CHICAGO, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines
today announced the five lucky grand prize winners of its "Your
Shot to Fly" sweepstakes, who will each get to fly anywhere in
the world United flies with a companion over the course of the next
year. The winners of the "Your Shot to Fly" sweepstakes are:
- Ashley Cronkhite from
Bradenton, FL
- Robert Simicak from Cleveland, OH
- Sean Husmoe from Goodyear, AZ
- Lauren Aldredge from
Oakland CA
- Lauren M. from San Francisco,
CA
The sweepstakes was in support of the Biden
administration's ongoing national effort to encourage more people
to get their COVID-19 vaccination and encouraged United's
MileagePlus® loyalty members to upload their vaccine
records to United. In less than a month, more than one million
MileagePlus members uploaded their vaccine cards to the United app
and website for a shot to win one of the grand prizes. In June the
airline awarded 30 first prize winners with a pair of roundtrip
tickets anywhere United flies.
"We were proud to do our part to encourage more Americans to get
their shot and were thrilled by the overwhelming response we
received. This prize clearly struck an emotional chord with our
customers, as the opportunity to travel and connect with people and
places that matter most is something that clearly has been missed
during the pandemic," said United's CEO, Scott Kirby. "I'd like to extend my personal
gratitude to everyone who entered the sweepstakes and more
importantly, made the decision to get vaccinated."
United is the only U.S. airline to offer its own one-stop-shop
where customers can conveniently get "travel-ready" by uploading
and storing their COVID-19 test results and vaccination records
directly through the airline's website and award-winning
mobile app with the Travel-Ready Center. The airline's
easy-to-use travel tool enables customers to reduce stress and save
valuable time at the airport right from the palm of their hand.
All of the grand prize winners are already starting to plan out
the adventures they and their families will have in the upcoming
year thanks to United. Ashley
Cronkhite is an advertising professional who began working
at a grocery store during the pandemic. She plans to travel to
European destinations including Ireland and Italy with her best friend – her mom.
Robert Simicak plans to travel to national parks around the
U.S. with his wife, who is a frontline healthcare worker in
Cleveland. Lauren Aldredge will experience her first time
flying in a premium cabin and will be traveling to celebrate her
30th birthday with her partner. Sean
Husmoe plans to travel with his wife and daughters to check
off the final two continents that they have not yet visited,
including South America and
Antarctica. Lauren M. plans to
travel with her family, including a trip to Tahiti with her
husband.
The rest of United's customers will have no shortage of
opportunities to plan long-awaited getaways of their own, as the
airline has continued to grow its schedule in response to increased
travel demand. Since May, the airline has launched new flights to
Greece, Iceland, South
Africa, Ghana and
Croatia, and has resumed service
as countries like Italy,
Portugal, Spain and France re-opened to vaccinated travelers or
travelers with a negative COVID test. For those planning to stay
closer to home, United is adding nearly 150 flights to warm-weather
destinations across the U.S, just in time for the winter holiday
season.
Travel-Ready Center
Since its launch, United customers have been able to easily
access testing or vaccine requirements needed for travel
destinations, upload country specific required forms, completed
testing results and vaccination records as well as have them
verified, all within United's award-winning mobile
app and website with the Travel-Ready Center. The
Travel-Ready Center is an industry-leading digital platform that
offers customers the ability to choose from thousands of COVID-19
testing providers across the country, book appointments and receive
confirmation whether their test results meet their destination's
requirements. Once requirements are validated, customers will see a
status indicator informing them that they are "travel-ready" and
receive their mobile boarding pass. United is the only airline that
offers its customers these services as part of an integrated
experience within its own app and website. The airline was also the
first to set up an easy way for international travelers to bring a
CDC-approved test with them, self-administer while abroad, and
return home through an innovative collaboration with Abbott.
Mileage Plus: A 40-Year Legacy
United introduced its MileagePlus loyalty program in 1981 and
over the past four decades, it has continued to be a leading
airline loyalty program, with a number of industry-first
innovations designed to enhance the travel experience for members.
United added its Premier® program in 1983 and then its first
loyalty credit card in 1987. More recently, in 2019, United
announced that MileagePlus award miles never expire, and introduced
PlusPoints for MileagePlus Premier members, giving customers more
flexibility in how they choose to fly. United has also proudly
worked together with MileagePlus members to contribute to the
communities it serves, most notably donating 3.4 billion miles to
charity organizations since 2003.
MileagePlus was named the 2020 Best Frequent Flyer Program by
Global Traveler for the 17th consecutive year and
was recently recognized as the Best Overall Frequent Flyer program
by WalletHub.
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the
World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on
Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of
United's parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the
Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".
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SOURCE United Airlines