Chicagoist: No Matter What They Do, United’s Frequent Flier Program is Still Bogus

rusting

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:54:59 -0600

With all due respect, the frequent flyer programs are supposed to be for exactly what they say... frequent flyers. Flying 25,000 miles a year isn't difficult so United's trying to entice people to earn their way up to Premier level to reap the rewards. That's the whole point of it, not to grant free flights to the average joe that flys twice a year, but for the guy that flys twice a week. I'm thrilled to see this back. I spent 160,000 miles on United aircraft last year so anything they can do for me is welcomed.

happygrl

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:58:12 -0600

I absolutely cannot stand Southwest. I've flown them once and will never do it again. Last Christmas, I flew to Florida and back within 72 hours. On the way there, my 1 checked bag didn't make it, but finally showed up the next day. On my way home, it took an additional 2+ hours to get my 1 bag off the plane, so my 2 1/2 hour flight + arriving 90 minutes early (4 hours total) turned into 6+ hours. Not to mention I live 15 minutes from O'Hare and the cost to get to Midway and back eats up all the savings. United, American, and US Airways have never lost my luggage.

Tower18

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:58:38 -0600

The only problem with Southwest is that if I fly to Florida or the west coast (1,000+ miles each way), I get the same amount of credit as if I flew to St. Louis. Then again, the threshold for rewards is much lower on Southwest, with only 16 one-way segments needed to claim a reward (even in my example, 16,000 is less than United's 25,000).