Got a good laugh from this title... I guess it is a case of "the man" keeping you down...

I spend an average of 12 hours a week either in the air or interacting with my airline. Yes, UA is going through some merger hiccups right now and to the leisure traveler it would not be a big deal. However, it is about quality of life. If there is a delay or cancellation then I have a vastly larger option pool than the leisure traveler for getting to my destination. I can think of many instances when this was the case. One in particular...

A few weeks ago when the FAA's ground control operations center in NJ/NY was struck by lightning the eastern seaboard was a mess. Due to my status, I was able to get routed through a *A carrier and be back home that night. The rest of my team(none have status) were stuck in the Northeast for an additional 48 hours because of the chaos that was created.

The more traveling becomes a part of your life... The more these fringe benefits become an asset. Yes, upgrades, priority boarding, no bag fees, shorter security lines are great. It is when the system gets out of sync that the status becomes truly valuable and appreciated.

Pick an airline and stick with it. Eventually, you will see the true benefits that are not written on paper...