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Your Next United Complaint Could Score You Free... Booze

Feb. 15, 2019
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2 min read
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Your Next United Complaint Could Score You Free... Booze
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Got a trivial but troublesome problem? In life, you may just have to deal with it, but onboard United flights, voicing your peeve might earn you a drink from a sympathetic flight attendant.

According to leaked internal employee communications, United recently began empowering its flight crew to offer inflight beverage vouchers to compensate customers who experience minor inconveniences onboard but "may not have a lot of time in the airport" to address the issue with ground staff upon landing.

Brian Sumers of Skift, recently tweeted a screenshot from an internal employee communications memo detailing the policy update below:

According to the memo, flight attendants will redeem the vouchers by scanning the unique QR codes in the email.

The policy doesn't list examples of drink-worthy incidents, but that's kind of the point: United wants flight attendants to be the judge in situations that call for reparation.

While the formal policy update is new, the behavior is not — at least for some of United's competitors. Southwest Airlines staff members have been known to be generous with offering additional snacks and the occasional boozy beverage on the down-low when things go sideways mid-air. Meanwhile, American Airlines and Lufthansa allow their flight attendants to offer free airline miles for onboard complaints. And according to TPG's million-mile Delta veteran Darren Murph, Delta Air Lines crew members are authorized to offer small tokens, including food and beverage, to make things right without asking for approval from higher-ups.

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At the end of the day, many of us have probably been on the receiving end of a little extra TLC from a kindly flight attendant. But it's always nice to know that United's policy update formalizes the action for its employees, meaning they won't get in trouble later on for showing a bit of humanity.

TPG reached out to United to ask if the policy is part of the airline's core4 compassion training program, but had not heard back as of the time of this post.

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.