United & Mercedes-Benz Partnership Offers Perks to Frequent Flyers

Good news for frequent flyers: United Airlines is teaming up with Mercedes-Benz USA to provide some sweet new perks to the airline's top passengers.

The Houston Business Journal is reporting that United is rolling out a new luxury service to select passengers arriving at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport who are in danger of missing connecting flights. The airline will drive its Global Services members — the top United MileagePlus Premier members — and select United Global first class customers to their connecting flights in a Mercedes vehicle (reportedly a  S Class or GL Class car). We hear that passengers selected for the service are escorted out of the aircraft to the vehicle on the tarmac, and are then driven to their connecting flight. The program places a priority on customers who could miss their connections due to delayed flights, and the service cannot be reserved or requested in advance. (Yet.) 

As of July 16, the program is in a pilot testing stage, and Houston is the only market in which it is being offered.

And the partnership also extends to purchasing a vehicle: MileagePlus Premier members can now get incentives of up to $5,000 when purchasing or leasing most new 2013 or 2014 Mercedes-Benz vehicles. In addition, Premier members will receive 25,000 bonus miles, through September 3, 2013, when purchasing or leasing a new 2014 Mercedes-Benz E- or CLS-Class model. These customers can use the incentive and mileage benefits at Mercedes-Benz dealers in the United States.

MileagePlus Premier members should go to united.com/Mercedes to take advantage of the offers. The website lets members browse available vehicles, select the Mercedes-Benz of their choice, validate their Premier status and print a voucher to obtain the pricing and mileage offers at the dealership.

Full details about the new program are available at united.com/Mercedes. The incentive and mileage offers are subject to change periodically.