During the month of June, United plans to give away 30 pairs of tickets. Then, on July 1, the airline will randomly select five MileagePlus members who have entered the contest as the winners of its grand prize of free flights for a full year.
Winners will get to fly with one other person, be seated on any class of service, and travel to any location across the globe. The grand prize is limited to a total of 26 round-trip flights taken during the year.
“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.”
United joins other companies offering incentives for customers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Krispy Kreme is giving free doughnuts to vaccinated customers, Budweiser is running a free beer giveaway, and Shake Shack announced Friday that it plans to expand its vaccination promotion of free fries nationwide.
Uber and Lyft have also joined the effort to encourage people to get vaccinated. Last week, the ride-sharing giants announced a new partnership with the White House through which they will offer free rides to anyone going to a vaccination site to get their COVID-19 shot.