At the World Aviation Festival 2025, Mike Petrella (United Airlines, MileagePlus) today outlined how United is transforming loyalty into a human-centric ecosystem built on travel, data, and media. With partnerships like Instacart, Spotify, and Built, plus Starlink-powered personalization, MileagePlus aims to extend relevance beyond flights into customers’ everyday lives.
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United AirlinesAt the World Aviation Festival 2025, Mike Petrella, Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships & Connective Media at United Airlines, shared how United is rethinking loyalty through personalization, partnerships, and everyday engagement. His session highlighted how MileagePlus is evolving beyond flights into a platform that treats travelers as people first—each with multiple personas, needs, and lifestyles—and leverages data, media, and technology to deliver relevant value at every touchpoint.
Loyalty Built Around People, Not Just Customers:
Petrella emphasized that travelers are not a single profile but carry multiple personas—business flyer, family traveler, leisure explorer—depending on context. United’s strategy focuses on recognizing these shifts and complementing each journey accordingly. The aim: move away from generic loyalty offers and create experiences that feel human, personal, and relevant.
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Mike Petrella, United Airlines (Image: GLO)
United’s Loyalty Flywheel: Travel, Loyalty, Media:
United’s loyalty model revolves around three interconnected pillars:
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Travel – flying 174 million segments annually, with opportunities to engage during flights, lounges, and beyond.
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Loyalty – MileagePlus and co-branded credit cards driving insight-led personalization and member engagement.
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Media – United’s fast-growing media platform, powered by seatback screens, lounges, and digital content, enabling curated, data-driven offers and inspiration.
Together, these pillars form a self-reinforcing ecosystem where data informs loyalty, loyalty fuels media, and media in turn inspires more travel.
Personalization Through Data Insights:
With 46 million active MileagePlus members (and 8M added in 2024 alone), United has rich datasets on preferences and behaviors. Petrella stressed that personalization must be smarter:
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Don’t show a Hilton ad to a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist.
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Don’t push car rental offers to a traveler who always takes public transport.
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Instead, serve context-driven offers such as nearby restaurants, concerts, or new United destinations.
The goal: avoid “Cheesecake Factory menus” of endless options, and instead curate a small set of offers that are meaningful for each traveler.
Partnerships Expanding Daily Utility:
Petrella spotlighted a wave of new partnerships designed to bring MileagePlus into everyday life:
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Instacart – free grocery delivery for MileagePlus members on domestic flights.
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Built – earn miles when paying rent or mortgages.
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Apple – earn miles on purchases, expanding beyond redemption.
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Live Nation & Vivid Seats – miles for concerts and events.
These complement legacy partnerships like Marriott and Avis, broadening MileagePlus relevance far beyond air travel.
Technology Enabling Engagement
United is investing in platforms that personalize at scale:
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Starlink-powered connectivity for real-time, personalized seatback content—every traveler’s screen unique to their interests.
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Spotify partnership – enabling members to log into personal accounts in-flight, access playlists, podcasts, and potentially even live events.
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Hemispheres digital platform – evolving from a monthly magazine into a dynamic, daily-updated travel inspiration and booking hub, with contributions from United crew and members.
Surprise & Delight as Differentiators:
Petrella underscored the importance of “surprise and delight” moments to deepen loyalty:
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Proactive solutions like rescheduling rideshares when flights are delayed.
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Curated local experiences or exclusive access to cultural events for members.
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Unexpected touches, like a glass of wine waiting after a disrupted journey.
These emotional connections, he noted, can turn inconvenience into loyalty.
Vision: MileagePlus as a Daily Companion
While flights remain the emotional anchor, United’s long-term ambition is to make MileagePlus part of customers’ daily lives—not just something they think about two or three times a year when booking travel. Whether through groceries, rent, music, or cultural experiences, the programme is being positioned as a daily utility and lifestyle enabler.
Key Takeaways:
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Mike Petrella / United Airlines ➝ Loyalty must see travelers as people with shifting personas, not static customers.
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Travel + Loyalty + Media ➝ A three-pillar flywheel delivering data-driven, human-centered experiences.
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Data Curation > Data Volume ➝ Focus on curated, relevant offers rather than overwhelming choice.
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Everyday Relevance ➝ Partnerships with Instacart, Built, Apple, and Live Nation extend utility beyond flights.
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Tech as an Enabler ➝ Starlink, Spotify, and digital Hemispheres drive personalization and inspiration.
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Surprise & Delight ➝ Small, proactive gestures can transform customer frustration into loyalty.
GLO Take:
United is positioning MileagePlus as more than a frequent flyer programme—it’s building a daily engagement ecosystem that spans travel, lifestyle, and entertainment. By blending data-driven personalization with meaningful partnerships and surprise moments, United is showing how loyalty can become indispensable in both everyday life and travel.
Source: GLO
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