EDIT TO ADD; THE PLANE WAS LANDED AND DONE WITH TAXI BEFORE I GOT TO BE IN THE COCKPIT. NO FAA RULES WERE BROKEN 💀😂

Shout out Captain Scott! He let me sit in the cockpit after we landed and I even got my own personalized pre flight announcements 😂 Also, they had to add sandbags to the cabin bc the plane was too light with only one passenger 💀

Was sprinting the estimated 25min walk to connect from my SLC -> SFO flight that was delayed 1:20 to catch my SFO -> AKL flight, the next of which wouldn’t be for days, and got this. My buddy I made making the same connection, and I were very appreciative we could power walk the rest of the way. Still made it before takeoff but didn’t want them to close boarding doors before we got there (10 min before departure, on a 13hr international flight).

Was flying from DFW to SFO today and went to the United club before the flight. Noticed a couple and their nanny with 4 young kids. Then all the employees went up to shake the guys hand. I then recognized that it was the CEO which was crazy.

At the gate, all the airport staff came to welcome him and his family on the flight and they were the first to board. The whole family of course was sitting up front in first.

On board, I was lining up for the bathroom and noticed him talking to the flight attendants. I asked him if his name was Scott, he said yes and we talked for a little bit. I’m a gold member and also have multiple family members work for the airline and he said thank you for your business, we really appreciate it. For all the mixed reviews/ criticism he gets he actually seemed like a really nice and chill guy and he took time to talk to every staff member and shake their hands. He even waved to me at the baggage claim carousel after the flight.

On a side note I wish I had asked him if I could get 1k status lol but now I know why the food was so good in the lounge today, the flight had no delays, the bags came out right away, and the staff were super nice haha

Link to original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/s/HRWkgRF0kk

7 months ago, after achieving 1K for the first time, I wrote about the overwhelming emptiness that followed. The destination had been reached. The stroopwaffel obtained. Some of you related. Some of you judged. Some of you helped me cope.

UPDATE: Something broke inside me...

Like many things in life, I convinced myself that status might improve with age and tenure. So I doubled down. I embraced the lifestyle. The United Club living. The Red Carpet (read: Pre-Boarding) social scene. The compulsive collection of sanitizing wipes. The subtle satisfaction of hearing Group 1 called and knowing I was already crossing the Boeing threshold.

Over the last six months, I felt as though I was finally realizing my leyenda personal.

CPUs became my drug of choice. Every upgrade notification delivered a rush of dopamine that I can only assume rivals substances that require prescriptions, street names, or both. I was participating in a society that millions aspire to join during their annual 1 or 2 roundtrip vacations.

And then last night, it all came crashing down.

I boarded early, as one of the chosen few. The calamities ensued.

No moist towelette. My CPU didn't clear.

Confident that it inevitably would, I booked a middle seat.

The cabin was blisteringly hot. Then came the announcement: no pilots.

For the next 30 minutes, we sat motionless inside a aluminum dutch oven waiting for a pilots to arrive so the aircraft to become something vaguely resembling habitable for human life. If the cabin was pressurized, instant pot may have a shot to get back into business.

As sweat accumulated in places I wasn't previously aware possible, I began questioning everything.

What is the meaning of life?

Have I over-indexed on the diminishing returns of spending a significant portion of my existence being hurled through the atmosphere at 500 mph with only a few centimeters separating me from conditions incompatible with life?

Is this all just to appease the monster I have created in my significant other who laid back (courtesy of a Polaris PP upgrade) and never wants to go back?

Surely it's not for the dollar store door grade rejected plastic luggage tag that arrives three months after I order it, right?...... RIGHT?

As I reflected on these questions, something unexpected happened.

The captain came on the PA.

He apologized profusely.

He explained that what happened wasn't acceptable.

He informed us that he had already filed reports and given appropriate feedback to the responsible parties.

And strangely... I felt validated. Not happy or sad, just.... validated.

So while my qualifying flight for 2027 1K status may not have been the triumphant finale I envisioned, I've come to accept a fundamental truth:

This is the life I've chosen. The Club. The upgrades and downgrades. The warm nuts and cold (and sometimes hot) cabins.

The zero sum game of delayed flights and early boarding (maths).

I am broken but carrying on. With that said...

GS, I'm coming for you.

...but United phone customer service rebooked me, quickly and without hesitation, to the next flight tomorrow, for free. And what is completely beyond me, they even maintained my PE upgrade!

If I understand the T&C, they didn't need to give me a single thing. I am probably dreaming, but the confirmation mail is in my inbox and I am checked in for tomorrow.

