Originally Posted by
gengar
Your logic is also not sound because you dismiss that many elites pay significant premiums to reach their elite thresholds, so the cost of elite benefits is already built in. For many elites, UDU does not represent a "free" upgrade. Additionally, many elites are miffed not because of having to pay for upgrades, but because they are not given the same option to buy-up that non-elites are.
+1
I guess we and UA management will see how this all pans out. If in fact free domestic upgrades just become an occasional experience (at that) for folks who previously received them more frequently, it removes a big incentive to fly UA at all, including for some of us on international J fares that generate significant revenue for the airline. In which case, lots of competitors stand to benefit.
For my own travel patterns and priorities, I've already shifted a lot of business to AA over the past few years and now prioritize maintaining AA status over UA if one has to go. And if the AA FF program significantly declines, the next move is Jet Blue for the superior leg room or VX for the superior service and experience.
Now, perhaps even with losing some passengers and revenue this way, these changes will still make bottom line sense for UA. But, again, that remains to be seen.