6 Airlines That Let You Bring Over Your United Airlines Frequent Flyer Status

Status match is hardly new, with many of the world’s largest international carriers continually looking to entice more travelers to test their products and switch permanently. Each respective airline builds its customer base with various initiatives for travelers to earn miles or points and then redeem these for flights onboard to the carrier’s network of destinations.

According to The Points Guy, the United Airlines’ MileagePlus frequent flier program has over 100 million members. While the carrier connects travelers to more than 200 domestic and 120 international destinations, this doesn’t stop its frequent fliers from looking at what other airlines will let them match their MileagePlus status. To begin with, earning miles is easy, whether it’s taking flights frequently or using a ground partner to earn extra points (such as credit cards, hotels, and car hire, for example). Many airlines are looking to lure the seasoned United Airlines traveler to test out the waters of the carrier’s biggest competitors.

Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock

Following United’s merger with Continental Airlines in 2010, the United program was chosen as the combined carrier mileage program. It has four tiers: Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, and Premier Platinum 1K. Panama based, Copa Airlines also used the MileagePlus program, before phasing it out in 2015 for its program, ConnectMiles.

Related

Which Star Alliance Airlines Offer Status Matches For Frequent Flyers?

Some Star Alliance airlines like United and Turkish Airlines offer generous status matches while most offer little or nothing.

In this article, we have hand-picked six airlines that are currently offering a status match to the United MileagePlus program, so if you’re currently deliberating if it’s time to jump ship, or your travel requirements mean that another carrier has better availability, frequency, or network, check out the list below and see if one of these carriers might work for you:

1

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Mileage Plan

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is the latest North American airline to join the Oneworld alliance, with partners such as American, JAL, Qantas, Qatar, and British Airways. They are currently transporting over 44 million passengers yearly to over 120 destinations. Joining the Alaska Mileage Plan could be a no-brainer. But what would the switch look like?

Applying for a status match with the Alaska Mileage Plan will grant you the corresponding status for 90 days, and to retain this status, you must fly a specific number of miles on Alaska, Horizon, or Skywest flights. The thresholds are:

• MVP: 5,000 miles
• MVP Gold: 10,000 miles
• MVP Gold 75K: 20,000 miles
• Alaska’s MVP Gold 100K tier does not have a status match opportunity.

According to The Points Guy, Alaska currently offers status matches with Aeromexico Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines.

2

American Airlines

AAdvantage

Another Oneworld member, American Airlines, operates a robust international and domestic network from its various US hubs. With a fleet of over 960 aircraft and a destination count of over 350, the carrier network could be hard to beat. American Airlines offers a status match program called ‘Instant Status Pass’ to both Delta and United members.

To be eligible, apply on aa.com and be matched to either AAdvantage Platinum Pro or Executive Platinum. These passes last up to four months and will immediately be eligible for the benefits of the chosen tier. If you want to extend this status longer than the initial four months, earning the required threshold of loyalty points will be needed. The targets are prorated for four months of the year until you reach your first anniversary, and you must get the below milestones:

3

British Airways

Executive Club

Across the pond, even British Airways has a status match program to entice those that make the transatlantic hop frequently even more luxurious, enabling United MileagePlus members to transfer their loyalty to the British carrier. Eight BA status match program carriers include American, Air Canada, Air France, Delta, Lufthansa, Scandinavian, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic. Should you be looking to match your UA MileagePlus to the BA Executive Club program, it could look like this:

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

Those making the switch will be matched with the BA Executive Club tier for six months, which could be extended up to a year by booking two eligible one-way flights or one return service per the status match terms and conditions. Eligible flights must be in BA business or first class, originating in North America, Canada, and Mexico and landing in Europe, Norway, or Switzerland. To be eligible, the flights must be operated by British Airways, American Airlines, Aer Lingus, Iberia, or Finnair.

Related

How United Airlines Transformed A Loyalty Program Into A Multibillion-Dollar Financial Asset

Such moves have fundamentally changed the way airlines operate.

4

Delta Air Lines

Skymiles

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines provides stiff competition to United on several international and domestic routes. The carrier is a US ‘Big Three’ airline with hubs in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Salt Lake City, and Seattle/Tacoma. It’s deeply tied into the Skyteam alliance and has had a joint venture since 2009 with Air France, KLM, and, more recently, Virgin Atlantic for travel between North America and Europe.

Some may think that alliances and joint ventures are enough, but Delta also has investment ownership with several other Skyteam carriers, including Aeromexico (20%), Air France-KLM (3%), China Eastern Airlines (3%), Endeavor Air (15%), LATAM Airlines (10%), and Virgin Atlantic (49%).

Photo: J Hopwood I Shutterstock

Delta’s SkyMiles offers a status match-up to its Platinum Medallion tier. To be eligible, you must submit proof of your current status with United MileagePlus, and in return, you will be awarded the corresponding SkyMiles Medallion tier. This is complimentary for three months, with a dollar-earning requirement to extend the status for another three months before reaching your first anniversary. The transfer looks like:

5

Hawaiian Airlines

HawaiianMiles

If time in Hawaii is more your thing, Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines has been known to provide status matches to its Pualani Gold and Platinum tiers. While the exact requirements are publicized, the criteria to achieve Gold or Platinum per year are:

Given the airline’s unique network, it may be worth considering if your yearly travel plans involve transiting through or traveling to Hawaiian Airlines. If you’re moving to or based in Honolulu, opting to join HawaiianMiles will depend on your travel plans to and from the mainland United States or Hawaiian’s Australiasian and Asian network. The carrier’s current network includes:

To find out more, you can contact Hawaiian via their ‘make a request’ tool and select HawaiianMiles as your topic. You will be required to provide your current United Status and proof of travel to one or more of Hawaiian’s destinations. Once you’re approved for a status match to HawaiianMiles, your match is usually valid for at least 12 months.

Related

How To Fast-Track Your Status With United Airlines MileagePlus

There are several methods for those looking to reach Premier 1K with United Airlines this year.

6

Southwest Airlines

Rapid Rewards

Dallas’ Southwest Airlines is the world’s largest low-cost carrier and operator of the Boeing 737 family of aircraft. While the onboard experience does differ slightly from the legacy carriers, travelers can expect all economy class seating, there is no first or business onboard. Amenities include two pieces of free checked baggage, more than any other complimentary carrier with no status, and passengers are allowed to change their flight just 10 minutes before departure without penalty. Southwest has three tiers for its Rapid Rewards program: A-List, A-List Preferred, and Companion Pass; its inclusions include:

To get your hands on a Rapid Rewards A-List status, you’ll need to be a member of the airline already. Then you can register online to get your status matched, which will prompt you to send evidence of your current United MileagePlus status. Once your match is approved, you must fly at least six one-way or three round-trip flights within 90 days to have your status confirmed for 12 months. A note that previously booked and traveled itineraries before the status match may not count and that the required new bookings made cannot be awarded tickets. If you have existing bookings with the airline, these also won’t count. Still, the carrier allows free cancellation and rebooking, so nothing stops you from making the booking eligible.

It’s worth noting that many of these airlines only allow you to status match once a year, so if your status isn’t quite where it needs to be or you are unlikely to be able to meet the earning threshold required to maintain the status offered, you need to be sure your travel plans suffice. If your status is about to expire with United MileagePlus, it could be worth swapping it for another carrier that may offer it for longer or investigating what United Star Alliance members can provide you with, depending on the demands of your international travel that year.

Have you tried matching your United Mileage Plus status with one of these carriers? If so, please let us know in the comments.