A little over two months into United Airlines launching a third destination hub form Salina, the major U.S. carrier is sweetening the pitch with special services for clientele.

The focus is on business and group travel, which features discounts, upgrades, priority boarding, and other exclusive extras.

United and local leaders aim to make scheduled air service to Houston, Denver, and Chicago more attractive to local and regional firms and avid travelers.

“With nonstop flights to three major United Airlines hubs — Denver International Airport (DEN); Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD); and now Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH), which started in May — we want to highlight some of the many business programs United Airlines offers,” said Gary Foss, CEO of the ArkStar Group, Salina’s air travel consultant.

Go to the United for Business website at united.business to explore what’s available.

“While saving on business travel, your employees can earn miles as MileagePlus® members, reach Premier® status to receive added benefits, and book with ease on the award-winning United app,” Foss said.

United maintains a focus on businesses of all sizes, from soft-dollar loyalty programs for small businesses utilizing a few tickets per month, to larger firms that may qualify for corporate discounts and upgrade programs.

🔹 PassPlus®

A prepaid bulk travel program that provides discounts and amenities—ideal for companies with recurring routes.

🔹 PerksPlus®

A free loyalty program for small and mid-sized businesses. Earn points for every trip and redeem for flights or upgrades.

🔹 Jetstream

A centralized portal for travel managers to book flights, track usage, enforce policy, and run custom reports.

🔹 United UATP & Business Card

Simplify budgeting and expense tracking with airline-specific payment tools.

🔹 Corporate Preferred

Provides discounts on travel with special benefits like preferred seating and priority support for high-volume travel customers.

United Airlines also offers discounts for groups and meetings, whether you’re planning a wedding party, traveling to a conference, or a sports team playing in a tournament. Groups can qualify for bulk fares for 10 or more people on the same flight to the same destination. Ten or more people traveling from different cities to Salina can receive a percentage discount off the lowest available fare.

Sports teams qualify for special pricing with as few as 10 individuals traveling. Just click on the “Groups and Sports” section of the United for Business site for information. For example, the Kansas Wesleyan University Golf Team traveling to a tournament would qualify.

Many of these discount and loyalty programs are also extendable to United’s Star Alliance partners. There is no cost to join or participate in these programs.

If you switch to United from another carrier, the Premier Status Match application is available at the United for Business website. It allows you to start receiving comparable perks and benefits you’ve earned through another airline’s frequent flyer program.

Simply go to united.business/statusmatch, log in with your MileagePlus® account (or create one), and submit your information to get started.

With direct connections to hundreds of cities through Denver, Chicago, and Houston, there’s less need to drive to Wichita or Kansas City for business travel. And if you're a top-tier traveler with another airline and want to give United a try from Salina, this is a great time to explore that option. Another plus: Salina has free parking.

These tools and programs make business travel easier, more rewarding, and more cost-effective — and ultimately support continued growth of commercial air service here in Salina. If your business or organization is looking to maximize its travel efficiency while flying local, United for Business is worth a closer look.

Pieter Miller, C.M.

Executive Director

Salina Airport Authority

Salina Regional Airport & Airport Industrial Center