Travel and Entertainment Related Updates
Travel and Entertainment Items in the News
The managing of travel, travel accommodations, and entertainment is central to Procurement & Payment Services and its impact. We continually monitor and update our procedures, operations, and opportunities in order to provide individuals at Northwestern University the best entertainment and traveling accommodations across flights, discounts, hotels, and more.
The following are travel and entertainment related news items connected to our most recent newsletter:
United Airlines News
United Airlines has increased its checked-bag fees on tickets purchased on or after April 3, 2026 for customers traveling in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Latin America.
Fees will increase by $10 each for first and second checked bags to $50 and $60, respectively. The fee for a third bag will increase by $50 to $200. The weight limit will remain the same at 50 lbs per bag.
MileagePlus Premier members and customers traveling in premium cabins still can check a bag for free.
Key Travel News
Mike Schields, Northwestern’s main contact with Key Travel through the bid, contracting, and implementation processes, has left Key Travel for a new opportunity. We wish him the best and success in his new role. Marybeth Parrott (mparrott@keytravel.com) along with the agents at northwestern@keytravel.com will continue to be the main contacts for any questions related to travel booked through Key Travel.
Vendor ID reminder
For NUFinancials users on the Evanston and Chicago campuses, when selecting a supplier ID on an REQ or PRQ, please remember to NOT select any Location Code that indicates “For QATAR use only”. These location codes are setup for the NUQ campus only. Erroneous use of these codes will result in your transaction being voided and needing to be redone.
Note: some suppliers can be used by both EV/CH and NUQ but they will have 2 location codes: one for NUQ and one for EV/CH use. So please select accordingly.
Lyft and United Airlines Partnership
Lyft announced that they have a partnership with United Airlines. Participants can link their MileagePlus accounts to their Lyft accounts where they can earn up to 4 miles per $1 spent. Here is a link!.