My last post on this issue...CHecked 5-6 days out for my flights this morning AUS-IAH-EWR. AUS-IAH had 4 of 16 booked. IAH-EWR did not have a lot of availability...maybe 8-9 seats left of 35. AT 5-day mark, no EUA.

On day of flight, AUS-IAH is booked full with 14 of 16 pax in F upgraded. I am #5 on the list that is a total of 46 deep. In other words, the plane that carries 152 pax has at least 60 elites on board and as much as 62 (if the two that bought F are elites also).

On the IAH-EWR leg, F is full at 35 with 19 of them upgraded. I am #13 on the list that is 56 deep. Again, this makes for a minimum of 75 elites and as much as 91 on a plane that seats 235.

If I can't even have hope to catch an upgrade anymore as a Plat, I am out. I will fly the remainder of my trips on CO this year, and I won't spend a minute thinking about upgrades etc since I am not going to get any anyway. I am Plat through Feb 2012, and in 2011, I will make Silver with a trip to Thailand on TG/CO, and that will be all the flying I'm doing on CO next year. As of December, I will be flying AA full-time.

Unless the merger changes the new United's view and execution of loyalty and upgrade benefits, I will not support them financially to feed into this non-sense. It was good flying with you.