Originally Posted by
AAExPlat
While I generally choose UA for non-stops, for some of us who have to travel primarily on 1-stops or in a market where multiple airlines compete near equally (like ORD), it can absolutely make sense to do what I am suggesting so that the year following, I have a choice of two airlines for my weekly work travel without losing elite privileges. So there is waste, but it is temporary.
I've had worse. I was #2 with 8 out of 16 seats open at t-25 and I never cleared. It is really becoming the norm.
I' m pretty certain the airline doesn' t care. As most of you have noticed flights are running full these days. If they don't sell you a ticket they will sell it to somebody else. United won' t lose all of their elite members, especially those who live in hub cities. Flyers will just have to get used to it. Like I' ve said before, you don' t see Emirates or Singapore or BA or any other non-US based airline offering this perk, even on short flights with the same continent. Last I checked they were doing pretty well attracting premium flyers.