Bid Miles For a Weekend With United's Retired 747s
This is so cool that had it been April 1, I would have assumed it were some sort of cruel April Fools' joke. But nope, this is May, so it's gotta be legit.
United just launched a mileage auction to spend a weekend with its retired 747-400s, at the Universal Asset Management (UAM) Aircraft Disassembly Center in Tupelo, Mississippi (TUP). That's where several of the carrier's former flagship planes have been sent to begin their next chapter, following a stint in the desert at Victorville (VCV).
This event was clearly put together by some serious Avgeeks — one highlight includes a Champagne toast in the first-class cabin of N118UA, the same plane I flew on United's final revenue 747 flight, from San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL) on November 7, 2017.
During your visit to TUP, you'll score a private tour of the facility, which is also home to two other United 747s — N117UA and N121UA — along with a private dinner outside of United's former Queen of the Skies.
The trip will take place from June 1-3, 2018, with the 747 festivities all scheduled for Saturday, June 2. Round-trip domestic economy flights for two are included, along with two nights at a Marriott hotel in Memphis.
The auction ends at 1:00pm ET on May 24, so you have just more than a week to make your bid. As of this writing, the price is a cool 75,000 miles, but I imagine it'll climb far above that amount, considering the true "once in a lifetime" nature of this particular auction. Head to this page to cast your bid!
