Your mother's experience aboard UA 50 reminds me of my own experience with United upon flying my one millionth mile and 1000th flight with them. Interestingly and perhaps amazingly, both milestones were passed within the same week!

I keep a flight log and have since I was about 8 years old. So in 1997 when my one millionth mile and 1000th flight strictly aboard United alone were coming up, I was well aware of it. At that time, a little over half of all my miles flown were aboard United. I contacted Joe Hopkins, United's PR man, and sent him a complete xeroxed copy of my flight log. I knew Joe from back in the mid-eighties when I was one of 68 Mileage Plus members who had completed United's 50 State Marathon. But that's another story. In any event, I just wanted to let UA know about my upcoming milestone and thank them for all the great service I'd received over the years.

I got a call back from United's Anchorage office asking if I'd mind if they put on a small presentation for me at the Anchorage airport prior to the flight. I'd be honored, I replied.

I arrived at Anchorage International to find United's Anchorage Sales Manager along with the ANC Station Manager waiting for me at check-in. I had been upgraded to First Class and was then escorted down to the gate. In the rotunda at the end of the B Concourse, two big cakes had been laid out on tables - one for flying 1 million miles aboard United and the other for flying 1000 flights with them. Coffee urns and cups were nearby - enough cake and coffee for all the passengers aboard the early morning A320 departure to SFO. A small speech was made and I was presented with a beautiful leather duffel bag imprinted with the United logo along with a plaque and a roundtrip First Class upgrade. Then we ate those cakes! Upon pushback from the gate, all of United's ANC staff were out on the tarmac waving goodbye to us. It was a great time for all of the passengers and certainly quite an honor for me. United really made me feel special that day and if they hadn't pulled out of my now hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska I'd be working on my second millionth mile with them.