I was a CP with USAir for years and switched over to CO two years ago when we moved from PHL to BWI. I have been less than happy with the Elite services of CO (I am a Plat) and am contemplating a switch back to US. Any thoughts on how US is doing these days? Can anyone comment on US compared to CO? How are the upgrades running these days. My travel is pretty much coast to coast, so it would not be a major leap for me to switch. Thoughts?

I left US after 20 + years and went to United. I don't like this new management. They added another elite level, dropped bonus miles. made it more difficult to upgrade companions, reduced first class service and the list goes on and on. Read this thread and you will find many people are unhappy.

It's not more difficult to upgrade companions.

Systemwide companion upgrades at your elite level window went into effect on March 1. That includes America West.

How are the upgrades running these days.

I have flown transcons with US while low, mid, and high tier elite in recent years. I and my companions have yet to miss a complimentary upgrade. Some of this I attribute to luck, and some to good flight selection, but the trend is solid.

I left US after 20 + years and went to United. I don't like this new management. They added another elite level, dropped bonus miles. made it more difficult to upgrade companions, reduced first class service and the list goes on and on. Read this thread and you will find many people are unhappy.
He's top tier. The extra level doesn't affect him, the bonus didn't change for him, the companion upgrade didn't change, the first class service is no worse than a year ago, and the list doesn't go much further.

The only change that might affect him is the cancellation of rollover. Well, that, and the reduced quality of the posts on the US FT board. This place has become the most negative board on FT.

This place has become the most negative board on FT.
To be fair, I think the 32-pages-and-counting thread about CoachChoice over on the WorldPerks board has temporarily stolen that crown :eek:

It's not more difficult to upgrade companions.

Systemwide companion upgrades at your elite level window went into effect on March 1. That includes America West.


I thought companion upgrades were going to be "day of departure" going forward? Can we finally kill this rumor then?

YES! We can.

The Tempe Sandcastle listened to you all!

I didn't send anything in, because I rarely-if-ever fly with a companion, so it doesn't matter to me. But apparently it mattered to enough of you to tell the folks in Tempe that you did not like the day-of-departure companion upgrades. Y'all spoke loud and clear - because Tempe heard you, and changed the new program. As of March 1, America West cut over to the US Airways-style system of upgrading companions on the same PNR at your elite upgrade window.

We're not in Crystal City anymore, Toto.

YES! We can.

The Tempe Sandcastle listened to you all!

I didn't send anything in, because I rarely-if-ever fly with a companion, so it doesn't matter to me. But apparently it mattered to enough of you to tell the folks in Tempe that you did not like the day-of-departure companion upgrades. Y'all spoke loud and clear - because Tempe heard you, and changed the new program. As of March 1, America West cut over to the US Airways-style system of upgrading companions on the same PNR at your elite upgrade window.

We're not in Crystal City anymore, Toto.

Now if they would only keep the Gold bonus at 100% instead of dropping it to 50% I'd pledge my eternal loyalty to US/HP.

I think the extra level is a fairly minor change. It only effects those golds who didn't makle plat.

The bonus miles is a major change.

What I consider a major change that will really effect us in the future is the automated upgrades without requesting it. Let's face, we here on FT know the rules and use them to our advantage. There are LOTS of elites who only request an upgrade when they show up at the airport. We love these people and have been benefiting from them. Seats they could have had trickle down to others.

Now it is a level playing field. Our advantage is gone. Add in the airport UG list going by miles not checkin time and our advantage is reduced even further.

The US airport upgrade list doesn't go by the mysterious HP loyalty formula yet, and we really don't know whether that's going to be adopted system-wide or whether it'll be based on OLCI time.