Star gold access to United E+ ended?
 

There is a thread over on the USAir board discussing whether United has taken E+ access away from USAir elites (and Star Gold elites).

Has this been formally announced?

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=599616

Star Gold access is no longer listed on the E+ page of the United site. http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1314,00.html

The same page from March 23, 2005 does list E+ access as a Star Gold benefit.
http://web.archive.org/web/200503230...2,1314,00.html

tom

Even thought I am a UA 1P (= *G), I would hate to see UA end access to E+ for other *G members. These *A partners often give "preferred" seating (bulkhead, exit row, front rows) to me as a UA *G. If UA disallows other *G from using E+, then I can see the other *A partners retracting such privleges from us UA *G's.

It's the only reason I fly Ted/UA in the US. If there's no incentive, I'll be onto the cheapest carrier I can find.

I guess this is going to cost United a stack in lost business.

There's quite a thread in the United forum on this (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=599665). We're hoping to get an official answer in short order.

Adding to previous posts, I believe the acess to E+ is/was for all *A elites, including Star Gold AND Silver.

I hope not. If they have then on non-RTWs I may as well choose whoever is cheaper between UA and AA - in many cases for me it would be AA.

Discussion in the AC forum too. Looks like the panic is not warranted. Flyers have been still getting thier E+ assignments.

This all started with a US Air FT post. I think it was a case of a bad agent and not a new policy change.

Time will tell, but I wouldn't stress too much.... just a hunch ;)

2 days ago wife and I had no problem to get seats in E+ on SGN-HKG (same as on the outbound before, cheap ticket for 130 $ all in round trip) and then both got upgrade to C at the Gate (both Lufthansa Gold)

Tomorrow (12 Sept) is the last day for non-UA *S and *G to reserve E+, according to a woman at United resrvations.

I'm not trying to have an attitude but just curious as to why this would not count as a cross-post. Since this topic is being discussed in another forum isn't it cross-posting?

Who cares? :rolleyes: I know I wouldn't have picked up on this as I don't visit the US or UA forums on a regular basis. I do check this forum as it covers issues that affect all *A flyers - and I think this heads-up fits well into that category.

I suggest you don't visit the BA forum, or else your OT/Cross-Post pressure will rise to bursting. :)

Let's start complaining to UA and explaining our business is going elsewhere. You can complain at : Here

I think we need to voice our complaints to UA and not just to each other.
I think I am also going to send them the flights I would book on them, but going to other * alliance carriers.

Let's see their responses. Please post any you get directly from UA.

I think they should know they have customers they should care about!

Why is everyone going crook on UA? Surely their responsibility is to their own status members and not the "freeloaders" of the partner carriers? Y+ was a perk that goes over and beyond the standard norms the carriers abide by.

'Freeloaders?' Ha Ha

A lot of *A carriers have some form of desirable seating that is only available to *A status members. Remember before E+, it was the premier seating zone if I recall.

In all other areas their service is totally woeful, it was their one trump card, which did give them the edge.

The last time I checked, UA still charged money in exchange for being allowed to fly on their planes. Surely UA's responsibility is to attract business (aka money) in competitive markets. Many of those "freeloaders" chose UA metal (and paid for it with money, believe it or not!) because of E+. From now on they will simply choose the cheapest *A carrier or the one with the most convenient connections or upgrade opportunities.

Beginning today, if you travel in coach, there's no hard reason for choosing UA over any other *A carrier. Hence UA will lose business from *A elites, while gaining nothing at all from their own elites or customers, because nothing changes for them. Sure, a few *A elites will switch to MP because of this (creating mileage liabilities and spending their MP miles on their home carrier metal, hence costing UA money again), and a few will certainly pay up for E+ access.