Originally Posted by mikew99

I'm also baffled at the back-and-forth on this.

Here's what 1K boarding is (was) like on UA (arriving, say, 30 seconds after Premier boarding is called):

(Regular Lane) 1P1P1P1P2P2P2P2P2P2P2P2P2P2P2PGMGMGMGMGMGMGMGM
(Red Carpet) 1K

Here's what 1K boarding is (now) like on UACO (again, arriving, say, 30 seconds after Premier boarding is called):

(Regular Lane) GMGMGMGMGMGMGMGM
(Red Carpet) 1P1P1P1P2P2P2P2P2P2P2P2P2P2P#2P1K

(The # is the point at which, given my luck, the overheads will be full and they start gate checking bags.)

So it's clearly a devaluation of the board-at-your-leisure benefit for 1K's and higher. It's more than just a few minutes' additional waiting, or the loss of a few extra minutes in the RCC; it can make the difference between finding space for your carryon bag and being forced to gate check, which costs even more time on the other end. Infrequent travelers might not care, but as a 1K, I certainly do.