flysurfer

M&M, especially when flying non-UA carriers and non-transatlantic legs. You'll get more status and award miles, and since you don't care about SWUs, nothing is really lost. With CRWSTARx tickets, SEN status is much easier to achieve and maintain than 1K, as a SEN you get the free lounge access in the U.S. and you are free to choose better C class carriers than UA, like SQ, NH or LH with new C and will still collect 200% or 225% status and award miles on ANY segment and ANY carrier (even 325% on UA domestic 2-class F legs).

weero

While I tend to agree with flysurfer it all comes down to how much you
crave those upgrades. 1K gives you 6+ SWU pro anno, M&L only one longhaul
segment every two years.
Flying 120K a year in Z,D,C,J could still earn you both stati.
66K of those on UA will make you 1K (if you choose the right segments) and
another 50K will bring you the SEN (which you will need only every two years).

If you keep your US address, you will never run the danger to suddenly need
130K miles to qualify for SEN and you will get that discount voucher (which
does no longer work in conjuntcion with the companion award).

I would use the M&L miles for immediate consumption as they keep devaluating
swiftly. Use the MP ones for exotic trips or RTW thingies.

Also M&L often has great intra Europe promotions. Had two flights with my
friend last summer for 15K miles for both of us on each occasion.

cajmere

What about the fact that UA is on shaky financial footing and that their service is really deterioriating due to the fact that their staff is always having pay cuts? Doesn't that alone argue for switching to M&M?

flysurfer

I certainly don't think so.

UA is about to emerge from Ch. 11 with a lot of cash. Also, LH and/or other investors will likely invest in UA. A merger with another U.S. carrier is possible, as well.

You can always fly LH on transatlantic routes (crediting to MP) and Asian *A carriers on transpac routes (crediting to M&M) in order to escape UA service. As for U.S. domestic service, UA is at least as good as their direct competitors. Also, UA is planning significant product enhancements in 2006.

stimpy

Not a problem for me. I'm one of their best customers so I am treated well. Plus I don't fly US domestic flights which is where the bad service exists. UA international flights are mostly OK. And as stated above, UA is coming out of bankruptcy so they are doing fairly well, given the oil price problem that all carriers are facing.