I'm based at a small regional airport that use to have a UA station with flights to DEN, ORD, SFO, LAX. They pulled out a few years back and left me with Skywest to LAX as the only UA option from here. Yes, it's difficult and yes, AA has more mainline flights from here but I CHOSE to stay with UA and maintain my 1K status (at my expense). Stuff Happens and well all move on. I don't cry over it, I have a choice -continue with UA, go to AA, or Alaska! Everyone has a story, so just move on and do what you can to maintain the best status on the best airline. (At one time, I was top tier at 3-4 diffrent carriers- unfortunately, not anymore).