Name: Luc Bondar
Title: President, MileagePlus Holdings; Vice President, Loyalty
Company, city: United Airlines; Chicago, Ill.
Number of employees: 90,000
Recent project: In partnership with Chase, we launched the redesigned United Explorer Card, now regarded as one of the best $95 travel cards in the United States. It helps MileagePlus members accelerate earning with 2x miles on hotel and dining purchases and provides enhanced travel benefits and flexibility.
First job: Waiting tables and tending bars during high school and university taught me the value of hard work and the importance of connecting with people.
Little-known fact about you: My first international flight was at six months old on a Boeing 747 from Australia to San Francisco via Honolulu. When I joined United in 2017, I flew the airline’s final 747 SFO–HNL flight. It felt like one travel chapter closing as another opened.
Your Business
What innovations or initiatives do you foresee in the industry over the next few years? As travelers demand simpler, more seamless journeys, winners will be those that harness digital, mobile and data platforms to personalize service across every touchpoint — from booking and planning to airport, in-flight and destination experiences. Loyalty programs and cross-industry partnerships, such as our global Rewards Plus relationship with Marriott, will become increasingly important, particularly as data-use regulations and consent frameworks evolve worldwide.
Blockchain is also attracting interest across loyalty and travel. While a definitive, large-scale application has yet to materialize, the technology’s security and integrity promise to enable creative, customer-focused solutions in time.
Best career advice you’ve received: Stay curious and ask questions. Always tell the truth. Work with people you enjoy being around.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the field? Find work you love and keep searching until you do. Life is too short to spend time on something that doesn’t excite, motivate and inspire you daily.
Luc Bondar as a Traveler
Favorite travel memory or story: I sailed for seven days with my now-wife, Nicole, off Tasmania’s southern coast on a 38-foot Beneteau. We caught wild salmon, dove for abalone and had dinners by campfires on secluded beaches surrounded by bushland — unforgettable. With four young children now, a trip like that feels a long way off, but the memory remains vivid.
One travel tip you cannot live without: Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated makes a huge difference, especially on long-haul flights.
Best advice for business travelers: Join MileagePlus, fly United and consider the Explorer Card for added benefits. Fly United Polaris on international routes when you can. Enroll in TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, always pack earplugs and a sleep mask, and maintain a workout routine while on the road.
About United Airlines
MileagePlus members had the chance to dine on a retired fleet of Boeing 747s. What other unique opportunities do members receive? Through MileagePlus Exclusives, members can bid miles or redeem them for unique, often once-in-a-lifetime experiences across sports, food and wine, travel, arts and entertainment. These experiences include behind-the-scenes access such as riding in a flight simulator used by United pilots or being among the first to visit new United Polaris lounges — opportunities that go beyond typical rewards.
The MileagePlus partnership with BP is unique. What does that offer and what other partnerships support the program? The BP Driver Rewards and MileagePlus collaboration allows members to earn and redeem miles on fuel purchases at participating BP U.S. retail locations. MileagePlus also partners with companies across the travel journey and everyday life, from Hertz to Marriott. Via the MileagePlus X app, members can earn up to five miles per dollar on purchases at participating retailers, restaurants and online merchants.
What is next for the program? Our focus remains making United the best way to fly as a MileagePlus member. We’re committed to delivering a flexible, transparent program that adds value through improved award availability and a broad range of ways to earn and redeem miles, so members can enjoy a better day of travel.