That's true, but put it in proper perspective. If you usually buy F or upgrade to it, Ted's a let-down because it lacks first class seats. But if you'd be flying coach anyway and have status, E+ on Ted is a better seat than coach on nearly any other domestic carrier. And since it's part of UA which is part of *A, you can credit your miles from Ted to your US DM account. Or you can start accumulating on UA and credit US flights to it while you're transitioning plans.