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Yesterday, Aviation Daily reported on United’s new check-in and boarding procedures for elite-level frequent flyers at San Francisco International Airport.

Most notably, the airline is rolling out separate boarding lanes, literally laying down a red carpet for elite travelers who can board at any time.

Previously, elite flyers were invited on board early, as part of seating area 1. But once seating area 2 was called, the elites were in line with everyone else. Now, the separate elite “lane” will allow those travelers to move to the front of the line, even when “now boarding all rows” has been called out.

Continental has been doing this for some time, with a blue “Elite Access” carpet. If you’ve never seen it before, click here.

All 30 United gates at SFO have already been “upgraded” to this arrangement. Other hubs will be completed by midyear, and the top 40 airports should have the system in place by the end of 2007. (Some spaces at gates are kind of tight… will there really be sufficient room for two lanes?)

I like this idea, though it is bound to rub some people the wrong way for its velvet rope elitism. As I’ve argued before, ultra-frequent flyers who spend so much of their life traveling deserve to move through airports faster. If this gets them on the plane faster, then so be it.

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Update: From recent comments, it seems that this offer has been pulled. Sorry to those who missed out.

United Airlines is playing Santa a little late. (Or maybe they’re tipping their hat to the Orthodox calendar?) United is making it ridiculously easy to obtain elite status.

For some time, American Airlines has offered their so-called “challenges,” whereby you obtain elite status for a full year by flying a fraction of those miles within 90 days. Most airlines have been loath to offer such shortcuts to elite status. (American’s challenges measure qualifying points, not just miles, so be sure to understand the rules. A basic overview is here. An old but generally still correct primer on the subject of AA challenges is here.)

Now United is following American’s lead and offering a similar program. This is different from United’s earlier “pre-paid” status. Last year, and perhaps earlier, United offered prepaid “gift cards” for $5,000, $10,000, or $20,000, that came with Premier, Premier Executive, or 1K benefits, respectively. But the airline’s adoption of fast-track challenges is new.

According to this thread on FlyerTalk, you’ll need to call the United Mileage Plus (1-800-421-4655) and ask to participate in the challenge. Mention offer code MPP557.

The terms: Pay $100 to participate. Then earn 6,250 elite-qualifying miles within 90 days of registering to earn Premier status. Earn 12,500 elite-qualifying miles on United within 90 days of registering to earn Premier Executive status (which gives Star Alliance Gold status). All paid United tickets qualify, and higher fare classes and premium cabins give a bonus. Only United/United Express/Ted flights count, so no codeshares or alliance flights. If you want to go all the way to 1K, however, there are two caveats: 1) You need to have been 1K in 2006 and failed to requalify for 2007, and 2) only tickets booked in the more expensive fare classes (F, A, P, C, D, Z, Y or B) will count for the challenge.

Status obtained through such a challenge will last through February 2008. Thereafter, you’ll have to earn it the hard way. Unless, of course, another challenge crops up…

If you’re going to be flying anyway, and you don’t already have the elite mojo, this might be worth your while. A mileage run (flying for the sake of miles) might be worth it, too, if the price is right. 12,500 elite-qualifying miles aren’t really that hard to obtain, and this is a really cheap route to elite status.

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I was going to write a post on improving your travels this Thanksgiving weekend, or during the holiday season more generally, but CondeNast Traveler’s Wendy Perrin has already done most of the heavy lifting and offers six good tips. I’ll add my comments and addenda in italics:

1. Check in online.
Indeed. Check in up to 24 hours in advance. And use this opportunity to pick better seats, if they’re available.

2. Check bags curbside.
If you’ve checked in online, some airlines and airports have dedicated bag check-in areas for passengers who have checked in electronically. In Chicago O’Hare terminal 1, for example, that desk is near the far left end of the terminal (if you’re dropping someone off by car, it’s at the last Terminal 1 entrance door).

3. Label your luggage with your name and address, inside and out.
Indeed, and also put a copy of your itinerary inside the suitcase. If the tag falls off on the outside, they’ll look for identification on the inside. Adding the itinerary helps them know where to look.

4. Follow the TSA rules for carry-on luggage to the letter.
Print the TSA’s rules (PDF) and bring them with you, in case you get into a dispute over whether something in your possession is permitted through security or not. After all, screeners aren’t necessarily consistent in their knowledge of the rules.

