Good news: Teen hacker gets 1-million-air-miles bug bounty reward. Bad news: It's United Airlines

A teenage hacker from the Netherlands has received a million airline miles for finding 20 bugs in the travel business' code base. Unfortunately for him it's United Airlines that's paying out. Olivier Beg, a 19-year-old security researcher based in Amsterdam, flew into last week's Black Hat and DEF CON security conferences in …

[Anonymous Coward]

Business class?

Do they have a business class or similar?

If so, can the miles be used for flights with that? Even at a massively bad ratio, it might make using United feasible for some hats.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Business class?

Yes, United has business/first classes, and you can use miles to purchase those tickets directly or upgrade a cheap coach fare.

Upgrading when traveling internationally is the only thing I use miles for anymore. It isn't worth it for free flights due to all the restrictions, and it isn't worth it to me to upgrade when flying domestically since I live at the center of the US, and the longest flight I can have is less than three hours. I can live with coach for that. It is the 7 to 12 hour long hauls where you gotta have business class so you aren't ready to murder someone by the time you arrive at customs!

[Triggerfish]

Re: Business class?

A friend of mine used to regulary be asked to provide consultancy in the US from his company in the UK. He hated United so much that he refused to keep going unless they started booking a better airline.

Who does long haul without providing free drinkies? even the airlines from dry countries do that.

[ma1010]

Poor bugger

My condolences. I remember when United was a great airline, and I told my travel agent to be sure to book me on their flights. But that was 30 years ago, and things have sure changed, from all the horror stories I've heard.

To find about others' horror stories with United, or to report yours, check out this site.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Poor bugger

People called for harsher sentences on hackers but this seems a bit extreme.

Perhaps he can plea bargain for a trip to Guantanamo instead?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Poor bugger

If you didn't know any better, "waterboarding at Guantanamo Bay" might sound like a nice vacation.

[weevil]

Re: Poor bugger

God damn it, that website is an absolute time-sink!

[Sureo]

€5 in airport tax

Eh? On my last air ticket (Toronto to USA) there was

$25.00 airport improvement fee

$46.12 USA transportation tax

$ 6.51 USA agriculture fee

$11.55 Canada GST

$ 5.86 US passenger facility charge

$ 3.25 Canada HST

$ 9.12 USA Immigration user fee

$12.10 Air travellers security charge

$ 7.30 September 11 security fee

$ 7.17 US Federal customs fee

------------

$133.98 Canadian, or €92

Good luck on getting anywhere with that €5.

Why do I feel like a fleeced sheep?

[goldcd]

I can beat that.

I'd been quietly saving my British Airways Avios for years for a free flight. Paid for an Amex, solely as if put enough over the card I got a partner voucher for my free flight.

Putting aside the "no flights I wanted available when released" and "even then having to call for stuff that wasn't available online"(and incurring a charge) and "not getting to fly to the airports I wanted, when "... well that was a "free" booking with £1300 mystery-tax chucked on it.

As far as I could work out. I could have booked any 2 seats on economy flights I wanted cheaper.

100k points and a voucher gets you a bump to business of a flight you don't want.

Entirely off topic, but still pissy over this..Grrrr.

[SoaG]

Re: €5 in airport tax

You flew out of Toronto? You know it's not a long drive to fly out of Buffalo right?

Not just lower surcharges, but the ticket itself is always at least $100.00 CDN cheaper and 1/2 the price for parking.

Probably less total travel time too given how much faster customs is at the border instead of the airport.

[Anonymous Coward]

Could be worse, it could be Delta, who's flights are all kinds of screwed up this week.

[Anonymous Coward]

'Plumber money' to the fatcats...

Expect more Swiss cheese holes in the Wild-West-Web, until such a point that payments are all cash and all lucrative... But will that ever happen again...?

[Linker3000]

Why all the United hate?

Great airline; the last (and I really mean LAST) time I flew with them, they upgraded my direct San Francisco to London Heathrow flight to include an additional 8 hours at the airport and a free visit to Dulles Washington. I effectively gained a WHOLE DAY of extra traveling for no extra charge and skipped a Monday at work; what's not to like!?

[Prst. V.Jeltz]

60Km - (new unit kilomiles)

His flights cost him 60,000 air miles

Has Las Vegas moved? or did he take a large entourage? OR and I suspect this is the one - air miles do not in fact get you a mile in the air , rendering it a very deceptive and fraudulent name?

[Prst. V.Jeltz]

Re: 60Km - (new unit kilomiles)

Dunno about your whole life - as presumbly the "free" flight wouldnt accumulate further airmile points .

But that does suggest that you can get 50% off all flights by claiming your airmiles.

[Paul Woodhouse]

At least it isn't British Bloody Airways.... And at least he hasn't had to land at Heathrow as far as we know...

[Gotno iShit Wantno iShit]

@Paul

Bastard Airways are not perfect and nor is Heathrow but both are light years ahead of any American major airline or airport.

[Paul Woodhouse]

Re: @Paul

Jesus, can't imagine how bad American airlines and airports are then. Thankfully I've never been to the U.S. but BA are so utterly shite compared to Emirates, KLM or any of the other usual airlines I use to long haul east with its untrue...

In fact I think the only airline I've been with I'd say was a worse experience for long haul than BA was FinnAir, and the only reason I flew with them was because of a BA staff strike that abandoned me in ShangHai...

And as for Heathrow... *shudder* Paris CDG is nicer and thats a shit hole...

[Darren Sandford]

Better than they used to be.

The last time I flew United (transatlantic from the UK, earlier this year) it was comfy, the wifi was pretty reasonable, and the food was actually the best airline food I've ever eaten. Also, they no longer charge for booze.

They've come a long way from just a few years ago.