Originally Posted by
spin88
The result is that BE on UA is not only an "elite tax" but its a "family tax" as well.
Concur. And even so it would not be a problem if UA's non-BE economy fares were competitive. But they aren't. IME the BE fares at best simply match the lowest AS, VX and WN fares, which provide a better product than BE. It's not apples-to-apples, and therefore UA is simply not competitive with anyone.
As BE is simply not acceptable for many of us, we are forced to pay the elite tax (x4 for families) if we want to fly UA and enjoy our perks or pay less to fly the competition and lose out on E+ seating.
Does not sound like BE was winner for UA in Q2 - maybe it's not so smart to fill your planes with non-elites and give away E+ seats (as reported above) to the many passengers who apparently are delighted to pay discounted BE fares. Then again I'm just an over-entitled elite ... so go ahead, double down.