DesertRat

I think the move to 120 could be costly for UA.
The big reason why 1K should be no more than 100EQS, I believe, is that segment qualifiers may be more likely to live in non-hub markets -- and thus are more likely to have choices to go elsewhere. We have to connect to get anywhere, so could easily choose to connect in Dallas or Atlanta instead of Chicago or Denver.
Some segment qualifiers may even be located in hub cities for other airlines but are willing to buy UA tix all the time because of the 1K carrot.
When the qualifier becomes 120, there's less incentive and those with choices may well go elsewhere.
You'd think UA would want to keep those people feeding their hub flights but going to 120 gives them no competitive advantage.