Can people please quit referring to these “perks” as if they are given out of the boundless generosity of the airlines out of the blue, and the employee should be groveling in appreciation at their good fortune?
In reality, they are listed as benefits of employment, and are used along with salary, 401K and other inducements to compete for employees. They are expected and implicitly if not explicitly promised as part of accepting a job.
I suppose United can put all the restrictions they want legally, but if I worked for them, dictating what I (or those I gave the ticket to) can wear when traveling on my personal time simply because they gave me what they promised when I took the job would annoy me about as much as if they tried to tell me what accepted venues I could spend my “perk” of monetary compensation on.
This is from the “Benefits” page at United.com for those considering employment, listed along with such other “perks” as their health insurance, 401K and time off policies.
Travel
Employees and their families enjoy exciting travel privileges, including discounted rates on airline tickets and unlimited standby travel to anywhere United flies. Whether it’s backpacking through Europe or a long weekend in Guam, who wouldn’t enjoy the perks of travel?
