Originally Posted by
VegasGambler
You probably did the right thing. Once you are far enough, it makes sense to get the status. Even if you won't use it next year, you can status match with someone else.
I'm definitely going to get gold this year. Then I have to decide whether it's AS or match to UA for me next year (based in SFO). With the amount that I fly (barely enough to make gold) it doesn't make sense for me to split my business between two carriers so I have to pick one.
And that's what they're going to find out pretty quickly. By not offering Basic fares, they have been the best value in many cases over the past couple years. Now that they'll also be offering Basic fares, there are a lot more choices for a similar product at the same price point. Sure, some will buy up. But others will book elsewhere.