Originally Posted by
greenpau
I think they will keep that benefit ... it is one of the few that is actually "published" ... but what will happen is that PN will become increasingly scarce. I haven't been able to find PN at booking for months, and they would rather sell anyone an upgrade for $250 than process PP.
As said upthread by a few, the value per dollar of incremental spend for GS has significantly diminished - as a combination of intentional restrictions / takeaways, and as a result of things such as the GS Lobbies, Meal Choice, and Pre-boarding becoming irrelevant given CLEAR, pre-ordering, etc.
The phone agents are now obsessed with the one sector rule, whereby a call takes 30 minutes as they read and re-read the rules, complete their "investigations" then spend forever entering remarks into the PNR. For leisure travel, as
UAflyer93 points out, there are dramatically cheaper fares available on other Star Alliance carriers. I am also seeing BA First come in cheaper for West Coast-Europe trips across the Summer than UA Polaris by a significant margin.
Yes PN has been unusually scarce -- since my wife and I regularly fly to Japan and the EU there's been a definite elimination of space -- and the new "one way" thing really still rubs me the wrong way. This is exactly why I left AA -- for those of you that remember USAirways I was "Chairmans "Preferred" (I think that was the name) for as long as they had the program -- but then after AA took over I watched them gradually destroy all of the perks and benefits -- just like we are seeing now. The Borg have arrived -- and resistance is futile... The race to the bottom is underway....