Originally Posted by
Baze
And that person is so much less important they should wait 4 days to get home? Wow, DYKWIA!!! I can see the benefit during normal ops when there are probably no shows but during massive IRROPS? No way.
Actually, yes. A GM is that much less important to UA than a GS. We're all created equal, and equal in the eyes of the law, etc, etc -- but thats about as far as equality goes. The whole point of GS that you're a VIP and treated that way. Not just in the opportunity to hoover up freebies that would go to waste otherwise (empty seats, upgrades) but to genuinely cut lines.
In massive IRROPS, somebody is waiting 4 days to get home. Generally, it's not going to be a top elite, because 1Ks go to the top of standby lists. GS ability to force
confirmed seats is a fairly logical extension of that standby priority. It's "against the rules", but (again) that's the whole point of GS status -- exemption from certain rules that apply to everybody else.
And the benefit to UA is that it keeps those ultra profitable customers loyal and profitable. Makes sense to me.