Originally Posted by
sfcharles1
i don’t think it’s a cut and dry as you might suggest. Being good to your most frequent flyers brings them back, and they are the bigger spenders. Paying attention to them (us) is most certainly performing fiduciary duty in a pound wise way. Cutting benefits to the people who keep you in business is perhaps the penny wise thing to do,... but it drives loyal customers away. It certainly has me. I am cutting 150,000 miles away from ual this year, and I’ve spoken to many others who are doing the same.
You're cutting 150K miles due to this devaluation in particular? Or due to the cumulative effects of the erosion of 1K benefits?
UA has definitely been trying to reward bigger spenders, as opposed to frequent flyers. Not only is GS still a world better than 1K, but dollar-based earning plus PQD requirements make the point clear.
Originally Posted by
sfcharles1
in the end, you may very well benefit by getting more upgrades in this case. That’s good. But I won’t play the game any more. And very possibly, when they cut back on your upgrades you will look elsewhere as well.
Oh, you're right about that, 100%. For me, remaining with UA is rational in the short term, despite the cutbacks in the MileagePlus program. Earning additional miles via the credit card, Hertz, etc. -- not so much. It's purely a calculation that UA currently provides me the most benefit for the least out-of-pocket cost. This calculation is going to be different for each person -- I meant it when I said that I would probably rarely fly UA if I lived in SFO, because I have no desire to be #27 on every upgrade list.
Now, if I fail to reach the PQD threshold this year -- entirely possible -- then I may match to another carrier. The problem is, AA is the logical alternative for a Texas-based flyer, but I don't really care to fly USAir. DL seems to have focused on providing a quality product, but SkyTeam is awful. (SkyPesos are also awful, but perhaps no worse than the new MileagePlus). It's not a great time to be a low-yield frequent flyer.
Originally Posted by
Kacee
I'm no fan of the continuing devaluations, this latest one in particular, but which "foreign carrier" offers a better loyalty plan overall than UA? Most non-US programs are considerably less rewarding in terms of both miles awarded and status perks.
Right, that was my point -- and that's doubly true for mostly-domestic flyers. I could attain *G on OZ (well.......) or NH or AV or whatever, and I'd gain United Club access but I'd lose out on the upgrades and E+ seating when I'm not upgraded. If I were SFO-based and flying mostly TPAC, or EWR/IAD-based and flying mostly TATL, or whatever, it might be a different story.
AS remains a viable alternative for people who do a lot of travel up-and-down the west coast and fly their partners -- but because they're outside of an alliance, there may be more year-to-year variation in who those partners are.