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Pass Travel UPDATE                    June 2, 2014

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1) Summer Travel Tips

         From the United Daily May 23, 2014

Summer is a busy travel season not only for our customers but also for our employees and retirees and their pass riders. In fact, nearly a third of the segments flown by pass riders last year were during the months of June, July and August.

To help you and your pass riders get the most out of your pass travel privileges this summer, follow these tips:

       Take advantage of our travel-related Employee discounts. We have discounts on hotels, car rentals, travel services and even cruises and attractions.

       International SOS provides employees and retirees with security and medical assistance in emergency and non-emergency situations while traveling. Carry the International SOS membership card with you at all times. You can print it from Flying Together or download the free app. You will need to know our membership number: 11BYCA000027.

       Use your myUAdiscount. Through this program, you can buy revenue-confirmed tickets with a 20 percent discount for system-wide travel in any cabin on United and United Express. These tickets must be purchased by clicking the link on the Travel tab on Flying Together; they cannot be purchased via mobile Flying Together.

       If you plan to travel to international locations, make back-up travel arrangements in advance through our Other Airline/Interline Travel program because high load factors may limit the number of pass riders who are cleared for our flights.

       When you need to access employeeRES or other Travel info on the go, use the mobile version of Flying Together available at https://flyingtogether.ual.com on your phone.

       Avoid violating our Pass Travel Guidelines and review these reminders for pass travel:

                Be Friendly. As representatives of United, employees and retirees and their pass riders should always treat one another with mutual respect in every interaction, whether in person, on the phone or via email.

                Leave your flip-flops in your bag. Travel attire when pass riding should allow you to feel comfortable yet should look neat and professional.

                Don't double book. Pass riders may not hold a confirmed reservation and a positive-space or space-available booking for the same routing for the same trip.

                Bring your documents. Make sure you and your pass riders have the Documents Required for Pass Travel for international locations to avoid detention and removal from the country along with costs and penalties for United.

                Pick your cabin. List for a flight based on how you or your pass riders want to fly, since stand-by pass riders will be cleared in boarding priority order for the cabin in which they listed. If you list for a first or business class seat and your first choice is not available, our system will automatically assign you to the best-available economy seat. Remember, if you list for economy but accept a seat in a premium cabin, you will be charged for the premium seat.

                Pick your priority. Once you check-in, you may not change your boarding priority within one hour prior to domestic flights and within two hours prior to international flights.

                Change of plans.

                Cancel bookings in employeeRES or mobileRES if your plans change. Listings are counted six to 12 hours in advance of departure time to determine how many premium cabin meals we will need to prepare for a flight. If you do not show up, we will needlessly board a surplus of meals that may be wasted. Also, if plans change and the accompanied pass rider is not traveling with their eligible, cancel the booking and rebook it properly.

                Not for sale. All travel passes and reduced-rate tickets are for leisure travel only and are not to be sold, bartered or used for personal gain or business purposes.

                Know your costs. You can view your pass travel service charges, fees and taxes in the Pass Travel Report in My Info/All About Me. The reports include all associated costs, so you will no longer need to estimate the pass tax withholdings.

Notes from RAFA on the above article:

            Depending on how you are viewing this Update, the links above may not work. Just in case, here are the paths to reach the information plus comments:

            Employee Discounts are here: FlyingTogether>Travel>Travel Discounts (in the center panel). Not all discounts apply to retirees; read each one carefully.

            International SOS is here: FlyingTogether>Travel>Travel Programs (in left panel). Retirees have limited coverage.

            My UA Discount is here: FlyingTogether>Travel>Travel Programs. Use the Book travel link to access United reservations; discount fares have a blue star symbol in the far right box that say promotional offer applied.

            Other Airline Travel is here: FlyingTogether>Travel>Travel Programs.  We recommend RAFA’s guide Other Airline Travel on our website (www.rafa-cwa.org).

            Pass Travel Guidelines are here: FlyingTogether>Travel>Travel Policies

           Bring your documents: see #2 below.

