Pass Travel UPDATE                      July 11, 2018

        1)  Did you miss crucial information from the ETC?

        2)  Lesson learned from EF enrollment

        3)  Travel with “Friends” on Other Airlines

        4)  Tips for New Flying Together website

        5)  RAFA’s website

1) Did you miss crucial information from the ETC?

        Some retirees may not have received important messages from the Employee Travel Center because their email addresses on file are not correct, their mailboxes were “full" or their email security settings did not allow the messages through.

         Make sure the email address you have on file with United is correct!  There are two places to confirm it on Flying Together (check both):

           1) Go to ft.ual.com > Travel > employeeRES > Quick Links > Employee Travel Profile > "Saved employeeRES information" box.

           2) Go to ft.ual.com > Employee services > “Health and insurance YBR”.  Then go to “Your Profile” (in the very top menu) > “Personal Information”.  Make certain your permanent mailing address and phone number are also correct in YBR since United uses that data to contact you about healthcare benefits. 

Ideally your email address should match in both locations above.

        Alternatively, you can submit a request through Help Hub (link: helphub.ual.com) and the Employee Travel Center will add you to their YBR list for email updates.  

        If the ETC’s messages went into your spam or junk folder, add "donotreply.etc@united.com” to your address book.  That way future emails from the ETC will not be routed to your junk or spam folder.

        Even if YOU received the emails from the ETC (in June) about Pass Travel Enrollment for Retirees, please share the above information with other eligible retirees who did not. By the way, if your retiree friends want to join a retiree organization, here’s a link to a page on Flying Together that lists them: 

https://ft.ual.com/employee-services/recog/retirements/retireeresources

 2) Lesson learned from EF enrollment

        Some retirees could not add a new Enrolled Friend during June enrollment because their travel profile in the Dependent Management System (DMS) had too many inactive EF names (max allowed is 4). 

Solution:  If you have an available empty slot(s) to add an enrolled friend but do not see “Enrolled Friend” in the drop down menu, first remove “INACTIVE" EF(s) by clicking the purple “i” button to the left of their name. Then click “Remove Dependent” on the screen that appears below. Now add a new EF to your DMS by clicking the blue “+” sign and follow the 5 steps to “certify” them.  Keep in mind, it can take up to 24 hours before their name appears in employeeRES to be eligible for travel – so plan ahead.

Your “DMS” is accessed via ft.ual.com > Travel > Manage pass riders. 

The enrollment period for EFs for the January 1 – June 30, 2019 travel period is open through December 28^th (until 11:59 p.m. CT). The ETC will remind retirees in December to take action if changes are needed like they did in June.

Helpful resources from the ETC:

• Visit our Pass Travel Enrollment for Retirees page: https://ft.ual.com/travel/passriderslandingpage/retireepasstravel/pass-travel-enrollment-for-retirees                          
• NEW! View a how-to video on how to elect your enrolled friend(s) for the next travel period (scroll down to "External Video" after Questions and Answers): https://ft.ual.com/travel/passriderslandingpage/retireepasstravel/pass-travel-enrollment-for-retirees                              
• Read a user guide (pdf) with step-by-step instructions on how to elect your enrolled friend(s) for the next travel period: https://ft.ual.com/-/media/ual_intranet/documents/travel/pass-travel-enrollment-for-retirees-user-guide.pdf?la=en                  
• Read Questions and Answers, scroll down page:                             https://ft.ual.com/travel/passriderslandingpage/retireepasstravel/pass-travel-enrollment-for-retirees

Still have a question? Use Help Hub  (link: helphub.ual.com) to find answers to commonly asked questions and to submit requests to the Employee Travel Center.

3) Travel with Friends on Other Airlines

United retirees enjoy excellent Enrolled Friends privileges but we are not eligible for “buddy passes”. However, as Capt. Pat Palazzolo of RUPA points out, we can travel space-available with our friends as “Star Companions" on 11 Star Alliance Airlines!  Your “friends” can be anyone (your mother-in-law or your yoga instructor or your Enrolled Friends). To buy tickets for yourself and your friends visit ft.ual.com > Travel > “Other airline interline travel”, then go to “myIDtravelPurchase”. Note: “friends” are referred to as “Travel Partners” on myIDtravel and you must accompany them on all segments. 

You may also accompany your registered Enrolled Friends on Hawaiian Airlines.

But first read Pat’s article here:

http://www.rafa-cwa.org/resources/Documents/Pass%20Travel/2018_0701_Pat_P_Travel_Partners.pdf

Thank you, Pat!

Also, there are step-by-step instructions here: RAFA’s guide to Other Airline travel. Read step #5.

4) Tips for New Flying Together website.

The cut-over to United’s new Flying Together website took place on May 29, 2018.  

1. You still sign in with your six digit uID number (ex: u123456) and password. Remember, your password must be updated every 90 days. Can’t log in? Call the IT Desk: 800-255-5801 or click “Employee” underneath “Password Help” on Flying Together.
2. All Pass Travel information is still in the “Travel” section and it’s located in new tabs and menus within that section.  Click around to discover them!

Here is a guide by Kathie Torgison in the July 2018 RUAEA newsletter that will help retirees navigate the new  Flying Together website:

http://www.rafa-cwa.org/resources/Documents/Pass%20Travel/2018_0701_July_Torgy_Travel_Tips.pdf

Thank you, Kathie!

RAFA recently updated all of our “Important LINKS” page (including handy phone numbers). Below each link is the path we took, so you can more easily navigate the new menus of the Travel section.  For example: FT > Travel > Programs and policies > Types of travel > (look in fly out menu "In this section") > "Preparing for travel" is the path to find out everything “you need to know before you go”. Read about how to book travel, proper attire, service charges, refunds, etc. in “Preparing for travel”.

Check out RAFA’s links here: http://www.rafa-cwa.org/page-1831807

Click a link and then sign into FT. Once you’re signed in, RAFA’s links will take you straight to the topic you’re looking for. Try using the paths to find it yourself. Happy hunting!  Note: pathways will be slightly different when viewing Flying Together on smartphones and tablets.

5) 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 & more.

For other Pass Travel Topics: Previous Travel UPDATES

Compiled by Kirk Moore, RAFA Travel Benefits Committee             July 11, 2018