Well United have a great frequent flyer program but I must admit that my experience on taking off at Auckland airport to return to Australia (1998) on my one and only United flight set my teeth on edge.

The retraction of the undercarriage just after takeoff sent a huge shudder through the aircraft.

Not pleasant. Give me Air New Zealand any day and I'll accrue the miles on Mileage Plus. Plus of course bits and pieces of some United planes fell off a few years ago on their pacific route.

cheers Peter