Originally Posted by
AAExPlat
How UA and CO with the amount of time that has elapsed since the merger announcement have not been able to integrate the most important parts of the two programs, specifically pertaining to the use of upgrade and E+ benefits, (and not to forget elite qualification rules) is beyond me.
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I know I'll be declared crazy but believe that it would have been better to scrap OP or to do a quick "common sense" merge between the programs preserving the majority of UAs program with the caveat that a one-time adjustment is to be expected in the next 12-24 month. Here's what this could have looked like:
- Announce in October that in 2011, OP is scrapped and MP becomes the temporary program name.
- Create program with 4 integrated tiers to accommodate ffs from both programs
- Create a single upgrade priority good on both airlines
- Create common and integrated benefits
- Be on the generous side in the interim period
No data sharing pre-legal merger on 10/1/2010. Expecting two enormous loyalty programs to be merged within 2 months isn't really feasible.
Changing the "rules of the game" so to speak with 2 months left for the upcoming program year is the most unfair of all choices. There are likely plenty of individuals who saw little value in going beyond 75K on CO and moved their travel to perhaps AA for the rest of the year. Had they known that they needed to achieve 100K they could have done so. It's not in CO/UA's interest to irritate those flyers by promising them top-tier status at the beginning of the year and then pulling the rug out from under them.
Currently you know that come 1/1/2012, if you want top tier status going forward, you must fly 100K/120EQP in 2011. That's fair notification.
Being generous in the "interim" will result in a lot of screaming when the "interim" period expires. Just one look at the UA forum should be enough to tell you that at least half the elite base doesn't take kindly to change of any type.