Hopefully, we can hear more from non-elite United flyers and their feeling about paying a fee for access to preferred call centers? I realize 1Ks and other elites get better service queues and do not need this feature but non-elites might reluctantly pay more to get better service depending on the fee.

Like many, I chose not to qualify for elite status because of the general and pervasive decline in services at United, but I still have lots of miles. Now without elite status, I’m automatically dumped into the ICC (or Philippines) queue and therefore have deal with the ICC's generally polite but terrible, heavily accented service and it’s scratchy communications every time I call. There must be lots of non-elites who frequently, if not always, are queued to the foreign call centers.

Basically, the question was not directed to elite flyers, we're glad you get good service and better call centers, but directed to the rest of the huddled masses....

Service, in an oversimplified but basically true assessment is:

Good for Elites status
Sucks for Non-elites

Seems like the latter, a larger segment, represent an undeveloped market - want profits anyone?