As long as the lifetime mid-tier level holds no real interest for me, and I still wish to make the top 1K level at Mileage Plus, I must continue to fly United to at least that degree.

But like you, the SWU issue and some other changes at United has cost them my over 20 years of total loyalty, and my 200,000 miles of flight this year will no longer go to them exclusively.

Those changes to their program will cost them that much of my business, and could end up costing them even more as I am exposed to their competitors product and become more and more comfortable on their competitor's turf.

They had my loyalty. Now they just have another customer that is flying their program and when that customer gets to the point where the program offers no additional benefits...they just split to program B (and C and D).