I would imagine that the E+ announcement is being withheld until the carrier releases further information on aircraft configurations going forward. It would make much more sense to discuss E+ when they determine whether the carrier will be two class/three class/mixed two and three class, which hard products will be retained, and so on.

Today's announcement was for the 2011 OnePass/Mileage Plus program changes. While E+ is a benefit for elite members on both carriers flying UA metal, it is an extant product and access to it hasn't been modified. I wouldn't have expected an E+ decision to coincide with FF program integration unless it was part of a larger rollout of products and services.

I agree with you 100% and certainly there is absolutely no reason why any announcement regarding the FF programs need to involve cabin configurations.

And, yes, you are right, little has been said about what shape the combined airline's cabin configurations will take, and not just E+.

We also don't know if they will retain Intl F, PS service, domestic widebodies, which type of premium service will be retained (BF, UA J/F).

Still, CO did adopt ELR, which only served to monetize existing exit and bulkhead rows...so it will be interesting to see if Smisek concludes that the best solution is to simply add E+ to the current CO fleet, or add seats to the current UA fleet and start charging for ELR seats on those planes.

After further research, US has apparently changed its program so that all fare classes are eligible, after much griping. Good for them.

Of course, this makes UA/CO uncompetitive in that regard.

Only things I care about are:

I want the MP/OP merger to take place sooner (like may be early 2011). That way we can truly decide on how to proceed with earning miles on UA or some other airline.

No change in Gold or Star Gold, that is good. Will the domestic upgrades for all elites still be there in 2012 or it will be phased away. The four tier system affects only very few passengers.

What are the changes to Silver, if any.

Except for the fact that the utility of US SWUs are constrained by the airline's rather limited network and have no reciprocity.

+1, there will be more changes on the way...:td:

What about the 4 SWU's that were recently deposited into my account last week upon cracking the 100K EQM threshold--are those subject to specfic fare classes or not?

I don't think my dissapointment is too premature. I'm just mad I got a Presidential Plus card last summer. I'm emailing AA to check out there status match, as much as I hate One World :mad:

Yes, I see now that many of the 320's are recent in the past few years. The 777's show the youngest as 2003. This is a very small portion of the fleet that is "slightly older than CO's fleet average". UA's fleet average is considerably older than CO's, but then we digress from the thread topic.

Simple answer, as plainly written about in COInsider's post... 2010 earned SWU's are valid for any paid fare. The challenge is finding an R to upgrade to. These are not available on every route. Again, giving me something that is unusable is more relationship destroying than building.

Your PP card you received last sumer has given you loads of points. It was a good choice. Even if you had to pay for the card, it is worth it if you fly a lot. If your travel is primarily international, the One World alliance is pretty good. Hopping to DFW for most of my flights would be irritating though. Access to QF is a big bonus.

If the new UA keeps E+, this is exactly what's going to happen on CO planes. Particularly, on the 73's, I predict a smaller F section while adding E+. That's the only way to make it profitable for the old CO aircraft.

Keep in mind though that:
a) The GS members that UA's program really caters to may often be on Y/B fares which are upgradeable with the current instruments.

b) UA also allows updgrades with SWUs form non-deep-discounted C (UA term)/J (CO term) to F, another benefit to the high-revenue flyer.

What we may be seeing is the shifting to a program that is designed to primarily benefit the highest-revenue flyers....basically a MileagePlus-ization of OnePass.

You make good points, and I really like star alliance, and have no problems redeeming award tickets. Having the SWU available for any fare class next year is nice, but to yank that away 2011 stinks. All of my business travel is domestic. I fly to the UK twice a year to visit family so I'm not sure it would be worth it (does one not still have the ability to earn AA EQM's on a BA operated flight? If so, THAT would be beneficial to me as there is of course the non stop BA 744 phx-lhr).

I'm glad that you find some value with CO/*Alliance, esp. since I'm not familiar with other options out of Scottsdale!

Regarding the 2010 SWUs, -- I think it's great that CO even offered those -- as they certainly could've waited & announced all the prospective 2011 changes at once, instead of easing CO Plats into the 100K mindset this year!^

It's not a "small portion" of the UA fleet.

There are 153 Airbus 319-320's in the UA fleet (42%). The average fleet age of all these Airbuses is 10.7 years.

To put in perspective, the average fleet age of CO's 737's is 9.3 years.

There are 52 777's in the UA fleet, the average fleet age of which is 12.3 years.

By comparison, there are 22 777's in the CO fleet, the average fleet age of which is 9.6 years.

Together, the UA Airbuses and 777's represent 57% of the current UA fleet.

Agreed, but because there is no EUA/UDU on overseas travel, I predict E+ would not extend to the transoceanic fleet (current BF fleet)