Back in Septmeber of 2022, United Airlines and Emirates announced their new codeshare and loyalty agreements which have now taken effect starting from March 30, 2023.
This agreement will also give the loyalty program members of both airlines more opportunities for more rewards, including reciprocal mileage earning capability for Emirates Skywards & United Mileage Plus members.
EK members can earn miles when they travel on United-operated flights, and United Mileage Plus members flying on United’s New York/Newark to Dubai flight will be able to earn and redeem miles when connecting beyond on Emirates and flydubai.
Eligible customers traveling on codeshare flights will eventually be able to access Emirates and United lounges though the emphasis is on codeshares and not standalone EK/UA coded flights. Either way this benefit which was teased last September still hasn’t been implemented or described in more detail.
You can earn United miles only on specific Emirates flights, however (odd as it is) you can earn Emirates miles on any United flight in their network. Why the discrepancy? Who knows…
You can find the original press release from September 2022 here.
John also published an article about this last spring:
Effective March 30, 2023 the frequent flyer partnership on a loyalty basis has now gone live.
You can access United Mileage Plus for your Emirates loyalty/earning benefits here.
Here the earning rates:
There is currently a double miles promotion as well:
Double miles promotion
For a limited time, you can earn double award miles when you fly eligible Emirates flights between March 26, 2023 and April 30, 2023. Double award miles will be based on total award miles earned and your MileagePlus status.
Emirates Skywards members can earn & redeem miles with United
Earning Miles
You can earn Skywards Miles on United Airlines or United Express operated flights. Miles cannot be earned on other airlines’ codeshare flights.
Accrual levels for Skywards members travelling on flights marketed and operated by United Airlines
Fare type | Booking Class | Skywards Miles |
Full Fare Business | J, C | 150% |
Business | D, Z | 125% |
Deep Discount Business | P | 110% |
Premium Economy | O, A | 110% |
Discount Premium Economy | R | 100% |
Full Fare Economy | Y, B | 100% |
Economy | M, E, U | 75% |
Discount Economy | Q, V, W | 50% |
Deep Discount Economy | S, T, L, K, G | 25% |
Basic Economy | N | 10% |
*F, I , X are ineligible
Accrual levels for Skywards members travelling on flights marketed by Emirates and operated by United Airlines
Fare type | Booking Class | Skywards Miles |
Business Flex Plus | J | 150% |
Business Flex Plus | C | 125% |
Business Flex | I | 125% |
Business Saver | O | 110% |
Business Special | H | 110% |
Premium Economy | W, E | 100% |
Economy Flex Plus | Y | 75% |
Economy Flex Plus | R | 50% |
Economy Flex Plus | X | 50% |
Economy Flex | B, M | 50% |
Economy Flex | U, K | 25% |
Economy Saver | T, L, Q | 25% |
Economy Special | V | 25% |
*S, D, N, Z, P, G, F, A are ineligible
To claim missing Skywards Miles for flights completed within the last six months, provide your flight details using Live Chat.
Spending Miles
Spend Skywards Miles on United Airlines flights across their network starting at 8,000 Miles. Check the table below for the number of Miles you need for a one way reward flight. You’ll need twice the number of Miles for a return reward flight.
Zone | One way distance (miles) | Economy Class | Business Class |
1 | 0‑250 | 8,000 | 16,000 |
2 | 251‑500 | 10,000 | 20,000 |
3 | 501‑1000 | 14,000 | 28,000 |
4 | 1001‑2000 | 20,000 | 40,000 |
5 | 2001‑3000 | 26,000 | 52,000 |
6 | 3001‑4000 | 32,000 | 64,000 |
7 | 4001‑5000 | 38,000 | 76,000 |
8 | 5001‑6000 | 44,000 | 88,000 |
9 | 6001‑7000 | 52,000 | 104,000 |
10 | 7001‑15000 | 60,000 | 120,000 |
Reward tickets are subject to availability.
Rewards are only valid on United Airlines or United Express operated flights with the flight code UA
Skywards Miles needed as stated are for direct flights only. Where no direct service is operated, two or more rewards may be required.
Reward flights can be booked for both one‑way and round‑trip travel.
Reward ticket coupons cannot be used out of sequence.
All flights must be confirmed at the time of Skywards Miles redemption. Waitlists are not permitted.
Reward tickets are valid for 12 months from the original date of issue, with a maximum stay of three months.
Reward values are exclusive of taxes, fuel surcharge and other charges. These need to be paid separately.
Children and infants occupying a seat and travelling on reward tickets will need to redeem the same number of Skywards Miles as that of an adult member. Infant rewards are not permitted.
I get the feeling that it isn’t very advantageous to credit miles from United flights to Emirates Skywards. Best to find a different frequent flyer program for those, either United Mileage Plus or another Star Alliance carrier.
After more than a decade of bad blood the U.S. airlines are now getting comfortable doing business with the ME3. Who would’ve thought!?
Conclusion
It’s still unclear what full benefits MileagePlus, and Skywards elite members will eventually receive when flying on each other’s flights even though the earn & redeem options have now been published.
We had hoped that both airlines would have released more comprehensive information most relevant to frequent fliers which are ground elite benefits. Until now, what has been revealed rather lackluster.
United Airlines partnered with Emirates in the past when they had joint around-the-world fares. Continental also had a frequent flier partnership with Emirates that allowed redeeming Onepass miles on their flights.
American Airlines has deepened its partnership with Qatar Airways and now United Airlines with Emirates. Is Delta eventually getting cozy with Saudia?