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I hold United MileagePlus Silver elite status courtesy of my Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status and I can’t really say that the status hase ever come in particularly useful. Sure, there are one or two benefits that would probably be nice to have if I ever flew with United (like access to preferred seating at booking and Economy Plus at check-in), but as I rarely fly ‘the friendly skies’, I don’t really get to take my lowly status out for a spin very often.
Today, however, United has announced a couple of very minor extra status benefits for those of us who sit towards the bottom of the MileagePlus food chain, and if you have Silver status and fly with a few of United’s Star Alliance partners, these may turn out to be benefits that have genuine value.
Priority boarding with Air Canada
As of today (I think), United MileagePlus Silver members who are flying with Air Canada get to enjoy Zone 3 boarding instead of having to wait until Zone 5.
Yes, you’ll still be boarding behind Business Class, Premium Economy, select Aeroplan credit cardholders and anyone with genuinely useful elite status, but this still beats being the last to board.
Link to Air Canada’s boarding order.
Priority check-in with select partner airlines
If you generally check-in online and don’t travel with checked baggage, this new benefit won’t mean much to you, but for everyone else, this new benefit may be a genuine time saver.
MileagePlus Silver Elites traveling with Air Canada can now use the ‘priority check-in’ lanes at the airport (this is where Business Class passengers check in) and when flying with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti or Discover Airlines, Silver elites can now check in at those airlines’ Business Class desks.
To some, this may not seem like a big deal, but if you’ve ever had the misfortune of getting stuck in any of the horrendous Economy Class check-in lines that appear at airports all over the world, this is a benefit that you’ll really appreciate.
Bottom line
United Airlines MileagePlus Silver Elites now have two new benefits that they can use to make their trips a little less frantic when traveling with some of United’s partner airlines. Going forward, Silver Elites now get priority boarding (Zone 3) and priority check-in with Air Canada, and can use the Business Class check-in lines when traveling with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti or Discover Airlines.
Since I lost my Titanium status a couple of years ago I haven’t been United silver since then either but I’m much more of a fan of United silver than I would have thought. Back when Delta actually cared about frequent flyers around a decade ago I was a rabidly partisan Delta fan but silver never got me anything for my loyalty. Afterwards through my accidental UA silver status I was repeatedly upgraded on award tickets. That left a bit of residual goodwill that survives to this day.
Great !
But I fault UA on it’s European airport check in counters.
In AMS and FRA and probably others – there are NO Priority/Premier checkin counters. Only GlobalServices/Polaris and a 2nd line for economy/Etc.
As a Premier Platinum, I tried to use the Business class line and they told me I had to use the Economy line.
Odd…since a few years ago, they always had three check-ins….
1) Global SOS/Polaris Business
2) Premier
3) Economy