Carl - I understand your frustration, I do. What you're seeing is the side of UA that ain't so great either. I live in PHL, so while it is a US hub, UA upgrades were darn near impossible to come by, even as a 1P. That's why I didn't renew with UA. I can get E+ as a CP. This is also my first year as an AA EXP, and I do find that AA is a better program for top tiers. As a mid-tier, I found US superior - free upgrades, no fee awards (AA charges $50/ea within 21 days for PLTs).

I wouldn't be surprised to hear similar stories - the grass isn't greener. FWIW, UA status matched me in about 3 weeks from AA, no phone call - it just showed up on my MP account one day. I was unimpressed enough with UA to not even bother to finish even 2P. YMMV, but I don't blame you for reconsidering.