This. Removing my access to E+ at time of reservation is a deal-breaker for me. I understand prioritizing your best customers, but stripping me of a privilege I've enjoyed for over 6 years, with absolutely zero off-setting measure (discounted E+ purchase, E+ access at reservation if I have an Explorer card, etc), is not a good way to ensure my future loyalty. If I'm going to get squished in Y, I'm going to look to fly an airline with the most direct route, the best Y product (wifi, etc), and the cheapest price. More often than not, that won't be the new United.

Moved to UA for the 6 upgrades I can use on LH. saying that I fly a hell of a lot I guess I can make it we'll see

not clear if this is segments of flights

He or she may work for a start-up company. Not every company has money to throw around on business class tix, you know. The largest companies can afford it, but any company in the first few years of its existence would be foolish to spend $6k on business class tickets when that money can instead be spent buying more employees and more infrastructure. And yes, for start-up companies not yet turning a profit, if IS an either/or thing.

Wow. This is TERRIBLE for 2Ps. E+ is the ONLY reason I fly United, and with no guarantee of getting a seat there makes me reconsider sticking with United. The worst part is now there is no guarantee my companion and I will get seats next to each other, especially on long haul flights..

They should have just set aside a few rows for 1P+ until 24 hours in advance. That way 2Ps can reserve in advance, and last minute 1P+ travelers can still find space in E+.

I can live with these changes.

Not happy about the upgrade priority, but UA will remain my preffered airline.

There are always magazine subscriptions...

+1. I mentioned this earlier.

But, SMI/J probably does not give a damn. He doesn't give a damn whether the 1P/0P/1K flyer gets E+ either. He would rather sell the E+ seat to anyone willing to pay the fee. What he's failed to take into account in his calculations is the effect that 2Ps booking tickets at a premium over competitors' prices have on fares and UA's revenue in general. Hopefully he gets booted once revenue falls and UA starts missing estimates.

It's not about being generous. It's about being competitive. UA has now created a competitive disadvantage because AA and DL offer 100 percent for their midtier flyers.
I expect UA will lose some midtier elites for this very reason.

Sorry, but I have to agree with TA and SkiAdcock; I find the section on fare class bonuses unclear on whether it applies to RDMs, EQMs, or both. Currently, there is not 100% EQMs for all fare classes, and there are some differences between the bonuses for RDMs and EQMs. The upper classes earn 150% EQMs (which, of course, means that the 100K for 1K does not necessarily equal 100K BIS). How this will change will have a very significant impact on what level I will achieve next year, as I do book those upper fares on occasion. The new chart, for instance, says that two cabin F and A fares will earn 175%. If that applies to EQMs, then I will pick up an extra 5K, or so, as I do at least 4 F or A transcons a year. Like TA, I am surprised that there is not more of a discussion on what the EQM earning rates will be.

By the way, said your handle out loud and a crystal bridge appeared across the creek behind my house.

Ditto situation for my husband & I. And I completely agree. Just make 50K the bottom tier and call it a day. This is just insulting.

+1 and if you don't understand the nuances, hell hath no fury like a flyertalker who posts a question about the upgrade priority on a TPAC equipment swap using an instrument on a codeshare and uses the wrong jargon in the post.

.....

Hi Everyone, first of all, thanks for your feedback and questions. Below are some answers which I hope will be helpful. If I�ve missed anything, please let us know.

Hi Ari. Definitely not intentional. There are no changes to our Premier Qualifying Mile definition. In 2012, all published fares will earn 100% PQMs and PQSs, except for B class and above which will earn 50% more.

Thanks warreng24, we are indeed looking into the possibility of offering Premier Silver members a discounted Economy Plus annual subscription rate (below our current $425 rate). I do not have any details to share at this time, but it is something we�re evaluating.

Hi eagle92, we do not have any plans to remove the Elite Maximizer option, however, we�ve yet to determine whether it will be permitted above a certain threshold. Currently, there�s not.

Hi nova08, we are still working the details as to how companions that were divided out of reservations will be handled in the Complimentary Premier Upgrade (CPU) automated process. Our goal is for the CPU automated process to have a �memory� of the divide, and upgrade at the same priority as the sponsoring member. As for companions that are in separate reservations (that were not divided from the sponsoring member) and all other cases where clearance is deferred to the gate standby clearance, companions will clear at a priority below all other members in that tier. As a reminder, the airport upgrade standby list only applies only after check-in has cut off and CPU automated processing is closed.

If you have a reservation with 2 or more people , you will have the ability to divide it such that there is only one companion. This option will be offered online or by contacting us. If getting yourself and your companion upgraded as part of the automatic CPU process, then this would be the way to go.

The upgrade benefit for these fares only applies to Premier members and up to one companion.

Yes, BigBossman, as mentioned in my initial post all flights between the Mainland U.S. and Hawaii will be eligible for RPUs.

The Y/B/M instant upgrades will apply in the same exact markets where we offer CPUs, which includes numerous short/medium haul international markets.

Hi theTheme, Explorer cardmembers traveling on awards are prioritized behind the lowest revenue fare class in each Premier tier. So, to answer your question accurately, we�d need to know the status of the Explorer cardmember.

