Kacee

I sympathize. As a multi-year 1K who will end 2019 over $19k PQD, I also have some difficulty not being a bit resentful at the new qualification requirements, which single out hub-captive long-haul flyers for harsher treatment.

I'm not going to spend more not to fly UA, but I have stopped affording UA any advantage when choosing carriers and flights. And I'm finding that even SFO-based, when viewed without the lens of status qualification, UA rarely offers either the best product or value for my needs. Now that the blinders have been removed, I also see more clearly how badly UA miles have been devalued, and how chimerical the promise of upgrades has become.