Having not followed the history of the discussions about top tier treatments or the personalities/statements raised here, I can only give my perspective as a 10 year UA 1K and 2 year CO Plat. I also find UA to be far superior in their treatment of 1K's. I've never been mistreated by CO and I have no major beefs with them, but it's unquestionable to me that on UA I was made to feel "special" while on CO I merely have a higher rank than other elites with no noticeable difference in service.

I discussed this with a friend of mine recently - we both were forced to move from UA for reasons out of our control and both of us received comp status with another carrier: me to CO, him to DL. We were both trying to figure out why we missed UA so much. And it's really nothing all that tangible - UA just goes out of it's way to remind you that you're important: meal choice, SWU's, preferential treatment at ticket counters, boarding, and so on (above and beyond what they give to other elites). We both felt the same about CO and DL - we're treated like everyone else except we clear waitlists sooner. Since I fly primarily paid F class, not such a major benefit to me.