I don't think there was ever a question that United's "loyalty" to their customers wasn't based upon selfish best-interest. Was there? Do you think people here believed that United's feeling towards its elite passengers was like a dog towards its master? Unwavering loyalty till death do us part?

I don't think so. I think that United was offering a unique selling proposition that worked for us, because they needed us so badly. It's beautiful (for us, their customers) when that happens.

Market conditions didn't allow them the opportunity to use their fleet as efficiently as is the case today. Too much capacity everwhere, too many airlines competing with each other. We were the best they could do at the time, even those of us who were lowly 2Ps.

We basically had United where we wanted them. On the ropes and desperate. United was, for all intents and purposes, forced to be loyal to us. Today, roles are somewhat reversed. It is not much of a stretch to say that United now demands loyalty to them.

It's not a love-fest. Never was. It's a business supplying a product, and subject to the most-basic laws of supply & demand, in addition to having to deal with huge price swings in cost of goods. There are far too many variables involved to believe that you could create an everlasting elite program with fixed-in-place benefits. The airlines knew this from the start. As did most here.