Originally Posted by
J.Edward
If they do rip out E+ the level of reaction from the general elite base, to say nothing of the FTers, will be apocalyptic. UA flyers have had E+ for a decade now and I doubt they can be bribed with whatever faux giveback is offered for the removal of E+.
The DL FTers launched a major campaign over SkyMiles when Mullin pooped all over it to the extent where the negative changes were in time rescinded and if CO does decide to pull E+ for cost, I sure hope they figured in the customer backlash (as in marching down Wacker with torches and pitchforks, protesting stockholder meetings, and other such cute activities) in their computations because it's going to be ugly.
I hope you're right, but who knows? With so much consolidation in the airline industry where are all those angry, pitchfork-wielding GS's going to? Spirit Airlines? Sun Country? USA 3000?
Really the only U.S. carrier that currently has a more-or-less comparable product to E+ is B6. The only place where B6 competes with a portion of the combined UaCo conglomerate is in NYC, and certainly Smisek et al could easily argue that B6 has had virtually no impact on CO here.
If they deep-six E+ there will be clearly have to be some kind of faux or pseudo-faux benefit. On the low end it could be something as ridiculous as "changing the upgrade priority," which is well-established as a joke anyway. On the high end, they might add a row of FC to the UA Airbuses (which, frankly, I think is doubtful).
Again, the complete, Soviet-level blackout of information on E+ is not a good sign...