5. Don’t wrap gifts. TSA might unwrap them.

6. Wear easily removable shoes.

And here are a few extra:

7. Not all security lines are equally busy. Some airports have less-popular security lines, either in an adjacent (but connected) terminal, or at the far end of a terminal building. A few of these “shortcuts” are listed here. They can shave a few minutes off your airport hassle.

8. If you’re traveling with a laptop, download your airline’s timetable. If you’re making connections, having this information on hand is invaluable for approaching a customer service agent and getting booked onto alternate routings.

9. If you have elite status, and your airport has an elite-access line for security, this is the time to use it. Even if you’re traveling on a different airline than the one you have elite status with, you may be able to use the elite line. (Terminal 2 at Chicago O’Hare is an example of this.) A lot of infrequent travelers are passing through America’s airports this week, and some will forget to take off their belt, remove some coins from their pockets, etc. The elite line has the seasoned veteran flyers, and it’s bound to move faster, even if it’s the same length as the general-admission line.

Safe travels!

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United and US Airways have separately introduced shortcuts to 2007 elite status.

United will give you double elite-qualifying miles or segments on all flights actually operated by United (no codeshares), but only if you pay them $499. Ouch!

In previous years they charged $100, $150, or $200 for the end-of-year double counting. $499? That’s a spicy meatball! Who’s gonna bite?

US Airways isn’t charging extra, but it isn’t offering double miles on its flights, either. Instead, from October 1 through December 31, 2006, all miles that you earn through hotels and rental cars count toward elite status.

Remember, there are two kinds of miles: Redeemable miles, which, as the name implies, you actually can (attempt to) cash in for flights, etc., and Elite-qualifying miles, which are solely used to calculate your status with the airline. 25,000 elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) are generally necessary to obtain entry-level elite status.

Earning status in calendar year 2006 nets you status through February 2008.

Tim Winship notes a change to United Airlines’ Economy Plus program. Getting a seat in the forward section of coach, which offers up to 5 inches more legroom than the rear of the plane, certainly has always been a great feature, especially since American eliminated their “More Room Throughout Coach.”

Now, the zone is reserved for elites in United’s Mileage Plus program, and those who pay to upgrade their legroom. (If a flight is booked solid, you can get lucky and get seats in the E+ zone, too.)

The change to the policy is subtle, if you’re not looking for it. (I sure wasn’t.) Two categories of United customers are no longer given access to Economy Plus: passengers on expensive/full-fare tickets, and elites on other Star Alliance airlines.

While it may make it easier for United elites (myself included) to find a seat in the more spacious Economy Plus section, I don’t agree with Tim that this is a good thing. For starters, the people on the expensive tickets are subsidizing everyone else. Throw them a bone, for God’s sake. That way they’ll come BACK.

And the elites on other Star Alliance airlines now have little reason to choose United for their travels. If you’re hooked on a Star Alliance frequent flyer program, you can earn miles on any of the member airlines. Why give United your cash, when, as an elite, you can get an exit row seat on US Airways?

Maybe United thinks that more people will pay to upgrade their seats, but I have my doubts. If anything, I imagine that this could reduce revenue for the airline.

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tags: travel | United Airlines | Economy Plus | UAL Corp. | frequent flyer

If you’ve traveled to a major hub airport, you’ve probably seen (or used) separate “elite” security lines. Two weeks ago, the Washington post offered an editorial opposing the existence of these separate lines. On Tuesday, USA Today picked up the thread. The WaPo summarized the argument against the VIP lines in the context of the new security rules:

Most air travelers took the beefed-up security — and the occasionally interminable waits that followed — in stride. First- and business-class passengers in most airports, on the other hand, didn’t have to. As usual, higher-class passengers skipped most of the security queues at hubs such as Dulles and Los Angeles international airports. That’s hardly fair.
We understand why travelers in first class and business get preferential treatment in airline baggage lines; it’s one of the perks they pay for. Checked baggage handling is a service that airlines elect to provide, and they can administer it however they see fit. But does the same logic extend to an official public service? When security alerts […] bring hassle and delay, it shouldn’t be only the travelers with coach seats who have to sacrifice their time to ensure the safety of American aviation.

