June 18th, 2017
RUPA Members: Happy Father’s Day!
Thanks to Kirk Moore (RAFA) for another comprehensive travel update!
Pass Travel UPDATE
In this issue:
ETC updated the Travel page
Baggage: space available, myUAdiscount & Basic Economy
More flights to Hawaii coming in December
Joint contract for Flight Attendants?
Order a Retiree Badge
Recent news from United
RAFA website
Bonus: myUAdiscount info from RUAEA
It may be easier to read this UPDATE on RAFA’s website:http://www.rafa-cwa.org/page-1836169
News: United HR has informed us they will schedule a conference call in the last week of July to respond to the retiree groups’ Pass Travel improvement suggestions.
1) ETC updated the Travel Page
On May 15th the Employee Travel Center made the FlyingTogether > Travel page easier to navigate.
What’s changed on the Travel Tab?
- The left navigation menu was revised to improve user experience and provide an intuitive menu to make it easier to find resources and information related to pass travel
- Advisories now have a short tagline and require users to click to read the full article
- More webpage content in addition to the pdf documents of the past
- Related information to the right of each page will include all useful information on that subject including supporting pdf documents, question and answers and other related policies
Visit the Travel tab and explore revised/improved left navigation menu items! Five dark blue tiles on the main page still take you to “Book a flight”, “Update pass riders”, “Pass Travel Report”, “Other airline/Interline travel” and “myUAdiscount”. Note the new myUAdiscount page has really been improved!
“Torgi’s Travel Tips” on page 5 of RUAEA’s July newsletter covers those five blue tile links in depth, especially the myUAdiscount page. An excerpt is included at the end of this UPDATE.
RAFA has updated our Important Links page page in the Travel Benefits section of our website to sync with the new FT > Travel page links. Check it out!
2) Standby, myUAdiscount, myUAdiscount-Basic Economy
Pass riders flying space available or traveling on myUAdiscount tickets have the following carry-on and checked baggage allowances.
Note: When purchasing a myUAdiscount Basic Economy fare only one personal item is allowed onboard (must fit under the seat). However, you are still eligible for two free checked bags and one of those can be a full-size carry-on that will be gate checked and put in the belly.
Tickets purchased on the customer United website or somewhere else are not myUAdiscount tickets and you will not eligible for the two free checked bags. To buy myUAdiscount tickets go to FlyingTogether > Travel > myUAdiscount or use the United app > Book a Flight (if your Mileage Plus number is linked to your employee profile in employeeRES).
Where do I sit?
Standby: available seats are assigned at the gate, in boarding priority order, according to the cabin you listed in.
myUAdiscount: select a confirmed seat when purchasing the ticket; upgrades to Economy Plus, FC or BF seats may also be available to purchase.
myUAdiscount Basic Economy: an Economy seat will be assigned at the gate (there is no guarantee your party will be seated together); upgrades to Economy Plus, FC or BF are not allowed.
3) More flights to Hawaii coming in December
As United celebrates its 70th anniversary in Hawaii this year we announce significant frequency upgrades effective Dec 20th from DEN, LAX, ORD and SFO.
DEN-KOA, DEN-LIH and DEN-OGG will become daily, year round.
LAX-ITO will increase to daily. LAX-KOA & LAX LIH increase to 2x daily. LAX-OGG increases to 3x daily.
ORD-OGG will increase to daily (except Tue/Wed)
SFO-KOA increases to 3x daily. SFO-LIH to 2x daily. SFO-OGG to 5x daily.
Current flights to HNL will continue from DEN & ORD (daily), LAX & SFO (5x daily).
UA also connects to HNL daily from IAH, EWR, IAD, GUM & NRT.
4) Joint Contract for Flight Attendants?
From Scott Kirby, UAL President
See his entire Wingspan blog article “Running the best airline in the country” HERE.
Completing flight attendant integration. The leadership team and I are truly sorry for how long this has taken to finish and wish that we could accelerate it even more. We recognize how difficult it’s been for you and how important it is for you to achieve all of the benefits of our new contract and to be on one common crew management system, with seniority that is accurate in every crew base without regard to UA or CO metal. Getting this integration done, and done well, is our highest priority. I’d like to thank the Joint Implementation Team (JIT) that is working diligently to make sure this is done right. And getting it right means ensuring software development properly implements the intent of the contract and includes thorough testing and training. This is why the JIT has been reviewing all 400-plus pages of the legal contract and making sure we all agree on the intent of such. This is a huge undertaking, and we will need to change 37 different systems that touch the flight attendant contract. For this, we’ve added more than 150 people dedicated to the completion of the joint collective bargaining agreement. We’d add even more if it could get us to the end game sooner, but, unfortunately, the training time for new people to learn the complexities of the systems and contract would just slow things down. Let’s look forward to a big celebration when this is done.
