Originally Posted by wilp888
I don't understand why United doesn't make the GTEM's more valuable to the recipient. I think America West used to have something similar where they give appreciation certificates to their top tier elites to hand out and the certs result in something tangible. It wouldn't cost United much, in the grand scheme of things, and it would result in much better customer service from their employees. Perhaps FAs can use the GTEMs to bid on routes, etc. (if the union doesn't object). What's the use of these certificates if they don't mean anything?
The old HP (and now US) program was very lucrative for the employee. As he/she collected a certain number of them they could be redeemed for various "prizes." I vaguely remember that one of the rewards was a space-positive ticket on other carriers. A couple of HP FTers reported that they liked to use theirs for tickets on WN. [at least that's how I read it in a couple of FT postings]
Now I beleive that the certs get redeemed for an entry in a drawing to win $10,000.