Merger Update: 2012 MileagePlus Program Details
Oct 25, 2011, 10:43 am
#1696
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Between AUS, EWR, and YTO In a little twisty maze of airline seats, all alike.. but I wanna go home with the armadillo
Programs: CO, NW, & UA forum moderator emeritus
Posts: 35,559
I assume both accounts will be merged on 12/31/2011.
nt when exactly the accounts will be merged.
Oct 25, 2011, 1:30 pm
#1697
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA LT Plat 2MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 67,281
If you link accounts now or before the end of the year, your status would update within a few weeks -- no need to wait.
See http://www.continental.com/combinemyactivity
Down side -- your SWUs and CR1s may post sooner if you combine accounts and therefore expire a month or two sooner.
Oct 25, 2011, 7:12 pm
#1698
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SEA, NW/DL 1.6Million Miler
Programs: DL 1MM Annual Silver,AS 100K 22-24, AS 75K 15-21
Posts: 4,308
When does reduced Elite Bonus apply? Answer: March
Does anyone know when the reduced Elite bonus miles kick in? Both Continental and United's Elite cards indicate program ending date of January 31, 2012, but continental's elite benefit chart indicate benefit validity through "late in the first quarter of 2012."
Jiburi
Thanks, Got my answer.... March 2012.
Jiburi
Thanks, Got my answer.... March 2012.
Last edited by jiburi; Oct 25, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Oct 26, 2011, 6:58 am
#1699
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Nice France
Programs: United MP Platinum+ / 1Million Miles+ and Flying Blue
Posts: 132
New rules about flying United vs Partners to hit 1k
Hi;
I do most of my flights on Lufthansa, Turkish, and Swiss. I go back and forth to SFO and around here in Europe. MP is a great program from United, but to be honest, and i think most would agree, the partner planes, food, treatment, is how do you say "better" on the partners, and you make the same miles.
I saw that the new 2012 program rules indicate that you need to be on United 4x in the year to make your levels. I am a 1k now and hope to keep that moving forward, but I dread flying on United vs Swiss or Lufthansa long hauls.
Does anyone know the specifics of that 4x rule? Could I fly down to LA from SFO and that counts?
PS: Sorry United, I love your MP program, and I love America, but you have chosen not t be on par with Euro carriers, frustratingly even at the same fares. Plus, your staff are "not happy" anymore either like they were 10 years back. Used to be "fun to fly the friendly sky". Not anymore....
I do most of my flights on Lufthansa, Turkish, and Swiss. I go back and forth to SFO and around here in Europe. MP is a great program from United, but to be honest, and i think most would agree, the partner planes, food, treatment, is how do you say "better" on the partners, and you make the same miles.
I saw that the new 2012 program rules indicate that you need to be on United 4x in the year to make your levels. I am a 1k now and hope to keep that moving forward, but I dread flying on United vs Swiss or Lufthansa long hauls.
Does anyone know the specifics of that 4x rule? Could I fly down to LA from SFO and that counts?
PS: Sorry United, I love your MP program, and I love America, but you have chosen not t be on par with Euro carriers, frustratingly even at the same fares. Plus, your staff are "not happy" anymore either like they were 10 years back. Used to be "fun to fly the friendly sky". Not anymore....
Oct 26, 2011, 7:08 am
#1700
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: MBS/FNT/LAN
Programs: UA 1K, HH Gold, Mariott Gold
Posts: 9,640
Hi;
I do most of my flights on Lufthansa, Turkish, and Swiss. I go back and forth to SFO and around here in Europe. MP is a great program from United, but to be honest, and i think most would agree, the partner planes, food, treatment, is how do you say "better" on the partners, and you make the same miles.
I saw that the new 2012 program rules indicate that you need to be on United 4x in the year to make your levels. I am a 1k now and hope to keep that moving forward, but I dread flying on United vs Swiss or Lufthansa long hauls.
Does anyone know the specifics of that 4x rule? Could I fly down to LA from SFO and that counts?
