Originally Posted by
FullFare
ELTAA serves a good purpose to keep high-level elites continually loyal, but fades out, I think, at the 125EQP threshold unnecessarily. As others have said, there's nothing guaranteed thereafter and, after my experience achieving higher levels last year (over 200 eqp), I can attest that nothing was forthcoming, despite request. So I and my spouse both quit at that level (125 EQP). UA keeps the SWU's coming, with 2 more for every 50 eqm over 100k. I'll hit 200 eqm with UA easily this year, but doubt if it would be a healthy thing to keep flying more (one should have a life, IMHO).
But at FT, we live to fly...and to pile up miles...and points...and upgrades.
As for the rest of your astute analysis, that's a good comparison between UA and AA in the 125K+ realm. Personally, there's no way I'd make any effort to accumulate potentially useless (or at least tough to use) SWUs and regionals at UA, given the direction the airline (or at least its FF program) is heading. Give me the uncertainty of post-BK AA over the unfortunate certainty of post-merger UA.