Kind of confused as I was only discussing UA vs. CO? What third airline?

1. Fact, you're just more likely to clear UGs in advance on UA (domestically) - less inventory held back til T-24/boarding, UA IM recognizing when elites are WL'd with miles/regionals, etc. Top tier UG rates reported much higher on UA too. Also, less aggressive hawking of TOD / upgrading award tix, etc. All other things being equal, they just are. Read the boards - UGs are easier on AA/DL/UA than CO, just the way it is.

2. I was talking about PS, so of course it's clearly a much better product. I'm not talking about flying LGA-IAD-LAS on UA for a reason.

3. Bonus miles, i.e., an additional LAX-LAS r/t segment that gives me 1,000 more EQM. So that's a benefit (of course, adds time to the trip).

4. Pricing can vary, I agree. Leisure destinations CO isn't bad. Any business routes/length of trips, at least what I see ex-NYC, they're uncompetitive.

5. Huzzah, we all agree on the TOD!

6. I think you might be in the minority for not seeing that UA takes care of their top elites better than CO - but you can call it subjective if you want.

Finally, this isn't me being an armchair quarterback, nor basing on old data...after this weekend's flights I will have done 25K BIS on CO (16 segments) since the start of 2010. Trying to learn the system, seeing how the two sides compare - and unfortunately it just hasn't been that great so far (though I do appreciate the better food )