Originally Posted by lensman

Neither, my hypothesis of demographic differences is that to some extent pmUA but certainly the merged carrier has many more super-high frequency travelers and commuters - as an example in the LAX-SFO market and that the all-you-can-drink for $50 model is uneconomic for that demographic.

Also, it's a bit improbable but for illustration let's suppose a dual-carrier pmUA/pmCO frequent flier. Prior to the merger, she buys *both* RCC and PC memberships. After the merger, she only needs to buy a single UC membership. Also, since she is now 1K on UA instead of middle tier on both pmUA and pmCO, that membership is actually cheaper due to the better 1K membership discount.

It's actually one of those cases where the merger could creates some negative economics for UA. Though of course they will have positive economics from consolidating clubs in cities where both pre-merger airlines had clubs. Net net, there are probably more negatives for the club system because the existing clubs will end up overcrowded.