your device. Not only can you check-in for flights and keep your boarding passes in the app, it updates the standby list and seat chart in real time as the aircraft is being boarded. Once linked with your MileagePlus account in employeeRES, the app will automatically transfer any bookings onto the app. As of July 1st we can now book and manage all space-available and myUAdiscount travel, including pre-payments with credit cards…sweet! Remember, downloading the app and joining MileagePlus are both free and you must be linked first to be able to take full advantage of the app’s capability.
5) Trip Planning: Europe
We can pass-ride on United to Europe practically for free, but flying back to the USA is another matter. Departure taxes vary radically by city. For example: a family of four will pay about $650 in taxes ex-LHR; if they flew home from Stockholm the taxes would be $72, a savings of $578 (that’s a lot of croissants, cappuccinos, wine or pints!).
Look up departure taxes in employeeRES>QuickLinks>Pass Calculator.
Here are some examples: Taxes per person (estimated): ex-LHR $164, ex-CDG $105, ex-FRA $94, ex-MUC $78, ex-ZRH $37, ex-FCO $35, ex-AMS $27, ex-BCN $25, ex-ARN $18. Plan your trip accordingly, but bear in mind some stations only have one flight to the USA per day versus London/FRA with many flights (if you get bumped).
6) Travel insurance?
RAFA members recently sent in this information that you may find useful:
“We mainly buy travel insurance for medical coverage since Medicare only covers emergency room and urgent care center visits while overseas. Since we have a HMO plan, Medicare only covers emergency room or urgent care centers when we are out of our home area.
We purchased the Allianz Travel Insurance last year for our extended trip to South America and other places. It cost $498 and good for one year for travel anywhere in the world. Filed a medical claim and they paid promptly.
We purchased the ID90 Travel Insurance (issued by Travelex) this year for our trip to Greece (did not plan to do much traveling outside the US for the rest of 2016). It cost $56 for the two of us and was only good for the one trip. Checked with Travelex and they said the max trip time covered is 180 days. This plan is designed for non-revenue travelers.
Mileage Plus also has travel insurance through Allianz. Went on-line and got a quote, two people for 90 days cost $964”.
7) “Recent News” on Flying Together>News
Click the “Recent News” link above and scroll to the date posted to read each story in detail
05/20: Route exits, suspensions for summer/fall
05/25: LOS svc to end; 787 going to Tel Aviv
06/02: New Polaris Business Class: Wow!!
06/06: Upgrading pre-arrival and mid-flight snacks
06/08: Oscar shares New Spirit of United; watch video.
06/09: Summer schedule changes in June; new markets, up gauges
06/10: Use United app for all your travel needs
06/13: Polaris showcase to visit LAX, SFO, DEN, EWR, IAD and IAH
06/13: Oscar’s message about Orlando tragedy
Have you seen our RAFA website?
Check out the Travel Benefits tab here: http://www.rafa-cwa.org
Read the Pass Travel Program Summary, helpful links, phone numbers and more.
For other Pass Travel Topics: Previous Travel UPDATES
Compiled by Kirk Moore, RAFA Travel Benefits Committee June 17, 2016