United to Extend Corp. Preferred Benefits Across JV

United Airlines beginning this fall will extend three of its Corporate Preferred loyalty program benefits to select corporate customers across its joint venture with Air Canada and Lufthansa Group, the carriers announced Sunday at the Global Business Travel Association in San Diego.

The three benefits are preferred boarding, preferred reaccommodation in the event of a service disruption, and preferred flight protection in the event of an equipment change or an overbooking situation, United VP of sales strategy and effectiveness Glenn Hollister said.

As part of this fall’s initial phase of this extension, all United Corporate Preferred Elite-tier customers will be eligible for the new benefits. Additionally, the three airlines selected a group of corporate customers that “use the joint venture the most and will receive the greatest benefit from the Corporate Preferred program,” Hollister told BTN.

“We are exploring ways in which we can extend more of the benefits to more of our customers,” he added.

The impetus behind the benefit extension is to provide a more seamless experience for travelers, Hollister said, particularly as the three carriers have different corporate programs and benefits.

For instance, Air Canada today does not have a corporate loyalty program, but will launch one in the fall in conjunction with the launch of this JV benefit extension, Air Canada VP of Canada and U.S. sales Lisa Pierce told BTN.

“It’s been four years that United has had a Corporate Preferred program, and Air Canada will be launching one, too,” Pierce said. “It’s very important we be aligned with our JV partners, so the fact we have three common benefits is very important, because the seamless experience is something we know our corporate customers want.”

The benefits also will apply not just across the Atlantic but on the combined networks of all three airlines, according to the companies. For Lufthansa Group, that includes flights across the company’s carriers—Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, according to Lufthansa senior director of sales for the U.S. Central, West and Central America Don Bunkenburg.

“Regardless of what airline the customer is flying, or where they are flying, they will enjoy those benefits,” Hollister said. “It provides a more premium experience to these customers, especially those who do not have loyalty status.”

If a customer’s loyalty status or purchased airfare entitles them to benefits beyond the Corporate Preferred program, they will receive those higher benefits, Hollister said.

What’s important, he added, is that “it’s the first time we are building technology to pass the information back and forth on the travelers,” he said. “So regardless of where they book and where they fly, they can [receive those benefits]. That is really where the work has been, to make sure we’re exchanging behind the scenes the information to deliver these benefits on any airline anywhere in the network.”