Originally Posted by DJR0495

I’m sure this is simple heresy, but I wonder about the benefit of moving from miles-based recognition to revenue-based recognition. I certainly understand the value to the airlines, who are primarily interested in making profit above all else. I see others posting their PQM/PQS/PQD and, while I recognize the value to United as a corporation, I’m less convinced of the value to the individual or the company they represent when the cost per mile (CPM) begins to increase dramatically. I’ve flown United for over 30 years. This year I’ve flown 57,162 actual flight miles, at a cost of $4,295, or $0.075 per mile. Others have flown approximately equivalent miles (e.g., 59,054) at a cost of $0.566 per mile ($33,430).

Clearly United benefits from passengers spending $.56 cents ($.566) per mile versus $.07cents ($.075) per mile, but is this something we—as paying passengers—really want to celebrate? I thought the idea was to be responsible in the expenditure of travel dollars, often at the cost of our companies or the government, while nevertheless being loyal customers of an airline that recognized our loyalty. I thought the idea was that we want to be financially responsible, but we want to reward companies who recognize our enduring loyalty.

Anyway, just a thought. As noted, I’m sure that people who spend vast sums on flights deserve recognition, and this note is not meant to diminish their contributions or value in any respect—certainly the airlines rely in no small measure on premium customers who return on a regular basis. It’s just that those of us who have been with an airline year after year, slugging it out on domestic flights for 30+ years, trying to be fiscally responsible, and posting 100,000+ actual flight miles, year after year after year, and even well over 200,000+ actual miles for a few years, are a bit perplexed with the strategy recently adopted to provide PQM based on revenue.