The price for flights to Asia are so much better on Cathay than United. Every time I search for flights Cathay is always quite a bit cheaper. I didn't fly for a year with United and lost my gold status and used all my miles so I thought it couldn't hurt to try another airline. Now I will probably be flying to bangkok from USA 4 times a year round trip. I did read up on the Marco Polo club. I just don't like the idea of paying $50 to join a loyalty program. You are definitely right that it is much more easy for less miles to rise in status with UA. I will be flying about 20,000 miles a year and that will not get me anything with the Marco Polo club. I just have to weigh what is more important. The perks or the price of tickets.