Hi pterosaur, our Global Premier Upgrades (GPUs) will continue to be valid for use on Lufthansa. We�re still working out the details as to exactly how this gets implemented.

It didn�t. Really.

Yes, as219, the one-time adjustment on the UA side will include all elite qualification earnings dating back to the beginning of the Mileage Plus program, including partners, fare class bonuses, double/triple/octuple EQM promotions, and bonus EQMs from credit cards.

That�s correct, Starman, with our one-time adjustment, many of you who banked miles in Mileage Plus will move up a Million Miler level without doing anything at all. We will not, however, include anything that didn�t count toward Elite status such as credit card RDMs.

Hi again nova08, effective Jan. 1, 2012, when the new Million Miler accrual policy takes effect, only base miles earned on United, Continental and Copa operated flights will count. This will exclude partners and PQM bonuses of all kinds (including fare class).

To clarify, PVDProf, we will allow Economy Plus for companions booked in separate reservations, however, this won�t be available for self-service. It�ll have to be done by us over the phone or at the airport.

Hi raehl311, as mentioned in my original post, most of the new program changes including this one, will be effective when we migrate to a single technology system late in the first quarter of 2012.

Hi AeroWesty, in the current Mileage Plus program, only 1Ks and above get better availability for Saver awards, and only in Economy Class. Starting in 2012, the better Saver Economy Class availability benefit will be extended to include all Premier members. In addition we will introduce better premium cabin Saver award availability for Premier Platinum members and above. This matches up with what we do on the OnePass side today. It�s been popular there, and we�re glad to keep it in the new program.

Thanks for your questions, cchuang1980 and TerryK. To clarify, allflights within Asia/Pacific will be included with only a few exceptions. The exceptions are Guam/Tokyo-Honolulu nonstops, and Tokyo-Singapore/Bangkok. Everything else, including Tokyo-Seoul/Taipei will be eligible for CPUs.

Hi Pegasus23, while we expect to be offering a mix of our long-haul and domestic products between our markets east of California (i.e. IAH/EWR/DEN/ORD) and Hawaii through 2012, we do have a desire to be more consistent in the long-term. The jury is still out on this one as to what aircraft and product we�ll be offering, but it�ll be a while before we get there.

Thanks for your questions, PSU Muddler and jonk. Paid flights refers to a paid flight segment operated by United, regardless of ticket stock or marketed flight number. A reservation with 4 United segments, for example, will do the trick.

Hi amartin, believe this was already answered, but just to clarify, our new Regional Premier Upgrades (RPUs, soon-to-be former CR-1s) will indeed be eligible for use on our p.s. flights (JFK-LAX/SFO), as well as all flights between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii (no matter whether the onboard product is domestic or long-haul). These are the two instances where the RPU geography varies from CPU.

Hi CollegeFlyer, the automation to be used will indeed be based on the CO Elite Upgrade Automation (EUA) technology, where our upgrades will be processed at fixed intervals before departure. On the day of departure, this automation runs constantly all the way up until check-in is closed.

On your bed, I would hope.

That�s correct, ZoomingAround, Presidential Plus cardmembers will be exempt from the 4-segment minimum requirement.

Hi honmani2, as a 2 Million Miler, you will get lifetime Premier Platinum status and the option to extend that benefit to your wife. Your lifetime lounge earned under the former program will be honored, but will not be extended to include your wife.

It does not. Our Hawaii flights where we offer our long-haul premium product , which for now includes to/from IAH and EWR and DEN (come late Oct. 2011), will all be excluded from our CPU eligibility .

No official mention yet, MayorMcKnife. We plan to share details about how the overall account transition process will work in the coming months.

Hi edcho, we are still in the process of finalizing our partnerships, and do not have any details at this time.

Hi beltway, we there are no current plans to exclude YCA fares from our Y/B/M instant upgrade benefit.

Thanks for your questions, 1K-SFO and MrJBoy. Lifetime Premier Executive will map to Lifetime Premier Gold, except for current Mileage Plus 2 Million Milers, who will bump up to lifetime Premier Platinum. This, with the addition of the ability to designate a spouse or significant to share your same Premier status (lifetime or earned, whichever is greater) makes this a pretty competitive offering.

As much as we�d like to, brianfromwa, until we announce the details fully, we�re not in a position to talk about specific elements or the general direction of our free puppy program.

Scott O'Leary
Managing Director, Customer Solutions
United Airlines

The match is t the current status level, with the lifetime status tier being the minimum.

Some do, but I don't think that many. And they're certainly not any "more likely" to now because they still have no clue about UG priority or how it works. My point remains: I still think the impact on my upgrades will be minimal.
You can cite statistics and theories all day but you won't convince me: the fact remains that I can count on the hand of my high school woodshop teacher the number of upgrades I've missed since the beginning of UDU. That includes this year, and I've already passed 100K EQM YTD. UDU is AWESOME. YMMV. Maybe you're in the minority?

And I know a bunch of people that call them "Swoose". I'm just not one of them.