In late 2019, United offered what could have been considered a deal, but was also the basis for an age discrimination lawsuit. At the time, they had a 10% discount for travel between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, through the end of 2020. It was only available for potential flyers aged 18 to 22 if they were MileagePlus members and booked with the United app.
Of course, it had caveats….typical “no other discounts can apply,” yadda yadda yadda. But it was a smart way for United to get young adults to sign up for MileagePlus membership.
Fast forward a few months after the discount began and two people, Fuiolevaga Riddick, of Los Angeles, and David Pacheco, of San Diego, who were 23 and 67 years old, respectively, filed a class-action lawsuit (<– PDF) alleging they were the victims of age discrimination, saying they were excluded from the discount.
Well, OK then.
The lawsuit was filed on November 3, 2019, but was voluntarily dismissed (Pursuant to FRCP 41(a)(1)(A)(i)) by Riddick just over 2 weeks later, on November 18th.
So much for that.
Well, lawsuit or no lawsuit, we all know what happened to travel for most of 2020 and even well into 2021. But United has now decided to offer the same type of discount, albeit with some changes.
The discount is still only for flyers age 18-22. It’s good for United Economy® or Basic Economy purchases. The “maybe good” news is that the location parameters are now “United- or United Express®-operated flights within the United States and to and from select international destinations originating in the United States.” The bad news is that it’s only a 5% discount. And it’s only for flights booked by July 31, 2021 (*cough* that being said, their FAQ still says that “All discount fares are available for purchase through December 31, 2020, regardless of the flight date. *cough*).
But it still has to be done through the United app, and you still have to have a MileagePlus account. 😉
Oh, and because they’re talking to young adults, and because young adults care about the environment, United made sure to add in some information about their goals of going 100% green by reducing 100% of their greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
These are the terms and conditions to get the discount:
- Must be a MileagePlus member aged 18-22, at the time of booking, to be eligible for discounted fares.
- Birthday field must be completed within MileagePlus account.
- Discounted fares only available in the United mobile app when signed into your MileagePlus account.
- Fares that are discounted are indicated in the booking path.
- Minimum 5% discount on United or United Express operated flights within North America originating in the United States. All published, non-contracted economy class fares are eligible. Specialty contracted/net/bulk or government fares are not eligible.
- Varying discounts on select United and United Express International flights originating in the United States.
- May also be valid on certain codeshare flights identified with a “UA*” flight number and operated by Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Brussels, Air Canada, ANA or Air New Zealand.
- Tickets must be purchased by July 31, 2021.
- Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets.
- All rules and travel restrictions of the purchased fare apply. When applicable, refunds may be issued based on the amount paid; however, additional charges may apply.
- Domestic and International fare discounts do not apply to taxes/fees/surcharges, including passenger facility charges, international departure tax, customs users/immigration fees, agricultural tax or airport security charges. It is the responsibility of the passenger to pay such amounts at time of ticketing. In addition, the discount does not apply to checked baggage or other fees.
- Not combinable with any other discount travel certificate, MileagePlus reward or other discounted fares.
- MileagePlus mileage credit is awarded based on the discounted fare purchased.
- In the event of a flight irregularity, alternative travel will be provided on flights operated by United, United Express, or those listed as “UA*” flights.
- United Airlines reserves the right to modify or terminate this promotional offer without prior notice.
- Miles, awards and benefits are subject to the rules of the United MileagePlus program. For details, see www.united.com.
Click here for United’s page with all the info.
Feature Photo: United Airlines
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
TwA had a youth fare to and from Europe. You had to book within 3 days of the flight making the return unpredictable. I used it without problems, coming back in June. Used it probably twice. Was eligible for frequent flyer miles credit.
Long live TWA. Too bad American didn’t take the TWA name and Delta taking the Pan Am name so that the big 3 would be Pan Am, TWA and United.
How about infant fare? Sue? Can I be deemed an infant? (Infant, not infantile)
I’ve frequently received a $200 discount when booking last minute United tickets through this offer. The young adult fares seem to not have an advance purchase requirement. As a result, although the discount is only 5%, I’ve had luck booking T fares 2 days before departure using the young adult discount instead of the high H fares available without the discount.