Originally Posted by
Nagasaki Joe
I wonder if it might not have something to do with members' most common flight destinations. For example, if your most common destination is Japan, UA may have bumped you up in status because you would not have been able to fly there for a good part of the year since it has been closed to visitors, which is no fault of the member. I imagine they might have an algorithm that is weighted depending on the accessibility of certain destinations. In other words, if your common flight destinations have been accessible to you year-round, then they won't bump you up since you could have flown there if you wanted to, but others who could not get to their destinations due to lockdowns, etc. are bumped up because they couldn't go there even if they wanted to. It's just a guess.
This. I live in Japan. I haven't been able to even leave the country since March 2020. I took two domestic flights post border closure last year and nothing this year (I also flew to PIT, SYD, SEL, and MNL between Jan and March). In 2019 I flew around 175,000 miles and had more than enough spend for the new rules (which normally wouldn't happen) but I haven't been able to use the benefits I was awarded/earned. Some Japan residents are traveling but most of us can't stay home two weeks after going away for one. And the way Japan has twice closed the borders to even (foreign) residents means we can't really trust it's safe to leave the country. The second time they closed the borders to Japanese citizens (by telling airlines not to sell new tickets for a month) and the backlash meant that only lasted a day.
The long and the short of it is, some of us are unable to travel. They want us to remain loyal when we can again. I was delighted to get the extension and only a little surprised. I'm sorry some of you are angry you paid for your requalification in $$$ and time, but there are a lot of us who didn't have that option. And UA wants us back when we can come back. I'll be back just as soon as I can.