chavala

Agreed -- this would be a VERY good time to give us some good news.

As a strictly leisure traveller I was horrified when I read this news, but when I added up my total spending for 2013 I was very surprised to see how close to the mark I am. So no, I don't think asking someone to spend 10k in a year for 1k status is unreasonable.

bearwoody

So to get 1K we'll have to spend 10 cents per PQM, which seems to be the standard rate anyway for non-sale tickets. I don't foresee myself reaching 1K anymore, but with the restriction, it would seem that Golds will go back to being able to get upgrades more often.

ilovesprint

Couldnt disagree more. 20k is allot of coin for 45 minutes hops between ORD and cvg

exerda

PMUA used to knuckle under and roll back the majority of ill-conceived changes which caused an uproar among elites. Somehow, no matter how much outrage we see, I think COdbaUA is pigheaded enough that they will not even entertain the thought of changing the thresholds (e.g. to 8cpm, which is what UA floated a couple of years ago).

The whole Chase thing really galls me because I am on Chase's blacklist and cannot get a Chase card. I put far more than $25k through my Amex every year, but that does me no good with UA.


LOL, well, that was my laugh of the day.

Seriously, though, UA Insider, What enhanced benefits can we expect all elite levels to see?

Waive the "W" fare requirement for SWUs?

Return the PMUA CR1/RPU earning schedule? (Many of us lost 50% of our RPUs under the new system.)

Better baggage handling, particularly for paid F, GS, 1K?

Seriously, throw pax some kind of bone. If you're going to make benefits harder to earn, they had darn well better be worth more than they were, too.


What about upsells, upgrade co-payments, purchased RDM and PQM, onboard meals, onboard IFE, onboard wifi purchases? Club membership purchases? I know the way the rules are written that the majority (if not all) of these won't count, but sure seems like some of them should.


We've been in for plenty of surprises in the past, so I doubt we'll see an improvement there.


Problem is that thinning the elite ranks may do very little to improve upgrades--if UA wants (and I see no reason to think otherwise), they'll just sell more TODs. UA will laugh all the way to the bank...


Very good question. I'm curious how they'll handle various ticket-related purchases like Elite Accelerator, paid upgrades, etc.


It will also affect a lot of corporate travelers for whom UA is a "preferred" carrier but who must nevertheless purchase based on the cost of the ticket. (I'm one of those.) UA is saying, "Buy more expensive tickets." I see a lot more companies dropping UA as a "preferred carrier" with this move...


You'd think so, but I have as much faith in UA's IT being able to implement this correctly as I do a pig sprouting wings and making a flying leap over the moon.

sinoflyer

Maybe this will mean that being 1K means something again.

UA-NYC

If we're confused, just wait for the masses

This program starts 1/1/14 from what I can tell, so qualifying for the 2015 elite year. Thus, this is the last "good" year before this goes into effect.

drewguy

How much mail does one get from United? I think the only thing I might want is the actual card. Everything else is marketing.

FriendlySkies

What counts as a "carrier-imposed surcharge" for the new requirement?

EWR764

Hell, it's a good place to start! Incidentally, I already travel with a yellow cover over my rollaboard bag's handle. I wonder if this will be something similar.

As did PMCO. This is a different era, and quite frankly, the PQD requirement will induce some travelers to spend more on their tickets. It's a statement on where the industry is headed. This change is here to stay, and is probably some time overdue.

3Cforme

If you're seriously thinking about the AA program as presently configured, have another look at elite qualification. On no AA-coded fare is the EQM earning less than 1 for 1 flown mile.

http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...s/american.jsp

drewguy

I'm not in a position of authority, but unlike using price increases and shared reservation systems to signal price increases it's harder to imagine liability for announcing a revised program in advance so that flyers can plan accordingly.

Wouldn't we all be pretty outraged if United announced this change on Dec 31, 2013?

AAerSTL

I don't see what the big deal here is. Many people who are 1K are likely already spending close to the these amounts, sure some are spending considerably less but probably those are the members UA is increasingly less interested in catering to.

rankourabu

Clever people will find ways to "move" anyway.

And some people get 1K from 50%+ partner flights. Whats the point of Star Alliance now? @:-)

boss315

United: For shame, for shame: Shame on you for screwing those who have spent 30+ years being loyal to you(that's the emotional response).

From a business standpoint, that goes right in line with Smisek's statement about not running UA like an airline but like a business!

cerealmarketer

Yeah, seems it's really just a way to disincentivize the same day change gamers who do ZFV-EWR-IAH-SFO-SAN and things like that on a $250 fare.

Wish we knew how much of an impact the sub-$10k group has on upgrades, etc. If it's a meaningful change, great. But not holding out hopes.

With the lack of fare sales in the last couple of years it's hard to be 1K now without over $10k in spend regardless.

The big issue is the international partners, especially with the ATI. If United.com was actually accurate in displaying the most routes / fares for those this would be fair. But it's not. And a lot of people book via corporate travel agencies that will issue on the original carrier's stock.

In cases like the Germany and Japan routes where the ATI creates less United metal frequency than there would otherwise be this is a big issue for people who buy high value coach and biz class fares.