GS is just a way to give a kick-back to fliers that buy high priced fares for business, but Y fares for themselves- and then get upgraded.

I don't understand GSers talking about UGs on TPAC/TATL flights when they are supposed to be buy BF cabin fares. If you are flying in Y on those flights, why are you GS? You had better be on vacation.

Did the end of sponsorship for other fliers to carry the status of the sponsor end for GSers or just 1K and below? They would be stupid to deny that for GSers.

Of course that all is predicated on the GSers driving revenue and margin dollars- either directly or thru their direction of corporate travel.

If your company is flying you in J, do you really care which airline (assuming service is the same, which I know isn't true) you are on? I wouldn't. As a 1K I put all my travel I can with United so that I can get UGs on TPAC/TATLs (CPUs are dead). The GS program is so that people push their travel to UA so that they can reap the benefits of higher mile accumulation and UGs for their personal travel. I spent about $20-22 the last few years as a 1K. GSers spend three times that and get another bump on the mileage calculation. And the actually CPU for domestic flights.

GSers are obviously better customers- but if you are a 1K from domestic travel, and you are buying a lot of P and upgrades with cash, you are going to start to push what a domestic GSers would bring. If there is anything as a domestic GSer. A lot of short haul expensive flights could get you to a pretty high cpm to rival low mileage OCONUS GSers.

But to the underlying question. 1Ks won't get treated better until Y has trouble filling either thru a downturn in the economy or over capacity- or some mix. Only them will the majors look for that business Y fare business. Ironically by then, 1K-Plat people will have been trained to just look for cheap F cabin fares with little regard for loyalty.