Originally Posted by
DHalltheway
Reading this post makes me ask the question.
what makes the 1K status so worthwhile that someone would fly that much to get the status?
Please note the following: I don't fly united and I am not based in the US.
It is not so easy to explain, but I will give you an example of what 1K does for you sometimes. A couple of years ago the whole family went to Germany for a lengthy visit. On our way back one of the bottles in our luggage broke and we missed our connection SFO to YYJ because we had to repack everything right there at the airport. Instead of booking us on the late flight to YVR and leave us stranded there, they actually paid for a hotel and dinner/breakfast in SFO for all of us and put us on the direct flight to YYJ the next day.
If you followed the Colonius' story so far: the upgrade to SYD did only happen because he was 1K, otherwise he might get only a voucher for $100 for the non working seat. Not to mention the unlimited domestic upgrades he got for his trip.
We are not based in the US either. We have been in Canada only for the last three years and have been flying UA for five years or so. Before that we were true and loyal to AA for 15 years, until their frequent flyer program began to seriously suck.. and then we lost the BA connection from our then home base Cologne.
It has nothing to do with superiority - as someone else mentioned. It actually saves money in the long run - especially if you do not have the funds to fly business or first all the time.
Originally Posted by
lax2010
Hopefully his lucks continue and get him a C chair for the SYD-LAX route, another one of those most difficult routes to upgrade with SWU yet the OP doesn't even have one.
Nope, so such luck. They managed to give him another exit row seat.... the one next to the lavatory... he was thrilled - NOT. His flight should come in within the next 15 minutes and I have no idea if he has enough time to write his update. But later today - most likely form HNL - you will hear things in his own words again. I just expect him to be extremely tired