Originally Posted by
CarletonSloth
I get the GS Overlords don't know what the situation will be in a few months and want to keep their options open for GS qualification. Fine. But my son who is a silver member got a lengthy email outlining the situation, what United is doing, their approach, how important his business is. I got zip. It shouldn't take any of us here having to email United and hoping for a response. Communicate transparently and say that you aren't extending GS at this time but you love me (well, at the money I spend). An email like that would have alleviated the negative feelings I have toward United right now on this issue. Pretty simple way to better treat your most valuable customers.
For me, being off the road for a couple months has me re-assessing anyway. After 22 years of traveling almost every week somewhere, might be time to hang it up and stop chasing the next mile...
My wife is also enjoying a few months of not being on the road, and it may shift her perspective on the balance between convenience of flights and elite benefits. As I said before, there's a good chance this GS stuff will lead her to split loyalty and take whatever flights make sense on one of two airlines (like getting to south America on AA instead of UA, or going through HK to get to China rather than PEK, which is a nightmare/PITA) while enjoying top tier status. One GS only benefit has been nice (the upgrades on award flights is the only one we've really used), one has been OK (early boarding, which doesn't matter all that much when you're flying international business class), while the rest haven't mattered (the opening up of awards is now restricted and therefore useless, she's never seen a car transfer, and the couple of times she has needed assistance, like missing luggage when transferring in PEK, GS has been useless/no better than 1K).