PS: Sorry United, I love your MP program, and I love America, but you have chosen not t be on par with Euro carriers, frustratingly even at the same fares. Plus, your staff are "not happy" anymore either like they were 10 years back. Used to be "fun to fly the friendly sky". Not anymore....
I do most of my flights on Lufthansa, Turkish, and Swiss. I go back and forth to SFO and around here in Europe. MP is a great program from United, but to be honest, and i think most would agree, the partner planes, food, treatment, is how do you say "better" on the partners, and you make the same miles.
I saw that the new 2012 program rules indicate that you need to be on United 4x in the year to make your levels. I am a 1k now and hope to keep that moving forward, but I dread flying on United vs Swiss or Lufthansa long hauls.
Does anyone know the specifics of that 4x rule? Could I fly down to LA from SFO and that counts?
PS: Sorry United, I love your MP program, and I love America, but you have chosen not t be on par with Euro carriers, frustratingly even at the same fares. Plus, your staff are "not happy" anymore either like they were 10 years back. Used to be "fun to fly the friendly sky". Not anymore....
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...m-details.html
The specifics of the 4x rules is you need to fly 4 UA metal segments 2 r/t SFO-LAX would get you there (you need to board a UA plane 4X).
Oct 26, 2011, 7:09 am
#1701
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: DCA or IAD (originally DUB)
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM, Hertz PC, Marriott Platinum/Lifetime Gold
Posts: 7,657
Hi;
I do most of my flights on Lufthansa, Turkish, and Swiss. I go back and forth to SFO and around here in Europe. MP is a great program from United, but to be honest, and i think most would agree, the partner planes, food, treatment, is how do you say "better" on the partners, and you make the same miles.
I saw that the new 2012 program rules indicate that you need to be on United 4x in the year to make your levels. I am a 1k now and hope to keep that moving forward, but I dread flying on United vs Swiss or Lufthansa long hauls.
Does anyone know the specifics of that 4x rule? Could I fly down to LA from SFO and that counts?
PS: Sorry United, I love your MP program, and I love America, but you have chosen not t be on par with Euro carriers, frustratingly even at the same fares. Plus, your staff are "not happy" anymore either like they were 10 years back. Used to be "fun to fly the friendly sky". Not anymore....
I do most of my flights on Lufthansa, Turkish, and Swiss. I go back and forth to SFO and around here in Europe. MP is a great program from United, but to be honest, and i think most would agree, the partner planes, food, treatment, is how do you say "better" on the partners, and you make the same miles.
I saw that the new 2012 program rules indicate that you need to be on United 4x in the year to make your levels. I am a 1k now and hope to keep that moving forward, but I dread flying on United vs Swiss or Lufthansa long hauls.
Does anyone know the specifics of that 4x rule? Could I fly down to LA from SFO and that counts?
PS: Sorry United, I love your MP program, and I love America, but you have chosen not t be on par with Euro carriers, frustratingly even at the same fares. Plus, your staff are "not happy" anymore either like they were 10 years back. Used to be "fun to fly the friendly sky". Not anymore....
Oct 26, 2011, 7:52 am
#1702
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: eastern Europe & NC
Posts: 4,527
It's not just 2P's/silvers and E+. It is also us golds and their lousy 50% elite bonus, the same thing that CO silvers used to get until they got hooked up with UA. That devaluation sucks just as much as the E+ isuue does for the silvers / 2P's.
Oct 26, 2011, 9:01 am
#1703
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Nice France
Programs: United MP Platinum+ / 1Million Miles+ and Flying Blue
Posts: 132
New rules about flying United vs Partners to hit 1k
Thanks guys for confirming!
Oct 26, 2011, 11:51 am
#1704
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 12 stops from ORD
Programs: UA, AA, DL
Posts: 992
I agree that 1Ps got it too. And come March/April of next year, if the changes do end up getting implemented as previously announced then I'll be doing a status challenge on AA. For now, it's wait and see.
