Originally Posted by Always Flyin

The answer to that question is: YES.

I fly ~250,000 revenue mile a year. Year in and year out for over 15-years.

I have been a 1K, every year, for a long time--well over a decade. I was a 1K when UA offered NO international upgrade certificates and you had to fly 100,000 actual butt-in-seat miles to make 1K. No (or hardly any) exceptions.

There were dedicated 1K rooms. Agents bent rules (almost until they snapped in two). You were really taken care of when irregular operations occurred. UA earned my loyalty and I gave it to them. Then they came up with segment upgrades, which were just cream on top. Then systemwides. Wow.

Then they came up with Global Services and it all went downhill.

I didn't get it. I complained.

By July of the first year after they instituted Global Services, I had already flown over 140,000 revenue miles on United Airlines, almost all of which were on international flights: well over 15,000 were in paid first class flights and over 65,000 were in paid business class. "Don't call us; we'll call you," is what I received in response to my detailed letter to customer service.

My reaction was to tell United to go commit a sex act with itself. [Let's see if that gets by the censors (I mean "moderators") here.]

Since then, virtually all of my international flying (which is over 90% of my flying) is on any carrier other than United. When I fly United, it's because I upgrade or because my client has a corporate contract with United and I have to fly United. I put just enough miles on United each year to make 1K, and put 10,000 BIS each quarter to earn CR1s for my domestic flights, but that's it.

It's the best thing that ever happened to me. I now fly SQ (who, unlike United, has made me a PPS member for the past five years), ANA, Lufthansa, and Swiss. With the declines in service and amenities at United, it is wonderful. So, thank you United.

What do I think of GS? For what they spend, it is pathetic how little United gives them.

I think it is shortsighted of United. 80% of my travel spend is discretionary. I can fly who I want, but because UA irked me so badly, I'll fly anybody OTHER than United because I am so irked. And I tell everyone who will listen how much I hate United.

I would guess that 75% or more of GS members are locked in by corporate contracts and couldn't fly anyone else even if they wanted to. So why bother to give them GS? They are not going anywhere.

For the GS members, I am sorry. I am sorry that you haven't figured out a way to fly where you need to go for a lot less money, or at least the same amount, and receive far more in return (N.B., look at foreign airlines). If you are stuck on United due to domestic flying, look to the domestic alternatives. United is certainly no better than any of the others and you are wasting your money on United, even if it is money not coming out of your own pocket.

GS may have been great in theory. Implementation, like just about everything else on United, leaves a lot to be desired.