It is turning out to be an important week for United Airlines.
transporter’s Brand new flight from Newark to Dubai landed on Sunday, March 26, as part of the plan unprecedented partnership with Emirates Airline. Although the binding is was first announced last SeptemberDetails of the partnership are largely kept private, apart from the introduction of new United long-haul routes and codeshare opportunities.
On Thursday, two airlines announced some additional details about the tie-in regarding the passenger experience and loyalty privileges. Here’s what you need to know.
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Reciprocal loyalty benefits
As of March 26, United flyers can now earn miles on Emirates flights was purchased in conjunction with a direct United flight from Newark to Dubai.
This means that if you fly United to Dubai and continue connecting to Africa (all on one ticket), you will be able to earn MileagePlus miles for both sectors. However, if you purchase an Emirates flight separately, you will not be eligible to accrue United credits.
If you purchase tickets through United, the airline will credit Emirates earnings on the fare spent, with multiplier from 5x to 11 times the fare depending on your Premier elite level. Meanwhile, if you buy a ticket from Emirates, the bonus miles will range from 10% to 150% of the distance traveled.
Note that some of Emirates’ cheapest fares are not eligible to earn miles.
Plus, if you’re a regular United passenger, you can now consider crediting your future United flights on Emirates Skywards loyalty program — a benefit effective March 30.
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Unlike MileagePlus, you can earn Skywards for any unified flight. Your accruals will vary based on distance traveled and the fare purchased and you can find the full earnings table on Emirates website.
Unless you are eyeing a specific redemption with Skywards or are an Emirates frequent flyer, you will be better able to credit your United flights to MileagePlus or another Star Alliance member airlinein contrast to Emirates.
Besides Skywards constantly reducing the value of prizes, the percentage of service provider income for United is not high. A deeply discounted business class ticket will earn 110% of the miles flown with Skywards, while the same ticket will earn 150% of the miles flown with Air Canada plane – a much better deal.
Furthermore, as of March 30, the two airlines have also allowed the ability to redeem miles on each other’s flights.
Before getting too excited, note that you can only redeem MileagePlus miles for Emirates flights booked on the same itinerary as the United flight from Newark to Dubai. There’s no indication that this will change anytime soon, and unfortunately, first-class redemption is not restricted to MileagePlus passengers.
MileagePlus offers variable rates, so you’ll need to search for days to find a rate. That said, there aren’t a lot of savings or business savings available on United flights to Dubai, so you can end up redeeming “anytime” rewards with United and combined cruises. Emirates.
Meanwhile, Emirates Skywards now has access to United Savings Award Available. Emirates rates United’s rewards according to a distance-based rewards chart, pasted below for your convenience.
| One-way distance (mile) | Economy class | Business class |
|---|---|---|
| 0‑250 | 8,000 won | 16,000 won |
| 251‑500 | 10,000 won | 20,000 won |
| 501‑1,000 | 14,000 won | 28,000 won |
| 1,001‑2,000 | 20,000 won | 40,000 won |
| 2,001‑3,000 | 26,000 won | 52,000 won |
| 3,001‑4,000 | 32,000 won | 64,000 won |
| 4,001‑5,000 | 38,000 won | 76,000 won |
| 5,001‑6,000 | 44,000 won | 88,000 won |
| 6,001‑7,000 | 52,000 won | 104,000 won |
| 7,001‑15,000 | 60,000 won | 120,000 won |
While reward rates may seem attractive at certain distances, additional taxes and surcharges will likely make these rewards significantly less attractive, especially on international routes.
For example, a one-way ticket from Newark to London costs 64,000 miles and a whopping $815.10 in taxes and fees.
Right to use reciprocal lounge
When United and Emirates first announced their so-called “historic partnership,” they shared that reciprocal lounge use was coming soon.
Unfortunately, that benefit hasn’t rolled out yet, and we’ll update this story as it becomes available.
Until then, United Polaris customers originating from Dubai will not be able to use Emirates Business Class Lounge. Passengers connecting to the Gulf metropolitan area can use the Emirates lounge, as their business class connecting flight will likely include lounge access (assuming you don’t have access to the Emirates lounge). buy a “special business class” ticket.)
connection journey
This is perhaps the most basic level of coordination, but Emirates and United passengers can both benefit from this partnership by being able to book connecting flights outside of their respective airline hubs not theirs.
United customers can now purchase one-stop flights from Newark to an undisclosed number of Emirates destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. This allows United to market tickets to cities they cannot reach on their own.
Meanwhile, Emirates passengers to or from the United States will enjoy additional connectivity beyond the airline’s 12 domestic destinations. In fact, through the codeshare partnership, Emirates passengers can fly to more than 150 US cities thanks to United’s domestic feed from Chicago, Houston or San Francisco.
All of these connecting itineraries can be purchased through United or Emirates. Thanks to a new inter-connection agreement, your checked baggage will even be automatically transferred between connecting flights, except at your first point of entry in the United States.
Also, if your flight is delayed or canceled, you will have Additional reaction options on both carriers.
bottom line
Even though hostile years in the 2010sUnited and Emirates have now buried the trap with a brand new partnership.
The “historic” relationship is being hailed as a “game changer,” but the actual details aren’t necessarily as lucrative as you might expect.
Loyalty benefits for MileagePlus members are limited to certain flights, while reciprocal lounge access has yet to be officially announced.
While you’ll now have more networking opportunities than ever before, I’d love to see the two carriers deepen their partnership by adding premium benefits for frequent travelers and opening up more routes are eligible to redeem MileagePlus.
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