Short version: I really wanted to dislike United and their respective Mileage Plus programme as a staunch loyal BA Gold, but ended up extremely impressed and somewhat annoyed at BAEC!! We should yearn for some of the features United has (e.g. instant flight credit, functional and slick app), but I feel the lack of competition for BA in the UK vs. United in the US means there is a “barely good enough” approach with BA. One win for BA is the lounge access policy vs United domestic flights (basically none). I’ll be less hesitant to fly United now.

Long version:

I’m a BA Gold, and recently had to take a 2-leg domestic United Airlines flight in the US. Before my flight I got a status match to the United equivalent tier, Premier Platinum, in United’s Mileage Plus programme via United’s online application form (https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/offers/promos/SM2024.html). This is my brief comparison of BA vs United and their Mileage Plus benefits based on a small data point, but first impressions are also important!

1. Status match form was slick. All automatic. You just need to ensure your uploaded membership card includes your full name, expiry date, and tier clearly visible. I struggled at first getting it to accept my “Download membership card” from BAEC, which only includes my first initial & surname. Ended up doing a screenshot of my membership card from the BAEC app that had my full name. That was processed within seconds (probably image/text recognition) and my United status was instantly upgraded to Premier Platinum. No wait. Very impressed.

2. The app was intuitive and fast. I had already loaded my flights into the United app, and after I received my status upgrade, it was instantly reflected in the app. Even more impressive is I had been automatically added to the “upgrade” waiting list, and placed near the top due to my status, despite ~10 people lower than me having clearly been on the list before me. I played around with the app and everything just feels…smooth. There’s no “we’ll kick you out to a web browser” like BA does when you’re searching for reward flights, which I really dislike.

During my flights and between my two United flights, the app updated me on gate locations. The United app works on inflight WiFi even if you haven’t paid for a WiFi package, and even then it’s only $8. The app also gave me a map of the terminal so I could work out where to go for my short connection, and plan a food stop. I admit this is less relevant for a UK-based BAEC user whereas United relies on a lot of connections, but it was still very impressive and indicative that United could execute something more complex better than BA seems to in their respective apps.

There’s even the food menu within the app, and some fun games. These aren’t critical to me enjoying the app, but the fact the basic functions of the app are great, this is just icing on the cake.

3. Transparent upgrade process. I loved this feature. For each flight, within the app you are told how many people are booked in the upgraded class, how many have checked in, and thus deduce how many spaces are available. You are then shown a list of all those on the waiting list for an upgrade, including your position (first initial and first 3 letters of surname). It refreshes constantly so you can see when upgrades are handed out. It’s transparent and manages your expectations. On my first leg I was 6th on the list, but only 3 got upgrades. On my second leg I was 4th on the list and 5 got upgraded - yay! On domestic “first”, you just get a bigger seat on flights shorter than 900 miles, but longer than 900 miles and you get a hot entree (https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/inflight/united-first-and-united-business.html#on-the-plane). I certainly appreciated the larger seat as I feel economy seats are getting much smaller these days and I’m average sized.

4. Instant mileage/fight credit! I didn’t expect this at all but within hours (possibly minutes) of landing, I received mileage and flight credit for the respective leg of my journey. American Airlines seems to do same day, but this was impressive. Don’t get me started on how long it takes for BA to credit flights…

5. No expiry of miles. That’s right, you don’t even have to post activity every now and again. This means I’ll likely put a bunch of flights through United where I can’t use OneWorld, or where it is cheaper.

Downsides & Summary

I haven’t completely defected to the other side. One downside of United is there is no lounge access for domestic flights unless you pay $59, even at this fairly lofty status tier. I do appreciate what BA Gold/OneWorld Emerald gives me access to including LAX Qantas First, LHR Cathay T3 First, HKG Cathay lounges, and DFW Flagship Lounge. I also haven’t had to try and redeem miles or a bunch of the more advanced features.

However, I posted this as a first impression of United and their near-top status. I really wanted to dislike United, but they did so many things that impressed me throughout my whole travel experience that it’s hard not to be impressed. I’ll certainly give United a little more business as a result of this experience, particularly if not chasing a particular BA status, but if anything I hope it highlights some of the things we should want/request from BA.