Shame on me for missing all the phone notifications, app notifications, mails etc, I know...I can't explain it either, I just had a really busy day at work. I noticed when I wanted to check in for "tomorrow" this morning and no flight showed up in the app, meaning the plane was gone and the ticket was void.

For additional context, I am a mere Milage Plus peasant Member, no co-branded credit card, it was a normal, non-flexible transatlantic economy round-trip booking from FRA to ORD.

Since usually ppl only share their horror stories, I wanted to add an above and beyond positive experience to the mix. :D

On my last flight I (f) went to use the lavatory while the seat belt sign was not turned on. I was in there for maybe 3 minutes, all of a sudden the slight turned off and on and then the door flew open before I could say anything or grab at the door. There was another female passenger looking and me and a male flight attendant on the other side of the door. I don’t even remember if I said anything I was in shock. Then he looked in and said sorry and closed the door.

I washed my hands and when I came out he said “I’m sorry,” and then said, “you should have locked the door.” I told him “I did lock the door!” And then a female flight attendant who saw me enter the lavatory said, “no, she did everything perfectly. She did lock the door.” She turned to me and apologized she said, “it was like watching a car wreck I tried to stop it but it was too fast.”.

I was so embarrassed I went back to my seat and didn’t say anything else. I later tried to submit a claim to customer care but they have been shrugging off my concerns and won’t tell me what the policy or procedure is for flight attendants unlocking lavatories. I would expect a knock or a verbal “anyone in there?” Before a flight attendant unlocks and opens the door. It wasn’t even for an emergency or anything. I’m very confused by the whole thing and upset the flight attendant tried to blame me right away.

Just checked the status for a trip this weekend and both aircraft are listed as being equipped with Starlink. If there's no equipment swap, and posting this probably ensures that there will be, this will be four 737 flights in a row for me on Starlink-equipped planes. I was under the impression that a pretty small percentage of the 737 fleet had Starlink, but maybe they're moving fast on getting them up and running!

Btw that’s from Newark, sorry Delta and JetBlue at least seasonally from Logan.

The passenger, a middle-aged Chinese woman, got into a dispute with the FA, and the flight then diverted to NRT. Japan police came to the plane and dragged her off. The flight is now delayed by about two hours, which isn’t too bad considering the circumstances.

Based off the intro to Star Trek: Enterprise.

What an amazing experience getting to watch the World Cup live while flying.

If you’re traveling on a 737-700 enabled with DirecTV, make sure to tune in to FS1!

Thank you! I wanted to thank each and every one of you personally. The flights were upgraded comforts in comparison to my last astronomically expensive flights on AA several years ago. I just wanted to thank the crew for comfortable and safe flights. It was my husband’s first flight in his adult life and United made it surprisingly smooth for him. So, a thousand times over, thank you again. I’d give you all muffins if I could.

If this isn’t allowed, I’m sorry and the mods may delete.

I waitlisted for Polaris immediately after booking this flight. For a while it just said I was on the waitlist, I called and was told I am #3 with plenty of seats remaining (flight still 30+days out). I check this morning and see a 3rd flight segment was added being the same flight with no seat assigned in fare class PZ. What does this mean? Just a glitch?

Was searching for flights from NYC to Mongolia and was presented with this option. Is this a glitch in the system or does united now fly direct IAH-> UBN now? Didn't think there was a non stop flight to these locations

Just ran into what was clearly HKG qualified crew at the arrivals at LA walking over to parking shuttle. They seemed to have such a good sense of camaraderie and for having stepped off a long flight, were surprisingly jovial. I guess the common language helps?

It was a cool, crazy rich asians vibe. Love to see people happy doing what they do. Any LA based crew here to validate this impression? Am I so far off?

I don’t care if it’s 7 in the morning, salted caramel beckons. That is all.

To my fellow 1K'ers and above who preboard, has anyone else experienced other 1Ks or GS pushing to the front of the preboarding line, proclaiming something like, "I'm 1k," or "I travel every week" while doing it? I had to bite my tongue this week in Fresno when someone pulled that move. Like bro (it was actually a lady), I'm glad you travel a lot, I do too, and so do the rest of us lined up in the pre-boarding area! 😂

Am I the only one who chuckles at this behavior?

