Here is the text of an e-mail that I sent to a top person at Mileage Plus this afternoon.

Dear Mr. ________:

We met over lunch this past January at _______. You were gracious enough to spend time with me to obtain feedback from one of United’s 1Ks. As you may recall, I was initially introduced to you through _________ ________.

I just wanted to drop you a quick line to mention my thoughts regarding various changes and potential changes to Mileage Plus. I know that this is a difficult time for United and I wish all of its employees well. I, too, have a vested interest in United, and I hope for its future prosperity. I also understand that United has to make some difficult choices.

I am sure that you are hearing many complaints about some decisions. But I want to applaud the actions you have taken. Closing down 1K rooms and raising the price/miles-needed for various upgrades—as painful as they may be—are wise decisions.

I do want to communicate my concern regarding a couple of potential interrelated changes. First, if United prohibits upgrades on low fare tickets and no longer grants miles or status credit on those tickets, my loyalty to United will be tested. I go out of my way to fly on United for business, even if it means paying more. My clients know this. They understand that I fly a lot, and that I like to upgrade to first class. When I fly for leisure, I search for United’s lowest fares. If I can’t upgrade on United’s low fare tickets, I will likely look for the cheapest ticket on any airline and book that. And without my leisure trips, I will not qualify for 1K (or maybe even Premier Executive) on business trips alone. I would then have more difficulty upgrading on business trips. And that may cause me to start buying tickets for business trips based on price—especially if I would end up in coach on a more expensive United ticket. Simply put, upgrading is the number one reason that I strive to be a very frequent United flyer. If the program is diluted to make it harder for me to upgrade, there will be less incentive for me to fly exclusively on United.

Price is another matter. I understand that United might want to make some of its cheapest tickets un-upgradeable. This is understandable. I suggest that United make its absolute least expensive tickets un-upgradeable, but beyond that, upgrades should be allowed. For example, the $178 round-trip from ORD to LGA purchased on United.com, Orbitz, etc. should be un-upgradeable. But the $227 ticket should be upgradeable. Same with ORD to LHR—no upgrade on the $650 ticket but upgrades on the $850 ticket. I can live with that.

Regarding miles and status for flights, the same approach might be wise. Either allow miles and status for all flights or for all but the absolute cheapest flights. I can stomach paying an extra $50 for an ORD to LGA flight to get the miles and status, but if I only get miles and status by paying $250 more, I’ll either pay the cheaper fare or look for an even cheaper fare on another airline.

I hope that I do not sound shrill. I simply want to pass along my travel patterns and my take on these potential changes to let you know how one particular 1K feels. I am not the typical 1K. I don’t fly internationally for business, so I’m not buying $8000 tickets to Frankfurt. But when I fly for business within the U.S., I typically pay full coach fares or nearly full coach fares. And for leisure travel, not surprisingly, I look for the best deal on United’s flights.

Let me know if you have any questions. I would be more than happy to provide you any additional information.