United Adds 10 International Destinations for 2027

United continues to expand international flight choices and announced this week they are adding 10 new destinations around the world.

Press Release: https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125479

Route	Start Date	Frequency	Aircraft
San Francisco (SFO) – Okinawa (OKA)*	Mar. 27	3x Weekly	Boeing 777-200ER
Newark (EWR) – Luxembourg (LUX)*	Apr. 2	Daily	Airbus A321XLR
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Toulouse (TLS)*	Apr. 26	Daily	Airbus A321XLR
Newark (EWR) – Ljubljana (LJU)*	May 12	4x Weekly	Boeing 767-400ER
Newark (EWR) – Olbia (OLB)	May 27	3x Weekly	Boeing 767-300ER
Newark (EWR) – Catania (CTA)	May 28	4x Weekly	Boeing 767-300ER
Newark (EWR) – Ibiza (IBZ)*	May 31	4x Weekly	Airbus A321XLR
Newark (EWR) – Valencia (VLC)*	Jun. 2	3x Weekly	Airbus A321XLR
Newark (EWR) – Marseille (MRS)*	Jun. 4	Daily	Airbus A321XLR
Newark (EWR) – Terceira (TER)*	Jun. 9	3x Weekly	Boeing 737 MAX 8
* United is the only U.S. airline to fly nonstop from the U.S. to this city.

I continue to be impressed by United's willingness to try new locations - American and Delta just don't seem to prioritize similar offerings (and may not be able to based on market, locations, and passenger demand).  

30th Reunion Fun

I made it back home this last weekend for my 30th high school reunion - it was fun and I had a chance to catch up with so many friends.  There's never enough time and I hope there are opportunities to get together again soon.  Kudos to Kristie for planning a great evening!

My trip back home was not the best - two cancellations required a drive to O'hare just to get to my connecting plane.  United didn't do a great job for this trip.  Notifications and updates were poor at MSN and I even received a flight cancel 'retraction' which was a first.

MileagePlus Dining Offer for Extra Miles

I received the following offer today to earn an additional 2x bonus miles through Mileage Plus Dining:

Dine at participating restaurants through August 13, 2026 and review your experiences.

Did anyone else get it? 

United/Jetblue Partnership Adds Reciprocal Perks

JetBlue announced that reciprocal perks on United are starting this week for Mosaics:

More information can be found here: https://www.jetblue.com/jetblue-united

Spring Trip to Stockholm!

I just returned from a spring trip to Stockholm with mom!  She selected the country although it also worked out for me as it was my first time visiting Sweden.  The weather was perfect and we were able to walk nearly 25 miles over the five days!  Tickets via Lufthansa/United were very reasonable ($679) and we didn't have any fuel cancellations (thankfully). 

Landing to Stockholm is very straightforward although the new EU EES system was a bit of a mess - the kiosks were not all working and lines were not organized.  Once we did the initial checkin we still had to get another round of fingerprints at the gate?  Seems inefficient.  The Arlanda Express train takes about 18 minutes to get into the center of Stockholm and from there we acquired our multi-day city transport pass for the trip.  Our stay was at Hotel Rival and the room was very comfortable (with amazing breakfast).  For dinner the first evening, we decided on a very popular local favorite, Restaurant Kyp In, and luckily they had a table open!

On Friday we visited the City Hall, Royal Palace. and Riddarholmen Church.  Public transportation is easy in Stockholm and we didn't have any problems using the busses and trains.  We were lucky to watch the changing of the guard right after our palace tour was done!  The old town Gamla Stan is a great place to walk with many cobblestone streets, shops, and restaurants.  One place we stopped for drinks and a snack was Cafe Nova - street seating is very popular.  For dinner, we chose one of the highly rated restaurants on the island, Gastabud.  No reservations so you need to arrive early or wait!

For Saturday we decided to train over to Djurgarden where we visited the Vasa Museum and Skansen museums and zoo.  Dinner was at a local bar and restaurant called Akkurat.  So many beer and whiskey choices!

