United Airlines has extended its partnership with Sesame Workshop to support children in need worldwide. The carrier will spotlight the 'Welcome Sesame' initiative in September and match the first million MileagePlus miles raised this year.

United and Sesame Street to help children

Over September, United will highlight Welcome Sesame through its 'Miles on a Mission' platform - Welcome Sesame is a support initiative launched by non-profit Sesame Workshop, best known as the creators of Sesame Street, to provide essential care to children impacted by crises.

Josh Earnest, SVP and Chief Communications Officer, commented,

"We're rallying our most loyal customers to join us in supporting the incredible work that only Sesame Workshop can do – for children around the world who need it the most. In times of crisis, our United team routinely mobilizes our jets to help transport relief supplies where they are needed and get people out of harm's way."

Photo: United Airlines

Welcome Sesame states that there are over 400 million children worldwide affected by violent conflicts, with over 43 million of these forcibly displaced. The campaign will provide education and caregiving to children during their critical early learning phase through its beloved Sesame Muppet characters. Sesame Workshop maintains a presence in over 150 countries worldwide, "delivering early learning and nurturing care to young children and caregivers affected by crisis."

How will it work?

For those unfamiliar with United's Miles on a Mission, it is a crowdsourcing platform that allows MileagePlus members to donate miles to charities and non-profits. The airline recently made the platform more accessible to charities by extending the length of campaigns from 30 days to 90 days and lowering the minimum miles threshold.

Photo: United Airlines

In this campaign, United has agreed to match the first one million miles. The partnership comes ahead of National Preparedness Month in September, which aims to highlight the importance of emergency preparedness.

Extending the partnership

United and Sesame Workshop first collaborated earlier this year after United named Oscar the Grouch - a famous Sesame Street character who lives in a bin - as its first 'Chief Trash Officer'. Oscar has since appeared in over 30 original pieces of content to build awareness about sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Sesame Workshop President Sherrie Westin said,

"Sesame Workshop is thrilled to collaborate with United's Miles on a Mission to bring education and joy to even more children and families through our Welcome Sesame initiative. We know children are remarkably resilient, and if they have access to quality early childhood development support, they can overcome adversity and build a brighter future."

United also recently released a Sesame Street-inspired Children's Travel Kit, featuring fun activities like coloring booklets, puzzles, and mazes. Who knows if we will see more of the likes of Elmo, Cookie Monster, and friends in future United initiatives.

Have you ever used United Airlines' Miles on a Mission platform before? Do you think more airlines should have similar initiatives? Let us know in the comments.