Actually, for those elite members who DO fly 90-120 K MQM each year, they will probably bounce between PM and DM in alternate years due to the rolling MQMs. It should be QUITE INTERESTING to see how the program looks a year or two from now, both in terms of benefits and # of elite members in the various status levels.

With all the MQM bonuses (Amex, HHonors, Reserve, 3X...) It is probably easier to earn 125K MQMs and earn DM on DL than to make EXP on AA or 1K on UA.

I am sure that DL has more information than either of us on their target demographics and how they think average customer will react to the various changes. I won't claim to have any insider track on DL's logic, but I am sure there is a logical strategy to their program.

How it works out, we will see in the long run.

You might be right, and as PMs we all know about the MQM bonuses (not that I like them). However, a 1k-only or ExP-only elite:

• will not know about them
• knows that bonuses come and go and are unreliable; hence would not consider them for a switch to DL

Under such conditions how can we expect a major switch from 1k-only and ExP-only to DL?


The math that many may make is more as follows:

• I get the DL-AMEX card + spend $50k/year and become DM by flying 105k MQM (with PMUs)
• I get the UA-Visa card + spend $35k/year and become 1k when I fly 90k EQM (with real SWUs)

I hope you are right, because I love DL. Nevertheless, the more I see/read about the more I find this DM move a total fiasco.

If they stay with DL...

At 120k/year I am exactly in that group and the prospect of switching back & forth from DM to PM does not appeal to me at all! I know that some of the people behind me in the upgrade list one year, will be in front of me the following year.

BTW, can you imagine what would happen to this group if UA or AA decided to give a status match from DM to 1k or ExP? I think many will be gone, especially at the end of the year before becoming PMs again...

I'm waiting to see how the CO/UA thing shakes out I think. AA looks pretty good; would be great if UA ended up with unlimited upgrades at their 100k level as a result of getting together with CO. I'd probably prefer UA+CO over AA alone.

I am also looking at UA+CO instead of AA, mainly because similarly to the DL-AMEX cards, the UA credit card gives EQMs and thus allows you to reach 1k faster.

The last 3 years I flew about 120k/year, but I expect to end 2009 somewhere between 94k and 108k MQM. Hence the UA credit card would allow me to reach 1k even in slow years.

I do not see UA going to unlimited upgrades, mostly because they E+. Which is kind of funny since AA had more room in coach for years, but got rid of it.

You make a good point that they may well expect to lose some. I don't see a lot on the gain side. If you're on AA or UA as top tier, and you fly on the sort of Y/B fares that DL SWU's would tend to apply to, you already have deep discount upgrade privileges with miles-- no need for SWU's at all for those flyers. On UA, the cheap miles privilege applies on a host of *A partners as well. Also on UA, you can use their SWU (or will be able to soon) on deep discount Business and upgrade to 3-class First-- a move AA has not matched, at least so far. How would such flyers ever have incentive to hear about, much less contemplate switching to, DM on DL?

The CO/UA combo sure does look attractive, but to offer reciprocal domestic upgrade privileges would seemingly require a huge realignment of their elite programs. UA no longer even offers E+ seats to partner elites (a sore point on the US board).

I could not have said it better!

I have a half-finished (well,maybe 80% finished) FF Program benefits comparison chart, but nothing about E+ seating... fill me in?

E+ is United's front-of-coach zone with 2-5" higher pitch/legroom (or all of coach, on their transcon "p.s." flights). It is free for UA elites, for pseudo-elites (they have a sub-bottom tier called Premier Associate), for any MileagePlus member who pays a flat-fee for all-year access (Annual Option), or for anyone at all who pays a variable, per-flight supplement at booking or check-in.

On day of departure, if the rest of coach (aka "E-" in UA-board language) is full, the E+ seats are available to anyone still needing seat assignment, without paying the fee. E+ is available on all of UA mainline, and also on selected so-called "exPlus" RJ services.

UA used to allow free E+ seating at time of booking for its partner elites (like US), but removed this offer a couple of years ago. Will they allow it for CO elites? Absent some other realignments of the partner agreements, it seems doubtful at least so far.

p.s. here's a hidden benefit for your list for AA: the Priority Access seating zone (front of coach) tends to have power ports at every row (mainline only). the back of coach is only every third row. every seat in premium cabins has a power port.

Got the 2010 Medallion benefits letter today. (I switched to UA with a match) was excited about the NEW SWU until I read the fine print YBM fares only. Sorry Delta that one glitch will be the reason I will not come back to Delta/NWA. If you wanted my business you are going to have to throw me a better bone As the song goes: Nothing from nothing leaves nothing--You gotta have someing if you wanna be with me.

Very good description. I will add that E+ is pretty good. There is a noticeable difference.

What sort of a match did UA give you? BTW, how long where you with DL and how many miles did you typically fly?

If DL is still listening, how about extending two free changes to revenue itins per year to PMs and DMs? I'm not talking about waiving a fare difference, just the change fee (ASC) of $150 dom/$250 intnl. To insure that corporate based revenue was protected, maybe even only allow such changes to itins that have a Sat. night stay and additionally only allow changes to the day before/day after/same day as originally ticketed. Most of the time, I can do these same changes through SDC or SDS so I'm thinking this would be an inexpensive bennie. However, it would provide peace of mind for two times per year when I don't feel like taking my chances with SDC/SDS. Your thoughts?