Sunday's (and Mother's Day) plan was exploring Sodermalm with many shops and walkable gardens as well as a special get together in the evening with a classmate from high school!  Henrik was very generous to host us at his home and we enjoyed catching up with a special dinner.  

On Monday we booked an archipelago tour via GetYourGuide that was a 2.5 experience around the islands.  I highly recommend this if you're interested in learning more about how Stockholm developed over time.  After the tour we made our way to the airport and stayed one night onsite due to an early morning departure.  

Overall it was an excellent trip and we can't wait to visit again soon!

United in the news

I'm always watching for relevant airline updates and the past bunch of days were significant for United:

-Scott Kirby alludes to a merger with American Airlines

-United possibly rolls out free Wifi across their fleet, then clarifies it's not free! (via Live and Let's Fly)

-Will Jetblue merge with United (or other airlines)?

Many of these would have impacts for travelers!

My Star Alliance Goal - Update

Some time ago I challenged myself to see whether I might be able to fly on all Star Alliance airlines.  This has been an ongoing goal though not specifically a priority given my change in travel patterns over the last few years.  Crossing 1M miles this year was a special milestone! 

However, I was able to add a new airline to the list after flying Singapore Airlines for the first time last week:

• Aegean Airlines A3
• Air Canada AC
• Air China CA
• Air India
• Air New Zealand NZ
• ANA NH
• Asiana Airlines OZ
• Austrian OS
• Avianca AV, TACA Airlines TA
• Brussels Airlines 
• Copa Airlines CM
• Croatia Airlines OU
• EGYPTAIR MS
• Ethiopian Airlines ET
• EVA Air
• LOT Polish Airlines LO
• Lufthansa LH
• Scandinavian Airlines SK
• Shenzhen Airlines ZH
• Singapore Airlines SQ
• South African Airways SA
• Swiss LX
• TAP Portugal TP
• THAI TG
• Turkish Airlines TK
• United UA

The project continues!

Statement from United on Travel

United published a message late in the week from CEO Scott Kirby about the state of operations and fuel costs - it's an interesting read:

https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125448

I'll be curious to see how flight prices adjust in the upcoming weeks.

Chase and United Months of Miles

Another promotion?  Yes!  This one is focused on spend per month ($1500 in March/April/May):

Probably will not go out of my way for this one.

Updated Spring Break Trip Routing

The new plan for Spring Break is now ready - map courtesy of the Great Circle Mapper:

I was able to adjust flights around the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict.  Thankfully I had enough United miles for an option through Vienna on Austrian.  I'm sad not to get back to Doha this trip, and we'll be unable to do Business the whole way.  It's the safer option right now so we don't have to cancel the whole trip. 

United Resumes Flights to LSE

I posted this request on Flyertalk a long time ago hoping that United might resume flights to LSE sometime in the future.  And I was thrilled when I saw the recent announcement!

https://www.wizmnews.com/2026/01/27/united-airlines-adding-daily-chicago-la-crosse-service/

I'm looking forward to this in May and hope that fares overall are competitive. 4x daily is promising! 

New Chase United Offer

These offers are being sent again with some frequency and this one is much better than the last - 3x points on gas/grocery/restaurant is good through March 31st, but there is also a promotion running right now for 5x dining on Freedom.  

When I already have a 3x option to get general points for gas and grocery, this offer is a bit underwhelming.

Million Mile Flight Success!

I wasn't particularly worried when I was standing in the Group 1 line and saw that we were delayed - no plane at the gate, but the crew was there and ready to go.  Eventually the plane was moved over and boarding started. 

Pre-boarding activities were normal.  The person in front of me, Chris, was fun to chat with about points and miles.  Drink choice to start was a glass of Brut (excellent).  Eventually the purser walked around asking about dinner choices - when she stopped by my seat, I confirmed my choice and quickly said 'I'm also your million miler for the flight'...and she laughed and said 'oh yes! we know, the crew knows, ops knows, you are very well-known for this trip'.  I'm glad that it worked to call earlier in the week and ask for the note on my flight record.  She also mentioned that I would be given something special later in the flight. 

