CHICAGO, Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today announced that Global Traveler has named United Airlines its 2014 Airline of the Year. A panel of Global Traveler Advisory Board members and employees chose United based on outside research, experiences traveling with the airline and information provided by the individual airlines that were nominated.

Global Traveler also announced today that its readers named United the Best Trans-Pacific Airline and, for the 11^th straight year, named MileagePlus the Best Frequent-Flyer Program. MileagePlus also won for Best Frequent-Flyer Bonus Program.

The United MileagePlus Club Card was named Best Credit Card and Best Credit Card Rewards Program, while the United MileagePlus Explorer Card was named Best Frequent-Flyer Affinity Credit Card Redemptions.

In its announcement, publisher and CEO Francis X. Gallagher noted the "exceptional quality" of United and of Marriott, United's partner in the RewardsPlus program, which offers United's and Marriott's top customers elite travel benefits. Marriott was named 2014 Hotel of the Year.

"This year, United has continued to create a more flyer-friendly experience for our customers – broadening our global route network, introducing new tools to give customers more information and control over their travel experience, and providing our employees more of what they need to provide better service in our airports and onboard our aircraft," said Jeff Foland, United's executive vice president of marketing and strategy. "Next year, customers and employees can look forward to more investment in service, technology and reliability."

In 2014, United announced a multi-million-dollar investment in its domestic premium-cabin food and beverage service and launched personal device entertainment on more than 180 airplanes. It now offers Wi-Fi on more than 370 aircraft, with additional aircraft being outfitted at the rate of one per day.

The airline continues to expand its unmatched worldwide route network with new nonstop flights between Chengdu, China, and San Francisco; Melbourne, Australia, and Los Angeles; and Santiago, Chile, and Houston, to name a few.

United also invested in more user-friendly airport experiences and technology options for travelers. Last month, the airline unveiled new customer features for its Newark hub, complete with 24 new restaurants inspired by internationally and regionally acclaimed chefs and electronic payment technology with nearly 6,000 iPads for customer food ordering. In May, the airline opened a new state-of-the-art concourse at Boston Logan Airport, added new Global Services lobbies in Newark and San Francisco and opened several new United Clubs.

The United app continues to be a top-downloaded app for customers and in 2014 the airline became the first U.S. carrier to offer customers the ability to scan their passports to check-in for international flights via the app.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,100 flights a day to 374 airports across six continents. In 2013, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 139 million customers. With U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates more than 700 mainline aircraft. This year, the airline is taking delivery of 35 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 as the North American launch customer, and is welcoming 32 new Embraer 175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

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SOURCE United Airlines