Intern – Kinective: MileagePlus, Partnerships, Data/Analytics, Marketing and Cobrand (Summer 2026) presso United Airlines

At United, we offer internships, co-ops, and full-time opportunities for early career professionals. In any role, you’re a key member of our team, contributing to real projects that help move the business forward while gaining hands-on experience, growing your professional skill set, and connecting with industry leaders. You’ll also have a chance to build community through our employee-run Business Resource Groups, participate in industry conferences, and enjoy unlimited standby travel anywhere we fly.

United’s MileagePlus business unit is a multi-discipline organization responsible of our global loyalty program and other emerging businesses. As the premier leader in the airline industry, MileagePlus communicates and rewards our millions of members and non-member customers alike while driving revenue growth for United.

Loyalty is responsible for the strategic planning, development and execution of our MileagePlus program and customer loyalty experience, along with the associated partnership development and marketing. This group designs the program structure and member benefits and focuses on expanding our award offerings and creating partnerships with valuable entities to extend the value of the program beyond the customer journey and into consumers’ daily activity.

The Partnerships team manages the growth and expansion of the existing non-air partner portfolio and is also responsible for sourcing new business opportunities that fit into the broader MileagePlus offering. Strategic non-air partnerships allow members to earn and redeem miles across their travel journey, enhancing their overall experience, while also providing an opportunity for members to engage with MileagePlus when they aren’t flying. This group serves as the nucleus of our non-air partnerships, tracking performance and coordinating marketing, legal, operations, tech, and any other areas that touch the partnership across the enterprise.

The Existing Cardmember co-brand team is part of the broader MileagePlus loyalty program and is responsible for managing the strategy, performance, and day-to-day operations for the entire suite of United credit cards.  The team develops and executes marketing strategies to keep existing cardmembers engaged throughout their lifecycle by executing ongoing omni channel campaigns to educate, retain and drive card usage. 

Data and Analytics partners with MileagePlus and Kinective to define long-term goals, evaluate opportunities, and guide strategic decisions with data-driven insights. This group designs and enables comprehensive measurement strategies by analyzing relevant customer, loyalty, and operational data, and translates complex data into compelling, actionable recommendations that help us deliver on organizational goals.

At Kinective Media, we believe in creating meaningful connections between travelers and brands through utilizing our award-winning loyalty program, MileagePlus. By leveraging insights from travel behaviors of our customers Kinective Media connects customers to personalized, real-time advertising, content, experiences and offers from leading brands.

The Kinective Marketing team has the following focus areas: loyalty, media, events and experiences.

We work closely with the business groups for Program (MileagePlus), Co-brand Cards, Partners and Media (Kinective Media) to translate business strategies into marketing strategies, and then collaborate with other marketing and advertising teams to execute tactics to drive measurable impact.

The Kinective team develops innovative new products and services for our customers and ensures that our global brand is connecting people and uniting the world.

Job overview and responsibilities

The Kinective department has several exciting intern opportunities for summer 2026. Interns will have the opportunity to work with the following business functions:

• Applicant must be a current undergraduate student graduating in Winter 2026 or Spring/Summer 2027
• Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, Engineering, Economics, or a related field; or other relevant experience
• Highly organized and self-motivated, with excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage multiple, competing priorities and ensure attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills; must be comfortable talking to and collaborating with a variety of stakeholders
• Confident performing data analysis to arrive at insights and develop recommendations.
• Proven proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Preferred Qualifications

·       SQL, Python, or other programming capabilities for the Data & Analytics team

Other Qualifications

• Position is based in Chicago, IL - must be able to relocate for internship duration
• Start dates in May or June 2026
• Passion to work for airline industry and curiosity for loyalty programs
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship now and in the future
• Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualifications
• Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position