During the meal service I chose to try the 2019 Mascot Cab that was recently highlighted as a special offering by United.  It was excellent! 

I did my best to try and sleep - the flight time estimated my rest to be several hours though I don't feel that I ever really conked out. When I woke up, there was an envelope with my name on the side shelf. It was a nice card with the coin.  The purser mentioned that ops brought over the coin to the flight crew, but she got it from them in order to give to me.  Before landing she made an announcement that I was crossing the million and there was a nice round of applause.  I also quickly thanked the flight crew and Captain Keith on the way off the plane.

Overall it was a fun flight!  

Million Mile Flight!

Today is the day!  I will be departing this evening for a fast weekend adventure that will include my one million mile flight on United.  And of course I had to make the primary segment a trip to Zurich from Newark, because, why not?

I'm going to do my best to note any specific things that occur on the flight - as many have already reported, the experience can vary.  

Another Chase United Offer

I received another spending/miles offer from Chase for my United card, and honestly, it's not great:

That's significant spend for not many miles!  I highly doubt I'll make this one.

Travel Stats 2025

I can't believe we're already at the end of December - where did the year go??  I feel as though I didn't have as many int'l flights compared to last year but I did make more trips to the north which was needed to take care of outside responsibilities.  

For 2025 I ended with 65,560 miles flown across 73 flights (with 45,745 BIS/37 on United and lifetime count at 990,638).  It was another year of relatively easy connections with no major weather impacts other than one trip through Ohare.   Global Entry is still the best and no luggage problems for those trips.  I was also able to get a year of Mosaic status on Jetblue with 27 flights and 11,525 flight miles. 

I'll get another year of Globalist on Hyatt stays and will enjoy that for a number of trips in the spring including a planned return to the Maldives. 

Happy New Year! 

United MileagePlus Updates Announced

United has announced updates to the MileagePlus program - you can find more info here: https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/mileageplus/whats-new.html

Some highlights:

There are no changes to Premier qualifying thresholds.

Beginning January 1, 2026, all Premier 1K and above members will be able to earn even more PlusPoints. This is because PQP earned through eligible United® credit card spending will now count toward earning additional PlusPoints. There is no limit to the amount of PlusPoints you can earn.

Even more opportunities to upgrade

Beginning February 1, both PlusPoints and Complimentary Premier Upgrades (CPUs) will be eligible toward upgrades on award tickets for all Premier members.

Enhanced Polaris Saver Award availability

United Chase Cardmembers, Premier Silver and Premier Gold members are now eligible for increased access to Polaris Saver Award fares, which makes it easier to book seats in United Polaris® business class when available.

Dynamic approach to PlusPoints upgrades

Beginning in February 2027, we’ll retire the fixed chart for PlusPoints upgrade amounts and transition to a dynamic system. This change will allow the number of PlusPoints required for an upgrade to better reflect factors like demand, cabin, and more, providing members with greater flexibility.

Overall, I'm not certain these are all positive.  The change to dynamic use of PlusPoints will make an already difficult currency to use all that more challenging to find flights for upgrades.  

United Resumes Flying to CWA in May!

Great news shared by United - they are bringing back CWA to their destination map!

News: https://www.wsaw.com/2025/10/24/united-return-carrier-cwa-may/

The flights begin May 21st, 2026 and are expected to be 3 flights a day year-round. 

Gate Changes at Ohare October 1st

In case you haven't seen the prior news, Crankyflier and others reported that gate changes will likely be occurring at Ohare starting October 1st, 2025.

A link and map here: https://crankyflier.com/2025/06/03/united-officially-gets-its-gates-at-ohare-but-the-fight-isnt-over/

I'm curious how this will affect some travelers who need to make gate changes between AA and UA for some destinations (like myself!).

GUM Will Get New United Planes!

Great news from United!  The Island Hopper and other locations based out of Guam will soon be receiving upgraded 737 Max planes as the older -800 series will be retired:

https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125406

This will be a significant upgrade for passengers flying the Hopper!