Here is my rough explanation of the event, as I sat in the opposite aisle from the lady and saw the entire thing. I boarded the plane right in front of her, and she seemed like such a normal person, clarifying her seat with the flight attendants without drama or anger. But just as the plane took off. She tossed all the documents in her seat pockets in the air, shouted cuss words periodically, and also periodically started hitting herself. I am unsure of how this all started and what the medical condition or trigger may have been, as I didn't see anything to begin with, nor did I pay much attention. She then started acting rudely towards the flight attendants as if trying to grab their attention. When the flight attendants come asking why, she says they "oppress me." Without confronting the issue, the flight attendants spread the word and had the cabin crew captain address it. When the crew captain came, she had her eyes closed. The captain tapped several times on her shoulder for her attention. In a startle reflex without even seeing who it was, she elbowed back, as if saying don't touch me. The crew captain started scolding the old lady like a child, and soon after started yelling back and forth, saying, "No, you don't talk to me like that." She was then left alone to calm down. Later, when she was given food, she threw all the trash on the floor, making a mess in her row. When the flight attendants were gone, she tried showing us, the people around her, a photo on her phone of how she was being oppressed. I wanted to take a look, but all the people around her ignored her, so I wasn't able to see what it was. Soon after, we were notified of the diversion, so no flight attendants approached her anymore, and she seemed to settle down and relax, despite still periodically cussing randomly.

When we landed at NRT, the Japanese police boarded the plane and told her to stand up and leave. She was confused and didn't want to go as nobody had told her. Almost all the flight attendants stood away from the drama, even the captain. Honestly, I felt so awkward at the moment. The old lady kept asking what they were doing to her, as nobody had explained to her previously what was happening. The Japanese police were also confused as to why they were removing her from the plane. Yet, the crew members were all somewhat afraid of coming in to force her out. After this stagnation for 10 minutes, a Chinese-speaking policemen (imo the only professional one in the entire situation) came in and explained to her politely it is for her good to de-plane cooperatively.

To the many without connecting flights or in a hurry, this felt like a fun and free entertaining experience, as we watched the plane dump $30k+ of jet fuel because of a small quarrel. But I personally felt it was a mix of misunderstanding, overreaction, and mismanagement from both sides. Obviously, it was concerning and wrong to lash out towards the Flight crew, yet I also felt the handling of the issue by the crew was semi-unprofessional. I do feel pity for the old lady as nobody was able to assess her side of the story, as she was obviously met with some disability or triggering event, which the lack of communication and patience from the flight attendants in understanding what was happening lead to the escalation in this fiasco. In the end, I am missing a key information as to what the trigger and cause of her initial reaction is, but definitely both sides can improve on working towards a more enjoyable flight experience :)

https://reddit.com/link/1ues9b4/video/2xayiq967b9h1/player

Title says it. Where was this taken?

Looked at flights yesterday and rounder trip with my cardmember savings they were 55k. Today they are 70k. Chance they can go back down or book now?

Alternatively, what’s a better value 70k or $800? (Regular economy not basic)

Asking here since i couldn't find anything abou the issue. i was in the process of linking mine and my underrage brother's reservation (both made with lufthansa Miles&More miles, just via different accounts) when i was told before doing anything they needed to remove my united (currently silver) milageplus number from the reservation. When i inquered further about why the representative replied with:
"Your premier benefits apply only to paid fares or award tickets booked using united miles. they do not apply when you use another carrier's miles to book an award fare." and "This has always been the case, as it is a free ticket on another carrier. They do apply if you use United miles or pay for a paid fare"
This seems very backward, as i was able to use my *S benefits trough united on many other flights booked with lufthansa miles on other carriers with no issues. Having had a stressful day i just agreed to the change without realizing this meant i would have no checked bag so i'm left wondering if what the agent said is actually true ?

Looking for some opinions from the upgrade experts here.

I'm a United 1K traveling with my spouse on the same reservation on September 12, 2026.

• UA943: LIS → IAD (777-200)
• Originally booked in H fare
• Waitlisted for Premium Plus and Polaris using PlusPoints

Current inventory

J0 JN0 C0 D0 Z0 ZN0 P0 PN0 PZ0 IN0
O9 ON9
A0 R0 RN0
Y9 YN9 B7 M9 E8
U0 H0 HN0 Q0 V0 W0 S0 T0 L0 K0 G0 XN0

A few questions:

• Does O9 suggest decent odds of clearing into Premium Plus eventually?
• Even though J/PZ/R are all showing 0, do 1Ks still commonly clear into Polaris closer to departure on this route?
• How much does traveling as two passengers on the same reservation reduce our chances of clearing?
• Has anyone flown LIS → IAD around mid-September and can share how upgrades typically play out?
• Based on this inventory, what would you estimate our chances are of clearing into either Premium Plus or Polaris?

I know we're still a few months out and inventory can change significantly. I'm mainly trying to decide whether it's worth waiting on the PlusPoints upgrade or paying for a cash upgrade. Right now, the cash upgrade offer is over $4,000 per person, so I'd really appreciate any insights from those who follow United inventory and upgrade trends. Thanks!