Originally Posted by
sinoflyer
The truth is, the airlines hardly notice that you're gone.
If that's the case, why did UA start a "surprise and delight" upgrade program last year? Why did they bump up the status one level for many MP members?
Originally Posted by
spin88
The modeling is not difficult, but you would have to want to do it. Pick a random sample of elites current/former and ask them what their travel patterns are, and who they are flying, and what they think of each airline. If they answer you are flying them less, ask a series of detailed questions as to why.
This. My annual spend on UA has dropped by half from what it used to be. In this data-driven era, running that kind of search for customers like me shouldn't be difficult.