More partners means more choices—something that all frequent flyers cheer about. United Airlines has gone above and beyond when establishing partnerships. In addition to the myriad of airlines in the Star Alliance, it has more than a dozen partner airlines outside of the alliance as well.
These partnerships offer all sorts of perks. For one thing, you can earn United miles when booking select fares. If you hold United status, you may be eligible for benefits while flying, too. And, when you’re ready to redeem your United MileagePlus miles, you’ll have options to fly these partner airlines when space is available.
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Let’s take a look at United’s additional airline partners and some award flights that are bookable with United miles.
Full List of United Airline Partners (Excluding Star Alliance)
Best United Redemptions on Non-Star Alliance Partners
With more partners to choose from, travelers have access to additional award inventory and therefore a higher likelihood of finding an award flight that meets their needs. That alone could make any of these partner airlines a fit for a United reward. However, at first glance, you might think some of these airlines are too geographically limited to be useful.
While it’s true that several of United’s non-alliance partners have niche footprints, that can actually be a good thing when booking awards. Specialized routes can be the difference between getting “close” to your intended destination or going all the way. That might not save you a lot of money compared to buying a positioning flight with cash, but booking your entire trip on a single ticket can make it easier to check bags or rebook your trip in case of schedule changes or cancellations.
Here are some of our favorite United partner awards for inspiration.
Aer Lingus from the U.S. to Europe
Aer Lingus is the obvious choice if you’re traveling to Ireland, but it can be a handy option if you’re traveling somewhere else in Europe, too. This Dublin-based airline offers nonstop flights to less common transatlantic airports, including Orlando (MCO), Cleveland (CLE) and Hartford (BDL), allowing you to bypass that extra connection within the U.S.
Aer Lingus business class won’t necessarily make sense if you’re coming from the East Coast—Boston to Dublin is less than a six-hour flight—but when flying from the West Coast it can make a lot of sense. Better yet, United allows you to seamlessly add connections on all award flights. If needed, you can tack on segments within the U.S. to an international gateway and then tack on another segment on Dublin to your final destination
Azul Brazilian Airlines from the U.S. to Brazil
Star Alliance does a great job serving South America, with a handful of flights operated by United itself and many more options with connections on Avianca or Copa Airlines. However, Azul offers a different set of routes, including some nonstop options that can save you a lot of time compared to connecting. For example, fly Fort Lauderdale to Manaus in about five hours—making this Amazon gateway extremely accessible.
Even when you can’t fly nonstop on Azul, you’ll find its route coverage extremely beneficial if traveling through Brazil or hopping from Brazil to a neighboring country. It has an expansive network in the region and awards are relatively plentiful if flying economy.
Airlink from South Africa to Safari Destinations
For many travelers going on safari in South Africa, the standard plan is to fly into Johannesburg and then travel overland to game parks, reserves or other popular vacation destinations. However, when time is short—or you’ve had enough of rough roads—Airlink covers several routes that will take you to your destination in no time at all.
Depending on when and where you’re traveling, award prices for these intra-Africa flights might not make sense compared to paying cash. Don’t forget, though, that United awards come with flexibility, refundability and elite benefits (if applicable) that also add value. Still not convinced? Instead of booking a short one-way award on its own, include it as part of your international itinerary to save on miles.
Olympic Air from Athens to the Greek Isles
Sure, you can get from Athens to pretty much any Greek island via ferry but that’s not necessarily efficient. If you’re only transiting through Athens, it’s much easier to never leave the airport and tack on a segment to your destination of choice. Olympic Air flies on numerous routes within Greece, including to some smaller airports such as Naxos and Zakynthos.
Considering how short these flights are, award prices might seem high if you’re booking the single segment on its own. However, Olympic Air flights can also be tacked onto transatlantic journeys, such as the U.S. to Athens and onward to Santorini, for no additional miles. They can also be booked as part of United’s Excursionist perk, an easy way to enjoy a free stopover.
Vistara through India to the Maldives
The Maldives are on a lot of travelers’ wishlists—and if you’ve seen pictures, you already know why. You’ll find postcard-perfect beaches, tremendous scuba diving and five-star resorts that will make anyone jealous. Vistara flies to Malé from Mumbai, giving United MileagePlus members another routing to get there.
Since United miles can be used to mix and match Star Alliance and non-alliance partners (including Vistara) on a single itinerary, that means you’ll have dozens of options to get there. If you’re flying in business class, it can be a lot easier to find award flights to India with an extra hop to the Maldives on Vistara compared to an award segment directly from Europe to Malé.
Bottom Line
United has partnerships with more than a dozen airlines outside of Star Alliance, offering benefits and the ability to earn or redeem miles through an even greater network. With these partners adding to the pool of available award flights to choose from, travelers can extract even more value from their MileagePlus miles.