They would have to sell the 500 mile certs then. They aren't going to stop selling upgrades, their intention is to maximize revenue. The only issue I have is the "unfairness" of the current way of doing things. IE they will sell those upgrades for $39 to kettles and offer me one for $199. Even though I spent $25k+ with them last year.

I think they should be completely transparent and give elites a token credit and then silent auction off the seats. So silvers would get $20-40 credit and GS say $100-120. So then UA can sell those upgrades and realize some real revenue, while still giving elites a fair crack at first, which elites can prioritize themselves by paying over their credit amount.