Our family has been part of United Airlines' MileagePlus program and held Premier 1K status for 3 years, but the airline has made some less-than-ideal changes over that time. In this episode, we give a complete look at the 2024 status experience, from miles upgrades for the United Premium Plus cabin, to complimentary upgrades for United First Class, to how often we get Plus Points upgrades for United Polaris Business Class.

Our tour of Malaysia is over and we’re spending today flying from Kuala Lumpur to Manila, Philippines. Since we have a 6-hour scheduled layover in Manila, we’re going to make the most of the airport amenities, but since we have to exit the secure area and recheck our bags anyway, we might take advantage of a special opportunity that presents.

We’re heading out on a marathon journey that starts in Denver, Colorado and takes us back to the capital of the Philippines — but over the course of two full days of airports, lounges, hotels, and taxis.

The next leg of our journey is from Tokyo to San Francisco and we're really hoping that we're gonna get upgraded to the United Polaris business class. If you're not familiar with Polaris, think the private pods with lie-flat seats.