5) Order a retiree badge (Instructions are the same for pilots)
A United retiree badge is available to any eligible former employee currently receiving a post-employment benefit or pass travel privilege. The badge is intended to provide retirees with a tangible link to their former employer and supplement the Verification of Eligibility Letter when applying for any applicable discounts offered to United retirees. This badge is in no way mandatory nor is it required for pass travel. Please note: The badge cannot be used to go thru TSA checkpoints.
Retirees may only order the badge online through the “United Service Anywhere” self-service portal on Flying Together. “United Service Anywhere” or “USAW” can be accessed via the dark purple tile on the Employee Services page (it’s also scrolling across the Travel page). You can also go to employeeRES > Quick Links > EmployeeProfile > “Click here to obtain your Retiree Badge” which will redirect you to USAW (same link as above).
Once arriving on the USAW page, type “Order retiree badge” in the search box. Read the FAQ article or simply click on the green “Request Service” box to order.
First pay a $35 fee for the initial badge, payable thru PayPal.
To complete your order:
- Input your payment confirmation number from PayPal.
- Submit a passport size photo of yourself in jpeg format (on a light blue or off-white background).
- Submit a copy of your government issued ID for identity verification.
- The badge will be sent via FedEx; a signature is required for delivery.
To print a Verification of Eligibility Letter go to FlyingTogether > Book a Flight (employeeRES) > QuickLinks > EmployeeProfile > “Click here to obtain your Verification of Eligibility letter”. It’s in the “Saved EmployeeRES Information” box.
6) “Recent News” on Flying Together>News
Click the dark blue “Recent News” link above to see other stories.
Here are some you might like:
04/24: Manage your travel on the go
04/27: After flt 3411: How we fly, serve, respect
05/08: More flights, bigger aircraft from SFO
05/15: Improvements to the Travel Tab!
05/31: Enhanced Premium Transcon Service
06/01: LAX-SIN will set record as longest flight
06/02: BEST AIRLINE in the country!!!
06/08: Summer routes now flying: 13 new U.S. cities
06/13: Wounded Warrior Games coming to Chicago
06/13: More Hawaiian Flights
Here’s a 6/5/2017 New York Times article about summer flying:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/travel/what-to-expect-in-the-air-summer-planes.html?
7)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
8) BONUS: myUAdiscount ticket information from RUAEA
Many thanks to Kathie Torgison for permission to reprint this excerpt from “Torgi’s Travel Tips” on page 5 of the July 2017 RUAEA newsletter. Visit RUAEA here: https://www.ruaea.org
And who among us just doesn’t want to put up with the uncertainty of standby travel, especially as flights fill up faster and faster these days? Well, take heart because you have easy access to the myUAdiscount program—where a confirmed seat at 20% off the lowest applicable fare is just a few clicks away. It is applicable to all UA/UAX flights and your enrolled friends can use this program, too.
When you click on the link* you will first go to a page inside the FlyingTogether website which explains the program, shows who is and isn’t eligible to use the discount and explains that 2 checked bags are free, mileage plus miles accumulate, compensation for denied boarding is the same as for full-fare passengers and that all rules of the fare you select are applicable. You must then click the myUAdiscount box on the right side of the screen again to enter the actual booking site. There is no other way to obtain this discount!
Once you indicate your travel date, city pairs and the number of travelers, etc., you will be shown all the applicable fares. Note that each fare clearly shows the words “employee fare” above the fare amount so you can rest assured that your discount has been factored. The discount program applies to all fare classes (basic, economy, business and first class) and all fare levels (refundable and nonrefundable).
A great bargain to watch for these days is the new “basic economy” class. This fare type does not allow advance seat assignments (no guarantee your party will be seated together), no upgrades and no carry-on baggage except that which fits under the seat – and they mean it! But, remember that we are allowed to check up to 2 bags per person for free, so if you can live without your suitcase for a few hours, this inexpensive fare may be “just your ticket”.
*Access the myUAdiscount page via the blue tile on Flying Together > Travel.
Compiled by Kirk Moore, RAFA Travel Benefits Committee
June 16, 2017
Thank you Kirk!
