A major US airline is the first to allow loyalty program members to 'borrrow' air miles - here are the details

Don't have enough airline miles for that free flight? 

United Airlines is now letting people pool and share their frequent-flyer points with family and friends, a feature currently only offered by some smaller carriers.

United said Thursday that a 'pool leader' can pick up to four other people to set up a joint account in its MileagePlus program.

The group leader must be over 18, but there is no minimum age for others, so parents can sign up kids. Everyone in the pool must have their own United frequent-flyer account. 

On social media, Americans welcomed the news. Blaine Nickeson tweeted: 'This is going to be awesome for my family of four (three of which are MileagePlus elites)! Great change.' 

See box below for full details on how it works...

United Airlines is now letting people pool and share their frequent-flyer points with family and friends, the airline announced Thursday, March 21, 2024

Frequent-flyer programs remain popular despite complaints that the value of miles and points decline over time because airlines raise the requirements for redeeming them for flights

JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines already offer pooling, with the rules varying a bit from one to another.

In Europe, British Airways offers pooling too for family members - the only major carrier to do so until now. 

'We're always looking for new ways to provide the most value to all of our loyalty members and are proud to be the first major U.S. airline to allow our members to pool their miles with their loved ones and friends,' said Luc Bondar, Chief Operating Officer of MileagePlus. 

'MileagePlus miles pooling further reinforces United's position as the leader in family and group travel and gives our members more flexibility to use their miles while making it easier to connect to the destinations and moments that matter most, with the people that matter most.'   

Experts say it could be handy for familes on summer vacations.

The Points Guy website explains: 'Let's say you want to book a one-way flight for you and your son from New York to Orlando at 25,000 miles per person. 

'If your 5-year-old son only has 4,000 United miles in his account, but you have 48,000 miles, you can now pool your miles in a joint account and contribute your miles to cover both your ticket and your son's ticket.' 

Frequent-flyer programs remain popular despite complaints that the value of miles and points decline over time because airlines raise the requirements for redeeming them for flights or other items.

The programs are valuable to the airlines by increasing customer loyalty and giving consumers a reason to get an airline-branded credit card. United´s credit cards are issued by Chase.

United points are in the middle of the pack for value among programs at U.S. and international airlines, according to a recent analysis by the consumer site NerdWallet.

American Airlines made a change last month that was unpopuylar. 

It introduced a new rule which pushes customers to buy tickets directly from the carrier if they want to earn frequent flyer points.

It is a move that makes collecting miles and loyalty points harder. 

Starting on May 1, American will only award points for flights booked through select partners and 'preferred agencies', which it will reveal in a list in April.

It is the latest change to a loyalty program from a major airline, after Delta was forced to backtrack after controversially tightening its program last year. 

And US airlines have been putting up baggae prices this year too. 

At the start of March, Delta became the latest  to hike its baggage fees - the last of the major three US carriers to do so.

Aairlines including Delta, United and American pocketed a staggering $33.3 billion from baggage fees last year

Passengers will now have to pay $40 to check a bag at the airport for domestic flights, or $35 if they pay online in advance, the company announced

American Airlines sparked backlash as the first to raise prices in mid-February, a move which was promptly followed by United Airlines. 

All raised prices by $5 a bag and most are now between $35 to $45 a bag for the first and second checked checked items.

Even before the increases, airlines were making billions of dollars from baggage fees. 

A report in February revealed airlines including Delta, United and American pocketed a staggering $33.3 billion from baggage fees last year - a sharp 15 percent rise from $29 billion in 2022.

This sum is solely made up of fees from larger carry-on bags, standard checked baggage fees, and fines for overweight or extra large checked bags and accounted for 4.1 percent of global airline revenue last year.