United Airlines is offering free travel for a year to five frequent fliers to anywhere in the world that the airline flies, in any class in exchange for getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The effort is a part of the airline’s “Your Shot to Fly” sweepstakes.
“Any new or existing MileagePlus member who uploads their vaccination records to the airline’s mobile app or website between today [May 24] and June 22 can be entered to win a roundtrip flight for two, in any class of service, to anywhere in the world United flies,” the airline said in a press release.
Also, the airline will be giving away 30 pairs of tickets to participants for a roundtrip flight for two, in any class of service, to anywhere the airline flies throughout the month of June.
On July 1, the airline will announce the five MileagePlus members who won a year of travel for themselves and a companion, in any class of service, to anywhere United flies.
The sweeptakes is the latest effort by the business community to incentivize vaccinations as the rate of vaccination slows.
“We’re proud to do our part to incentivize people to get their shot,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in a press release. “Thanks to the vaccine, more and more destinations are opening up for travel — and we know our customers are eager to fly. We’re excited to give people one more reason to get vaccinated so they can reunite with friends and family or take that long-awaited vacation which all could be just one shot away.”
Roughly 49% of Americans of all ages have received at least one dose of vaccine and 39% are fully vaccinated, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The average daily pace of coronavirus vaccinations is down almost 50% from its peak in April, according to the CDC data published last week.
Health experts are worried about a potential outbreak of COVID-19 among clusters of unvaccinated people during the summer months as they move indoors to beat the heat, particularly in the South.
“If we have large numbers of unvaccinated people in those states, we may very well see a surge in those states, so I think a lot of us are worried about that,” Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN last week.
