United Airlines MileagePlus miles to increase in business class

If you frequently travel on United Airlines business class flights, then hurry up and cash on your MileagePlus miles by the end of this month. Effective from February 1, the airline’s customers will now be required to redeem more United Airlines MileagePlus miles for flights on various international routes. The new changes are however not applicable on U.S. domestic flights.

Media reports said that there will be remarkable difference pertaining to first or business class flights on international routes. The reports said that the biggest increase will be those on United Airlines’ Star Alliance partner carriers such as Lufthansa, Swiss, All Nippon Airways, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and some others. The frequent flyers would be able to redeem miles on these carriers, but they will require more miles now.

According to United Airlines, a frequent flyer required 100,000 miles for cheap roundtrip business class ticket between the United States and Europe on a Star Alliance partner in the year 2011.This has however changed now. From now onwards 140,000 miles would be required to book a roundtrip business class flight between the U.S. and Europe on a Star Alliance partner. Similarly, this has also been increased for those traveling in the first class. There has been a 63 percent increase in case of first class. The frequent flyers will now require 220,000 miles instead of the earlier 135,000 miles for a roundtrip ticket in first class when traveling between the United States and Europe on a Star Alliance partner carrier.