United Airlines goes after top frequent flyers at Delta, American

United Airlines wants you to leave your airline.

The carrier is in the midst of an unusually pointed status campaign to woo travelers who have earned a place in elite frequent flyer tiers with Delta Airlines And American airlines by offering similar treatment at United.

Here’s how it works: Travelers with elite status on Delta or American will be granted United status for 90 days.

To keep it until January 31, 2028, they will need to take a flight and spend a certain amount on United mainline or regional flights during those 90 days.

For example, if a traveler has the lowest Delta Medallion status, silver, or the same on American, which is gold, they will have to spend $1,500 on United in about three months.

To achieve status matching United’s 1K, its highest tier before invitation-only global services, the person would have to spend $7,000.

Delta and American have their own status rivalries for a host of other airlines, but United’s appeal to its rivals and its social media campaign show how fierce the battle for the highest-spending customers has become, said Henry Harteveldt, founder of the travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group.

“It’s war, airline style,” he said. “It’s very rare for an airline to be as egregious as United is” with Delta and American.

Airlines have added new lounges, additional premium seats and more international routes to attract big spenders.

In this process, United is using its new Starlink Wi-Fi network from EspaceX as a hook for customers potentially looking to leave their airline.

The carrier is in the process of equipping its planes with satellite Wi-Fi, which is free for frequent flyer program members, although it is not yet available fleetwide, and customers still have to pay at least $8 per flight with current providers. American Airlines has also signed with Starlink for hundreds of its narrow-body jets, while Delta plans to change the provider of its free in-flight Wi-Fi for AmazonIt’s Leo.

“Our long-term strategic partnership with Amazon Leo will provide high-speed connectivity while creating opportunities to bring their extensive ecosystem of entertainment and digital services to the skies,” Delta said in a statement.

American, where United CEO Scott Kirby worked until a decade ago, did not immediately comment.