Oct 26, 2011, 11:56 am
#1705
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Programs: UA*1K MM SK EBG LATAM BL
Posts: 23,389
Oct 26, 2011, 12:12 pm
#1706
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: 1K on UA, Platinum on CO
Posts: 336
It is really easy to accomplish going to sfo just do 2 of your trips to connect in ORD, EWR, IAD
Oct 26, 2011, 11:57 pm
#1707
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Posts: 1,884
I believe United express counts. So a SFO to LAX round trip via anything in California would count as four segments.
Oct 27, 2011, 1:30 am
#1708
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Honolulu, HI
Programs: UA 1K 1MM, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 1,240
Are you suppose to fly on a UA ticket those 4 segments or could it be TK/LH tkt but UA metal?
Oct 27, 2011, 11:21 am
#1709
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BWI
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, National Emerald Executive, TSA Disparager Gold
Posts: 15,180
It's like in the computer industry, memory makers took a bath for quite awhile. They were selling memory less than it cost to make it. Yet they still kept churning it out. Why? They were waiting for better times, and not making the product at all cost them more money than for selling it at a small loss.
Time will tell whether UA is making the right decision here. Like others, I think it's pennywise and pound foolish, but CO was always more about the short term buck than the longer term investment. I think UA has more to lose in the long run by screwing their lower tiers that may not necessarily appear in the short term.
you presumably have the capacity to ship everyone's orders. if you just couldn't get all orders out one day, the C's would get hosed. on purpose. you would call it serving the A's (which it is), but once capacity gets limited, you're increasing one party's benefits to the detriment of another's.
united is clearly capacity constrained. they can't give 1K's more upgrades without taking away someone else's upgrade, which is exactly what they're doing in E+. (yes, they could add more seats, but that's not a free/short term decision..) removing benefits from 1P/2P means that 1K's can actually enjoy the benefits they've been promised. when you've overpromised, and decide to fix it, someone's got to get hosed..
i don't like it, and it means i'm leaning toward not using my 2P status at all next year, but i do understand it.. the same rule at DL will increase the value of my status there.
united is clearly capacity constrained. they can't give 1K's more upgrades without taking away someone else's upgrade, which is exactly what they're doing in E+. (yes, they could add more seats, but that's not a free/short term decision..) removing benefits from 1P/2P means that 1K's can actually enjoy the benefits they've been promised. when you've overpromised, and decide to fix it, someone's got to get hosed..
i don't like it, and it means i'm leaning toward not using my 2P status at all next year, but i do understand it.. the same rule at DL will increase the value of my status there.
Why are elites (at any level) entitled to "no less than last year's benefits" in perpetuity?
There's no doubt that would be customer friendly, but in an industry as volatile as the airline sector, with costs and demand fluctuating and competitors pricing their product below cost, it simply may not be a sustainable business model.
UA switched a few years back from E500 upgrades to UDU. Since then my purchasing pattern has stayed the same but my percentage of domestic flights in F has gone up. But I don't consider myself entitled to the UDU system for the rest of UA's existence.
There's no doubt that would be customer friendly, but in an industry as volatile as the airline sector, with costs and demand fluctuating and competitors pricing their product below cost, it simply may not be a sustainable business model.
UA switched a few years back from E500 upgrades to UDU. Since then my purchasing pattern has stayed the same but my percentage of domestic flights in F has gone up. But I don't consider myself entitled to the UDU system for the rest of UA's existence.
However, promising benefits for the following year for 9 months and then changing them in September is just crappy. People gave their business based on perks they could expect for next year, only to find out after either coming close or meeting the thresholds that the goal posts have been moved. UA didn't give incentive to fly more - they gave me incentive NOT to fly them more.
I would have had a lot less of an issue had UA announced this at the beginning of this year for next year's benefits or announced it now for 2013's benefits.
Last edited by iluv2fly; Oct 27, 2011 at 6:26 pm Reason: merge
Oct 27, 2011, 11:43 am
#1710
Formerly known as CollegeFlyer
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: JRA
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA PLT, Hyatt Diamond, Marriott Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 6,716
While I don't like the timing of the changes either, I don't think that the above is actually what happened. UA didn't promise specific benefits for the following year for 9 months; instead, the merger calendar said that details of the 2012 frequent flier program would be announced in 3Q 2011.