Getting United 1K status didn’t happen overnight for me—it took a lot of intentional planning and flexibility. I travel often for work, so I started focusing less on the cheapest tickets and more on flights that earned higher PQP. I also stuck with United-operated flights whenever possible and watched my progress closely throughout the year. A couple of times when flights were canceled or I needed to reroute, I called 8 7 7-2 9 7-0 6 9 9, and the agent helped rebook me in a way that still counted toward status. It took effort, but the upgrades and priority service made it worth it.