The argument that essential government-provided services shouldn’t be doled out by class is a powerful one. But while I think of myself as a pretty egalitarian guy, I’m going on record in defense of elitism in this case. Hear me out.

For starters, the TSA is not to blame for this. It’s the airlines and the airports that control who gets in line, and how. Once they reach the front of the line, the government’s screeners take over. So the government absolves itself of responsiblity. The question remains if airports and airlines should divide the lines into elites and non-elites. I say yes.

For starters, it’s not just business and first class passengers who use the elite lines, when these lines even exist. (Not all airports have them; USA Today listed most American airports with the lines at the bottom of their article.) It’s predominantly the airlines’ most frequent flyers — the people flying 25,000 or more miles per year — who use these lines. Sometimes on cheap fares. They might be flying in first, sure, but they’re very, very often in coach. More importantly, most people in the elite line have had their butts in seats a lot more than the occasional traveler. They tend to be business travelers who have to fly, not leisure travelers who want to fly. The line is a perk, but it’s a perk that’s earned by spending a lot more time walking through magnetometers.

Having such lines is a smart business decision, not a matter of security. These passengers are the airlines’ best customers, and they’re rewarded with the option of special lines. Like a bank that offers a line for business clients, or the Home Depot with its contractors-only line, airlines want to make sure the best customers get the least hassle. Keeping these passengers happy (or at least happier) keeps airlines in business for the rest of the traveling public. Tick frequent flyers off enough, and they’ll do what they can to avoid traveling. (Online meetings, driving, etc.)

Once they’re in the TSA’s hands, elites aren’t hassled less, frisked more gently, or allowed any latitude in security. No. The best they get is a shorter wait for the same exact security treatment.

And elite lines aren’t even always the shortest lines. At O’Hare’s Terminal 1, where I have the privilege of using one such elite line, I often opt to use the smaller security checkpoint near the hallway connecting to Terminal 2. It’s often got no line at all, and it’s open to everyone, elite or not. (See here for a partial list of similar security checkpoint shortcuts.) And if the elite line is empty, “regular” passengers fill the gap.

This sort of predisposition toward elites at airports isn’t limited to the United States. In fact, in some cases overseas the frequent flyers in coach are screwed, too, and it’s truly just a matter of first class getting the royal treatment: At London’s Heathrow Airport, passengers in business or first class get a “Fast Track” golden ticket that lets you cut the line for passport controls.

Other airports are introducing automated traveler registries, like “Privium” at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. A retinal scan confirms your identity, no further questions are asked, and off you go. But you still pass through metal detectors, and your luggage is scanned.

Critics of a class division in America’s airports might consider reserving their ire for TSA’s Registered Traveler Program. Orlando’s airport offers one such program, called “Clear,” which gives you faster access to the TSA’s metal detectors, in exchange for a background check and fingerprinting. No one gets a free pass through security, either, just a shorter line. But the program is approved by the TSA: in this instance, the government IS offering faster access to security for those who pay for it.

(Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t really get the appeal of the Registered Travel Program. Since the program is aimed at people who fly a lot, and those are usually elite-level frequent flyers, isn’t a program like “Clear” redundant if an airport already has an elite line for security?)

In any case, Tim Winship is right that the far more important issue is getting the speed and efficacy of airport security fixed — for everyone.

But until then, elite lines are fine with me.

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tags: travel | airport security

I received an account update from Continental Airlines OnePass this past week — it’s an airline I have some orphaned miles with, but I haven’t flown with them in a while, and I’ve never had status with them.

What struck me was the way my OnePass membership was framed. Right up top, I was labeled “Non-Elite.”

Why not call me “Riff-Raff” or “Pond Scum” while you’re at it? Will the airline be honoring my reservation, or will I need to wait at the bar?

I can understand the idea of incentivizing flyers to attain elite status, but labeling me “Non-Elite” sure doesn’t make this customer feel like the airline is interested in winning my business.

So I pulled up other family member accounts to see how other airlines label their low-rung riff-raff can’t-get-an-upgrade board-last sit-in-the-back middle-seat “non-elite” members.

