Flew ORD-CLT-JAX-CLT-EWR on US earlier this week, and it was all good: Priority boarding, use of preferred check-in lines, flights on Sunday posted to my UA account by Wednesday. My boarding passes said PREMEIR EXEC, but the US agents apparently knew what that means. No problems taking seats in the front of the cabin, but US does not have Economy Plus, which is a major drawback.

Finally, the kicker: an operational upgrade CLT-EWR!!! I inquired at the check-in desk about purchasing 500-mile upgrade certs, and the gate agent says "Well, why don't I just give it to you this time?" He noted that I paid a lot for my ticket, which was true, so that probably had as much to do with it as my 1P status. Nevertheless, I can't remember the last free upgrade I received on UA.

So, while coach was 98% full, one other individual and I had 12 first-class seats on a 737 all to ourselves. A very relaxing and productive flight, to say the least. And as a final cherry on the top, the seats in FC were those old high-back grey leather seats that I love. The armrests are higher, and they don't have that adjustable headrest that obnoxiously pokes into my shoulders when it's down, i.e. during takeoff & landing.

I had been strongly considering trying out AA for a year, but this UA/US partnership is so convenient I think I'd be stupid to leave UA at this point.

[This message has been edited by artiem (edited 04-23-2003).]