In a move that may annoy really loyal United customers and not sit well with passengers who don’t collect United’s MileagePlus points, the airline is giving out miles instead of flight vouchers as ‘goodwill’ compensation.
The vouchers have been given given to mollify customers who have complained, or been delayed or subject to unintended conditions while on a trip; the vouchers in varying amounts could be used to purchase or partly pay for another trip.
United says it’s trying the new system “for a few months” and will then “share the results,” although it did not say with whom. Passengers who received miles vouchers but do not have accounts will be able to open them.
Travelers who don’t plan to be on United anytime soon will be unhappy, especially if they receive a miles offer that would require them to earn more miles to be able to purchase a flight. Unlike Delta and AA, United does not allow a split between cash and miles when paying. United loyalists will have a different gripe: the previous vouchers counted as a cash equivalent when buying tickets and thereby generated more elite-qualifying points.
