Flying With Fish The Blog for Those Who Fly & Those Who Want to Fly Smarter

Airline iPhone Apps tend to be utility items, focused on schedules, flight information, booking flights, keeping track frequent flyer miles and some include destination information … but this week’s iPhone App of the Week is focused on something else.

This week’s iPhone App of the Week focuses on both having some fun and offers players immediate rewards for playing.

This week’s iPhone App of the Week is United Airlines’ Optathlon Games.

Anyone who has sat at an airport gate waiting for a flight knows the desire to keep themselves entertained easily and immediately … well United Airlines’ Optathlon Games provides not only quick and immediate entertainment, but it also rewards its players!

While players of Optathlon Games can win up to 1,000,000 miles in the United Airlines Mileage Plus accounts, more likely is players instantly winning access to the airlines Red Carpet Club, Premier Line, Economy Plus or a 10% e-certificate.

While I have access to United’s Premier Line and Red Carpet Club as a Star Alliance Gold frequent flyer … I love the chance to instantly upgrade to Economy Plus on flights or win a 10% e-certificate for future flights.

The two games available on the Optathlon iPhone App (since more are available at games.united.com) are Line Jump Hero and Legroom Legend.  Both games deal with the realities and frustrations of airline travel and poke fun at long lines and annoying children on flights … plus they are addictive games and fun to play!

In Legroom Legend players are seated in United’s Economy Plus with an irritating redheaded child in front of them throwing items at them.  The goal is to use your legs to kick the items out of the air and onto your tray table.  If you watch closely the items being tossed at you are branded with the United logo and include a toy car, football, baseball and Blackberry.

Line Jump Hero, which is the game I find myself playing more and more, allows you to choose if you’re a male or female traveller, who is seated on their rolling suitcase. You must use your quick eye hand coordination to keep the suite case rolling a top speed as you approach a ramp to launch you over a line of people waiting to check in (level 1), get through security (level 2), board a flight (level 3). Once airborne your goal is maximum distance as your suitcase riding character gets wings and rocket power to propel them as far down the line as possible.

At the end of each game you can submit your score and check out leader board, retry or enter to see if you’ve won instantly.   Me … I like instant gratification … so I tend to choose instant win and try to rack up the 10% off e-certificates, although when traveling I like to try for the Economy Plus seating upgrade.

Even if you’re not a United Airlines flyer, you’ll enjoy playing United Airlines’ Optathlon.

Below are 13 screen shots of the United Airlines Optathlon iPhone App from my iPhone the other day.

Happy Flying!

(Click Images To Enlarge)