No more Emirates partnership for the new United


Both halves of the new United, Continental and United Airlines, have had frequent flyer partnerships with Emirates for some time now. The level of the relationship has varied over the years, but there was something there. Not any more.

When Continental joined Star Alliance they announced that the few flights that used to be eligible to earn elite qualifying miles would no longer do so, making earning only for award (RDM) miles. A few months later they announced that the partnership would end completely in March 2011.

United had permitted earning of RDMs only on Emirates flights but also had permitted redemptions into Emirates’ first class cabin; Continental only permitted business class redemption. The United redemptions were on a separate chart which made them a bit pricier to redeem but they were there. Now they are gone.

According to a post by Lucky the United partnership ends on May 28, 2011. That’s not even 60 days away. The deadline is for both bookings AND travel benefits.

Not a lot of notice for the partner to disappear, though also not much of a surprise given the way the relationship has played out and the way the new United’s route map looks. And they do still have Qatar Airways as a partner, at least for now, giving them some coverage in the region.

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Seth Miller

I'm Seth, also known as the Wandering Aramean. I was bit by the travel bug 30 years ago and there's no sign of a cure. I fly ~200,000 miles annually; these are my stories. You can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.