Greetings Sapguy,
Thank you for the kind words.
I vowed a few years ago
to spend more time giving back to our Flyertalk community in any way I could.
Have tremendous gratitude for all that I have learned from our community.
The hard part is seperating personal/ emotional feelings
from the actual true issues/concerns.
Sometimes it is hard to be critical of a given company that you have much repect for.
The company itself can't begin to see the long term damage they do to themselves in the
pursuit of saving their company money short term.
They have this fantasy that members will buy revenue seats instead no matter what.

\ Continental is a perfect example of that when members can not get their award or are extorted 50,000 miles for a coach domestic us ticket.
It cost them a lot of customers over the years and the loss of their long run winning the Freddies each year.
United is a great airline bankrupt or not.
But it is still lost to date if you ask me.
It is so revenue focused .
It needs to be highly product and service focused.
It has the talent there in many places.

Rocket science doesn't drive Jet Blue or Southwest who has some of the industrys most satisfied customers.
Southwest has taken the Freddies in most categories. Award availability for one.
That help drives the long term satisfaction of its membership base along with the overused marketing phrase value - proposition.
\If Southwest had markets I wanted to fly in or a product I was interested I'm sure I would be on their planes.

Back to my thread There is a noticeable decline in reward availability.
This is not becuase I couldn't get my seat !
I am looking at a pattern over months comparing it with the last 5 years of overall inventory.
Its just not there like it used to be
Giving me reason to further my plans for another exist strategy and return later down the road when the house is in order.
Providing there is a house to return to !

The above advice from other posters is very good.
Let a call to MP award reservations be the true heads up and final word.
It appears online reward availability remains inacurate and/or poorly managed with up to date information.So it is important to only look at it as a possible guideline.

Uniteds loyal customers should have a fair supply of inventory to choose from.
In the past Uniteds appeal was clearly a better supply of seats.
Better availability to us all
Happy Travels !


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AA & Starwood,Marriott Platinum
Hyatt, Hilton Diamond
Swissotel Club Gold
U/A 1k


[This message has been edited by 777 global mile hound (edited 06-06-2003).]