United Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Points, Planes and Passports

Fifteen Days in Australia – Planning

BySean July 2, 2014September 4, 2014

Flying to Australia on frequent flyer miles in the Winter is no small feat. I used United miles to fly between the USA and Sydney in United Global First Class. Domestic Australia flights on Virgin Atlantic and Qantas were planned with British Airways Avios, American Airlines miles, and cash.

Fifteen Days in Australia – Introduction

BySean June 25, 2014September 4, 2014

An introduction to my fifteen day adventure Down Under to visit Sydney for New Years Eve; Cairns; a dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea; and Melbourne — and of course getting there in United Global First Class!

Labor Day Weekend in Rio: Getting There, Getting Around, and General Impressions

BySean June 20, 2014

In honor of the ongoing 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, I’ve decided to publish a trip report from my time in Rio de Janeiro, which included taking in a game at Maracana.

United’s Premium Service Business Saver Award Availability is Much More Sparse than its Competitors’

BySean June 18, 2014

An analysis of United, Delta, and American’s saver-level business class award space on the premium JFK-LAX/SFO shows that both Delta and American are MUCH more generous with this premium award space, as it’s almost impossible to find space on United.

Analysis: How Will United’s New 2015 Revenue-Based MileagePlus Program Impact You?

BySean June 12, 2014January 1, 2024

United announced that they are moving to a revenue based earning structure for its MileagePlus program in 2015, and it’s not all bad — unless you’re the one paying for the ticket! I analyzed the new program’s earning structure and compared the earning rates in 2014 and 2015.

Oktoberfest 2013 Trip – Frankfurt, Munich, London, and Edinburgh

BySean October 2, 2013

Well, it’s that time of the year again — it’s time to head over to the happiest place on Earth — Oktoberfest! This will be my fourth year in a row that I’ve attended the world’s largest festival, and every year it’s the highlight of my year!This year, I will be meeting eight friends in…

Labor Day Weekend in Rio: Introduction

BySean August 29, 2013January 1, 2024

Introduction Ten Things I Did in Rio Getting There, Getting Around, and General Impressions Review: JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro As I landed in Istanbul last Valentine’s Day, I received an e-mail alerting me to an inordinately low fare to Rio de Janeiro on United for pretty much all year. I just happened to be…

a body of water with a hill in the background

A Weekend Trip to Alaska

BySean August 28, 2013January 1, 2024

Two weekends ago, I booked an impulsive, last-minute weekend trip to Anchorage, Alaska on a Wednesday night — my flight was scheduled for first thing on Friday morning. After a late Thursday night out in DC, I found myself at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport for an early-ish 7:45am flight to Chicago. Before I booked…

My Current Strategy to Earn Miles and Travel Often

BySean August 23, 2013

In early 2012, I started to really understand how to seriously accrue a ton of airline miles, and I began to travel on a regular basis using many of the things I learned. That year, I flew over 96,000 miles on a variety of trips. This year, I’ve already eclipsed 2012, by traveling over 100,000…

An Impulsive, Last-Minute Weekend Trip to Anchorage

BySean August 15, 2013January 1, 2024

What happens when I have a wide-open long weekend, $1,300 in United eCertificates, and the desire to not do the same-old, same-old in DC? Why, I book an impulsive trip to Alaska for the weekend, of course! So I’ve been thinking about this for a while, as the fare has been out there for a…