part of my motivation for this was been to illustrate also that, sure free agency can be great if you are part of the WFBF crowd and are looking for the best meal on a lay flat with service with a smile on a TPAC/TATL... but the reality is most of us WFBCAORWATSOF (want first, but cant afford or are willing/able to spend on first) and the realities of when we have to fly other airlines it can be an eye opening experience when going from high status (like GS/1K) to zero

at least in my mind - boarding last isnt the end of the world.... and I am proud to have survived that experience

my view of "loyalty" is that - the more I give you, the more you give me in return - and just because some do not get "value" from their status with UA (or take advantage of what they offer at different status levels) that does not mean the perks are not of value - and increase with the amount of spend. My dog is loyal to me - but guess what - he is probably going to be loyal to anyone, including the mailman, who scratches his head and gives him treats - much in the same vein that UA responds when I give them $$$. Some, in terms of what they contribute (such as $/mile traveled) are different than others - as Ani90 implies - but applying broad rules and serves to the mass is very difficult, especially in a global environment. Having said that, I am sure if Tim Cook, ever steps foot on a UA flight to China (for example), his experiences will probably be a little different than us riff-raff (except maybe Tom S?)

I also would not be surprised if there is a mechanism to identify high-spend GS customers with >2/3MM status who all of a sudden drop off the radar and UA tries to lure them back.