Originally Posted by flyinbob

Te problem is all those "perks" are a benefit only for more flying. Something of a vicious cycle. You get status by flying more so you can get things while flying more. Add to that the fact that many of those perks are now for sale to anyone. So the question is if instead of being loyal to UA, you had purchased tickets based on price. Would savings on fares offset the savings derived from these perks? For frequent business flyers whose company foots the bill, probably not. But for those independents, or part time leisure flyers, I wonder if the costs actually work out on paper.