United had just retired its last Boeing 747s, the jets fans and crews affectionately called the Queen of the Skies. We turned that retirement into an experience members would compete for, and staged it not in a museum, but at the very facility where retired 747s are stripped for parts and recycled. Members and even a few employees redeemed miles to win a piece of the farewell to the exact aircraft that had flown United's final 747 flight.

Winners toured the disassembly center, climbed aboard for a champagne toast in the first-class cabin, and had dinner outdoors at tables ringed by two more retired jumbo jets. The pull was real: top bids ran 420,000 miles each, worth more than $10,000 in business-class travel (one winner drove through the night after weather cost him his connection). An insider event that proved it could punch far above its class.

Outcomes
Posted the second-highest return on experience of the quarter across United's MileagePlus experiences.
Generated 2 million impressions and over 400,000 engagements from an event with just 34 guests on site.
Drove 1,343,458 miles redeemed and 1,125 internal employee tickets redeemed, so the program landed with members and staff alike.
Earned national coverage including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Points Guy, Travel Weekly, and Business Traveller.