Originally Posted by
mec72
I can give you my perspective, being a BA Gold and UA 1K at the same time. Yes, I like the UA app - it works, flights credit instantly, etc. However, UA's plane are old, dirty, crews are unfriendly, there's no lounge access on domestic, food is appalling, etc. My long-haul upgrades never clear - even as a 1K, I always have dozens of Global Services members (this is the only status that matters) or simply 1Ks on higher Y fares or PE fares. Same with transcon on premium routes (EWR-SFO) or just flights between UA hubs. (Just had 300 Plus Points expire). Yes, I get a lot of upgrades on random short-haul flights, but if it's a 1-hour flight and I already have an exit row seat I don't really care that much. Now, to be fair, this isn't very different to DL or AA - flying US airlines is generally not very exciting. Flying TATL - I hate UA's old tatty 767s so I stick to BA's Club Suites.
Thanks so much for this perspective, you must do serious miles to maintain both Gold and 1K! That’s interesting even 1K doesn’t get you much higher on the upgrade list. Yup, I can imagine for transatlantic Club Suite is much better than United’s offering, which as I understand is a little dated. Maybe that’s the trade off we’re seeing here. Hard product (seats) vs soft product (app).