Northwest: “Base Member”
United: “General Member”
Delta: “SkyMiles Member”

Notice the word “Member” appears again and again. Inclusive. Part of the club. Continental’s scheme doesn’t allude to membership at all, and focuses entirely on how close you are to elite status. Aspirational? Maybe. But it’s kind of off-putting. How would you feel if you logged into your bank account and before you even saw your balance, your account was labeled “Low Margin Checking”? (Unless you’ve got a 7-figure balance, of course…)

I guess I’ve learned my place.

Related: Debating the value of elite status

tags: travel | Continental Airlines | OnePass

The New York Times’ Joe Sharkey says he’s giving up on elite status, and calls those of us who try to keep status “looney tunes.” He doesn’t see the value of his Continental gold elite status anymore, and he offers a single attempt at booking a 7-day advance purchase transcontinental flight as an example.

Baby, meet bathwater.

Maybe Joe should ditch elite status — on Continental.

While he is right that elite status on the major airlines is not the same today as it was even five years ago, it’s still a heck of a lot better than being a general member. My Star Alliance Gold status still gets me access to nice lounges around the globe, ability to reserve the better economy seats (without a fee a la Northwest), higher baggage allowances, faster check-in, and shorter waits at security lines. (Not to mention the bonus miles, which he says he can’t use.)

Joe mentions the difficulty of redeeming his miles for awards. This is another case where the specific airline may be the issue, not elite programs in general. Continental is notorious for limiting its inventory of saver awards, and its OnePass program has the nickname “Nonepass.”

Perhaps Joe should request a status match on a different airline and see how it works. Continental controls most of Newark, so other options might involve connections along the way, or a trip to LaGuardia, but if Continental isn’t giving him what he wants, why stick with them?

Getting a status match involves writing to an airline, with proof of your existing status on one of their competitors, and telling them you’d like to switch over to them. Each airline will generally only allow one status match per lifetime, so choose wisely.

An excellent Flyertalk thread on the subject, updated periodically with guidance on how to obtain that status match, is located here.

Beginning today, Northwest Airlines will start selling the exit row seats and “select” aisle seats for $15. This charge will apparently also apply to WorldPerks Elite members.

The fact that the airline, struggling in bankruptcy, is trying to monetize its better seats is hardly surprising. United has been selling upgrades to Economy Plus for some time, and other airlines around the world are charging fees for everything from cold beverages to pillows.

But the fact that Northwest is charging this fee to its elite members is a slap in the face to those flyers who have shown loyalty to the airline. Thanks for flying, now give us more money.

Washington Post readers agree: If airlines were to redesign planes’ interiors, they should add more legroom.

Few airlines are listening. The general trend is the opposite: American Airlines once advertised “More Room Throughout Coach,” which gave every coach seat an extra two inches. Four years later, the seats were put back in, conforming to the industry norm of 31 to 32 inches.

Europeans seem to have the greatest tolerance for being jammed into the back of the plane. Discount airlines Ryanair and Easyjet pack them in at a ghastly 29 to 30 inches pitch, as do charter airlines FirstChoice, Brittania, and MyTravel. Ouch.

But, of the major US-based carriers, United Airlines splits the difference. Nearly half the economy cabin is “Economy Plus,” which provides 2 to 5 inches of extra legroom, depending on the aircraft. (The bulk of their 757s have the biggest Economy Plus boost — to 36 inches.) It’s not a separate cabin, like “premium economy” on British Airways, SAS, Singapore, or Virgin Atlantic. You won’t get better food, wider seats, or a legrest, just more space between you and the seat in front of you.

I admit, I’m a big fan. There are four ways to get that extra legroom: 1) Attain elite status with United or any other Star Alliance airline (US Airways, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and over a dozen others). Then it’s free, subject to availability. 2) Buy a year-long pass to Economy Plus for $299. 3) Pay for the one-time upgrade at checkin, usually for around $30 domestically or $75 internationally. 4) Buy an expensive (nearly full-fare) economy ticket.

If you don’t get the Economy Plus seat, you’ll be at 31″ with everyone else. But frankly, I think that this is one of United’s greatest competitive advantages over its competitors, both domestically and internationally. They have even added Economy Plus into a large chunk of their regional jets. No other airline in North America has anything approaching this.

So why isn’t the WaPo mentioning that this option exists?