Hmmm.. where's G class then? That's an Economy class fare.

You'll notice that I explicitly acknowledge that.

I just don't understand why AC takes so long to announce changes, and in many cases doesn't announce them until a furour erupts on FT.

If the program is not yet set in stone, then fine, don't announce anything.

But if its not yet set in stone, there's still time to add in some cutbacks.

I'll be shocked and awed if there are any significant improvements. (Not to mention pleased.)

I'll be mildly surprised if the program stays substantially the same without any major cutbacks.

And I'll be business as usual when, or if, they announce cutbacks.

I'm not sure I understand what this means.

Your quote above saids all Economy fares, new upgrade chart states (Other) Upgrades from Economy - M, H, Q, V, W, S, K, L, T. G is a paid Economy class fare (G = Travel Industry Economy Class fares) yet it's missing on the chart even though it is a paid Economy class fare...

What we're talking about here (most of us, anyway) is UA's new award and upgrade schemes, and the fact that in some cases when you upgrade you may have to make a co-payment.

So come July 1, 2009, on every UA route, there are two categories of upgrade -- one for Y and B fares, and another for "all other Economy classes."

Annual changes for the 2009 Mileage Plus program

I think you're looking at the wrong chart. If you click on my link above you should see the "real" new chart.

That's the exact chart that I am looking at.

Well, some international. UA's "Region 1" (earned "Complimentary" upgrades and unlimited free upgrades for higher economy fares (Y and B)) includes "United States, Canada, Hawaii, Caribbean [and] Central America."

But you're right. Some members in selected circumstances may have a benefit in Aeroplan that they would not have in UA's Mileage Plus.

I am not sure why UA is being compared to AC here and AC is forced to be perceived as the bad program. Every program has their own pros and cons. We certainly do appreciate the business for those who choose AC as their main carrier and use Aeroplan given everyone has the freedom to choose their airline/ffp. Perhaps a more fair comparison for upgrading would be vs. airlines that fly on our exact same routes and you would find that AC is far more generous especially on International for our loyal members (SE, E, P). YYZ LHR on BA vs AC, YYZ HKG on CX vs AC, YVR HKG on CX vs AC, YVR ICN on SQ vs AC, YYZ FRA on LH vs AC and so on.

I just don't think it's fair to insist AC is all bad and UA is all good. It all depends on one's travel, fare purchasing and award redemption pattern. Some customers love the Instant KK benefit which no other carriers offer for the J cabin at regular levels, some customers love the fact that as they get fair amount of certificates that allow them to confirm upgrade right away since they purchase higher fare types, some Elites appreciate the fact that they get a few SSWU per year for lower fare types. Some customers like that as AC E or SE that they can use MLL on domestic travel where as a UA 1K or PE, you can't use RCC on a domestic itinerary. Then you have some that would appreciate the fact that they can give their 1K SWU to their friends/familes. There's nothing wrong but to use one to trash another is not quite fair.

Then something very bizarre is happening.

Here, as best I can copy it, is the chart I see:

OK, so my chart doesn't actually look like the on-line chart, but I just cut-and-pasted the details.

I guess the problem started when someone posted the new UA program in a thread wondering when AC would announce, and it was perceived that it was an attempt show that UA was "bad" and AC was "good." Certainly in some regards, AC has some unique benefits, such as IKK and concierges. But often other programs have comparable benefits -- UA has a special inventory of "Saver" awards for 1Ks, and they have their Global Services program.

As vexed as I am with many things about Aeroplan and Air Canada, I remain with them. But I'm at a crossroads right now. Because I took a 5 month sabatical I haven't earned any status miles since early May, so I'm only at 61K status miles, with no planned business travel in sight. Because I like to be first in line for upgrades, because I like to donate my miles to other and other causes, and because I like the fact that at many airports both lounge agents and concierges recognize me, I'd like to stay SE.

I'm currently debating with myself whether I should spend 6 grand and a couple of weekends earning a fast 40K. If I knew what next year's program was I'd be in a better position to decide. If there was some improvement, almost any improvement, I'd probably be inclined to go for it. If I knew the program would remain substantially the same, I might still go, though probably later in the year when I had a better picture of next year.

But if I spent a chunk of money and time only to find out that benefits were further cut back (and based on the last 8 years it does not seem unreasonable to presume they will be) I'd be annoyed to say the least.

I'm also bemused by the number of people who insist that the AC/AP program is the absolute best in the world, completely wart-free. It is what it is. And it has lots of holes. And those holes have grown much larger over most of the last decade.

Finally, there's a real sense of betrayal to most people when they think they either earned or paid for a benefit, in good faith, only to have it quietly yanked away from them. The COS bonus for upgraded pass flights and the J>2 requirement for pass upgrades are just a couple of examples that come to mind.

Exacerbating that feeling of betrayal is the tendency of AC/AP to not announce cutbacks of that nature, apparently in the hope that no one will find out. Then when AC/AP finally formally/officially announce the cutback, weeks or months after the fact, it seems like an additional slap in the face.

My experiences are generally positive on Air Canada. When I check in, when I go to the lounge, when I go to the gate, and when I'm on board, I get service that ranges from good to superb. And contrary to others who claim the service got better after AC came out of CCAA, my experience was the my service was always good, even in the worst days.

But the cutbacks in the AP program, that are sometimes spun as "improvements", the silent cutbacks, the claims of a simplified fares structure that really no one completely understands, the times I've called the SE desk to be insolently told that of course the YVR-SYD flight departs from the international terminal, or that yes the SYD-YVR flight will depart on time, even though the inbound YVR-SYD flight has been in the air hours and departed YVR 8 hours late so it won't even land in SYD until 3 hours after scheduled departure, the on-board food that is occaissionly so bad that even the FAs are embarressed, the battles I sometimes have to fight trying to change an unrestricted ticket... well, you get the picture.

Sometimes the consistent inconsistency just becomes overwhelming, even for a bona fide road warrior. Then you start to hear "just be thankful you're not on xxx carrier." Only I fly on that carrier, and everyone top to bottom seems grateful for my business, and the flight and food and lounge and service are all top notch. Doesn't matter if it's US or QF, or BA or EK. And I often find I'm asking myself "Why can't it be like this on AC?"

I'd like to be super happy being an Air Canada customer again. If you hunt back through the years on FT, you can find some long "trip reports" where by the end you're probably wondering when AC and I am going to announce our engagement. There haven't been any of those for a long time, not surprisingly I suppose given that I'm pretty unhappy with the whole damn deal these days.

But then you have to wonder, what caused the change.

Am I to understand that this is a fare that travel agents, for example, can use, but is unavailable to the general public?

It certainly appears that way given the "Travel Industry" notation, and the fact that I can't find a published UA "G" fare on any of several booking engines and other services that I subscribe to.

So if you're using an essentially unbookable, unpublished fare that the general public cannot use, then I think it's fair to call that a "cheat."

On the other hand, if you can show me how to book one...

Lets not forget the financial position of UA as well.