Originally Posted by
sky74
I wish that was true for me. Unfortunately, what was really important to me was to be able to pre-book an E+ seat at the time of the reservation. No matter how empty the E+seats will be by the time I'm finally allowed to select a seat at OCI, I still loose the peace of mind of knowing I won't get stuck in the middle seat in the back. I prefer to choose an airline that allows me to select my seat at the time of booking.
Exactly. E+ buy-up is hundreds of dollars for long flights. I used to go out of my way to find UA TATL and TPAC flights that I could either upgrade or be guaranteed an E+ aisle seat. But now:
1. I'll have fewer miles for upgrades because I get fewer bonus miles when I'm 1P
.
2. When I'm 2P I won't have E+, at least not guaranteed
.
3. When I'm 2P on a 777, I'll have to stand in line longer to use the bathroom because they've greatly increased the passenger:bathroom ratio in Y
.
So, whereas I used to go out of my way to fly UA on long hauls, my strategy for the coming years is that unless I'm going to upgrade with miles (and upgrade space is available when I book), I'll fly a different carrier entirely if that's what's more convenient and/or cheaper. I really just don't have a strong incentive anymore to be loyal to UA.