NYCflyerUA1k

Crossed the million mile point last week on ORD-PVG somewhere off the coast of Japan. Alas, no fanfare of any sort...

But managed to do it by the age of 31 with just over 10 years in the MP program.

Lori_Q

Today I checked my M+ account balance and saw...

Lifetime United flight miles: 1,000,906

I am the newest Million Mile flyer on the block! I have been looking forward to this for awhile. Yet it is something of an anti-climax.

I was supposed to reach MM on a "long way home" itinerary last Friday & Saturday. I paid a couple hundred extra dollars for an itinerary which included LAX-JFK on my first p.s. flight (upgraded!) and LGA-DEN (upgraded!) the following morning. I had elaborate plans that included asking the pilot to mark an "X" on the paper copy of the DEN-LGA flight plan, and having the crew sign it. How sweet were my dreams of passing the threshold somewhere over Illinois.

Alas, it was not to be. The LAX-JFK flight was canceled, and there was no way to get to New York and back without affecting my work on Friday. Sadly, I ended up flying home via Las Vegas, on a prop plane and Ted. (rar.)

I waited until the miles had posted, then called the 1K desk to try to get my as-booked miles. (More on that later.) The miles posted today; now I'm officially a Million Mile flyer. I would have preferred to be on an airplane when I passed the million-mile mark, so I almost didn't ask for the adjustment. However, the memory of those extra dollars I paid made me greedy for the additional 3k+ EQMs from the original itinerary.

So here's a question for all of you...A few weeks ago, my lovely, upgraded, dinner-service DEN-SFO-PSP outbound was disrupted by a canceled DEN-SFO flight. I flew DEN-PSP on a one-class RJ instead. When I called the 1K desk to ask for the original flight miles, the agent said there is a new policy which only allows members to have the miles for the as-flown itinerary. I whined, so the agent put me on hold and ostensibly consulted a service director. The agent came back and said they'd make a "one-time exception" for me.

Yet when I called to have my PSP-LAX-JFK-LGA-DEN flights credited, the agent was sympathetic, said absolutely nothing about the new rule, and instructed me to fax my original itinerary to the Mileage Plus Premier Executive fax number. The original miles were credited within 48 hours.

So what's the deal...Is there a new rule or not?

And here's the really important question: Since I still need to fly 1,642 paid miles to truly make MM, should I get the paper flight plan, the "X", and the signatures on the flight when I actually cross that threshold? I already have the picture frame and a collage idea for the flight plan, so I think that My Art demands a make-up party.

UA_Flyer

Go for the flight plan!! It is a part of your own personal history and accomplishment.

Not to dispute about your MM count... have you considered the 500 minimum in your calculation?

I found out my original MM count was not correct after I obtained the "M+ Purge Data Print". UA credited me one extra IAD-CDG flight back in 1995.... instead of crossing the MM mark near the north pole on, I crossed it somewhere near Canadian-US border on HKG-ORD flight (op-ug of course!)

goalie

first off-congrats on making mm ^ and i like the idea asking for the flight plan (and don't forget to change your profile [either now or after you cross over in the air] )

sounds like you were given a baloney sandwich by mp. it has always been my understanding (and in dealing w/mp under the exact same circumstances) that if the re-route was not of your choosing and ua's fault (i.e. a vdb vs a cancellation), then you got your original routing. again sounds like a baloney sandwich and a lazy agent to me

kevinsac

I have often asked for credit "as booked" instead of "as flown" and it's never been a problem. Granted, it's been at least 6 months....and we do know UA changes the rules. But in this case, I hope the agent was wrong.

kb1992

Congratulations on the 1MM status and life time 1P.

This is my 3rd year flying UA. I have something like 750,000 BIS miles to go before reaching 1MM.

Hunki

Go for getting a copy of the flight plan too.

I just made my MM on the Syd-LAX return flight from OZFEST in May, and met the captain in the cockpit prior to departing Syd. So he gave me a signed copy of the flight plan showing the exact spot and time over the Pacific where I would cross the mark.

Unfortunately, since everyone in the cabin was sleeping, I had to keep my celebration to a glass of champagne with the FT.

Punki and I actually did a MR to Greenville before the OZ trip just so that I'd make the MM mark on this leg instead of a puddle jump somewhere else.

Lori_Q

Yes, the total is definitely less than 1MM if I consider the 500-mile minimum. However, I have taken a fairly small percentage of short-hop flights. It's probably less than 30k of the million-mile total, since most of my travel has been to the coasts and overseas. Besides, UA makes the rules, so if they say it's a million miles, who am I to argue?

Goalie, thanks for the reminder about my profile! Now I can be a loud and proud MM with every single post.

BOSdave

In early June I had an itinerary booked as SFO-EWR-IAD-JFK-SFO. The JFK-SFO was my first PS flight as well (upgraded!). Afer getting to EWR, the EWR-IAD flight was severely delayed due to weather. I asked for a taxi voucher to get to JFK and got it. I was able to make my originally scheduled PS flight home. So I ended up not flying EWR-IAD-JFK.

A couple days later I faxed my itinerary to MP and asked for original credit. After receiving the fax, someone from MP called me and said no, they would only give credit for miles flown, despite this being a ground segment paid by UA. I was actually kind of surprised they made the effort to call me rather than just ignoring my request.

So yes, this new rule seems to be in effect. Of course, I was only a 3P, so 1Ks might have more wiggle room in getting exceptions made.

mauiUAflyer

I recently had (on one PNR) PWM-ORD-STL, then overnight at hotel by STL, then next morning (different PNR) STL-ORD-OGG.

The flight from PWM-ORD was delayed almost 4 hours, and I couldn't make the (last of the night) ORD-STL flight. I was able to get them to give me an INVOL on the ORD-STL and STL-ORD legs. Stayed at the Hilton at ORD (on my own dime, as I didn't want to chance trying to get a wx related hotel room).

So I faxed in the two itineraries. They gave me ORD-STL, but not STL-ORD. Oh well, I'll live with that.

goalie

aw, shucks there ma'am <blushing> (and putting me in you profile at that )

tealeaf99

CONGRATULATIONS Lori_Q, and welcome to The Club

Lori_Q

Thanks, tealeaf99! It's time to get to work on that second million. Perhaps I'll see you soon at another international *A lounge sometime soon.

GodOSpoons

Bravo, m'dear Lori_Q.

Timothy

I still think you've got a screw loose with some of those SIN runs, but you're in good company.

Pat89339

Welcome to the club Lori_Q!