           Pick your cabin: Uniteds computer will downgrade pass riders from FC to Y; if downgraded on a three-class aircraft, ask gate agent for available BC seating.

           Pick your Priority means choose either a Vacation Pass or Personal Pass.

           Know your costs: The Pass Travel Report is still not working for most retirees. If it doesnt generate for you: Go to employeeRES>Quick Links> Feedback. The form will already have your file number and email address populated.  For the Subject field, choose Question.  In the comments box state you would like a Pass Travel Report and give a date range.  Then click on the Submit feedback button. Your report will be emailed in pdf format.


2) Submit Documents vs Bring Documents!

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Dont get confused; these are different types of documents.

1)  Submit:Before your pass riders can fly, copies of certain documents must be submitted to United Airlines to register them in “All About Me” (for example: proving domestic partnership status, birth certificates for new children, a marriage certificate for your new spouse). Note: No special documents are required to register Enrolled Friends. For more info, the “Document Options” pdf can found in the “View More Policies” link under Travel Policies (in the middle of the page) on FlyingTogether>Travel.

2)  Bring: Pass riders flying to international destinations must bring the same docs required of regular passengers (a valid passport and, if needed, valid visas). Additionally, there may special situations when space available passengers must have a Transit Visa when transiting certain countries. Pass riders have been detained when they dont have a transit visa and sometimes United gets fined. Pass riders do not have to submit copies of those special documents to United before travel, but they must bring them on their trip to not get “stuck” somewhere!  Find the “Documents Required for Pass Travel” pdf under Travel Policies (left panel) on the Flying Together>Travel page.


3) Flying Together vs United app

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Some retirees are confusing these; let’s review:

1)  Flying Togetheris United’s intranet website for employees/retirees; you must log in with your file number and password to get information about healthcare benefits, pass travel and to list for flights on employeeRES. Flying Together can be accessed on a home computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet by typing the following address into your internet browser: https://flyingtogether.ual.com. For quicker access next time, save it as a favorite bookmark or as an icon on your home screen.

2)  The United app is for the general public and can be downloaded to your smartphone and tablet. Retirees can check-in, view flight status, standby lists and seat maps without signing in. The information is updated in real time; an invaluable tool for standbys at the gate when passengers are being boarded. Go here: united.com>Travel Information>Mobile Tools.  Note: Theres no reason to sign into the United app unless you are a Mileage Plus member with a password to check your miles/rewards. Employees/retirees cannot list for standby flights using the United app.


4) Airline Friends Without Benefits?

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Retirees of airlines that are out-of-business (like Pan Am, Eastern, TWA, etc.) may be able to obtain space-available discount tickets from the Airline Retiree Pass Bureau on participating airlines (like Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian, US Air, etc.).  United is not a participating carrier and United retirees cannot buy Other Airline tickets thru ARPB, so RAFA has no further information or endorsement. However, your defunct-airline retiree friends-without-benefits may wish to visit ARPB’s website:  http://airlineretirees.com.


5) Recent news snippets from the United Daily (archive on Flying Together) .Use the “United Daily” link above, then scroll down to the date of the article you want to view.

         4/21:  AA removes FC from its 777s, adds more BC seats

         4/24:  UA reports first quarter 2014 loss of $609 million. Ouch.

         4/24:  UA begins daily 767s nonstop IAH-MUC (Munich)

         4/30:  State-of-the-art United Terminal B opens in Boston

         5/07:  DEN-PTY (Panama City) flights to begin in December

         5/09:  Daily 777 to fly SFO-HND (Haneda) in late October

         5/16:  Two of four runways closed at SFO until September

         5/22:  Seasonal service launched on 757 ORD-EDI (Edinburgh)

         5/23:  No more Doha, Qatar service after Aug 30th

         5/23:  Facilitated problem solving with NMB and AFA on joint contract

         5/28:  Possible GUM-PVG (Shanghai) flights in October on 737s

          

        

                    

Kirk Moore

Chairperson, RAFA Travel Benefits Committee                                               6/02/2014

CONTACT US

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