Originally Posted by
worldwidedreamer
And not a small part of why United will have to be much cheaper than its competitors to get my future business.
Correct and that's the one thing UA mis-calculated in their recent enhancements to DollarsPlus. For many of us who are based outside the US in a large international travel market like say LHR or SYD, UA is just one of a handful options available. Often times, it even isn't the most direct nor the cheapest. The whole purpose of the MM program and to a lesser extent the PQD waiver for international travellers is to keep us staying loyal to them. If anything UA should've lowered the PQM earning for non-UA *A partner flights on the cheapest fares (i.e. K) to incentivize us choosing UA more than say LH or SQ. This January I'll be flying LHR > SYD on UA not because it's the most direct (nearly 30 hours vs 22 hours on an efficient routing) but because it is the cheapest at $800 USD return. If I can manage to get MUA both ways that'll be the cherry on top.
-James