ocn2ocn

The only hope for MM and other benefits is that this "Houston culture" is ultimately motivated by the bottom line. When revenue and profitibility suffers, they will search for answers then.

NiceLanding

Sure they'll search for answers, but there's little evidence that they'll look in the right places. In particular, they're so determined to replace anything from PMUA that when they break something that had worked fine for years, they refuse to admit their mistake and just keep casting around for new alternatives -- the boarding procedures, FC food selection order, the coffee, etc. Maybe they'll get lucky and come up with some benefits that work, but I think they'll pointedly avoid returning any of the specific benefits we used to enjoy.

I'm expecting that they'll soon realize that selling cheap upgrades on top of cheap coach tickets brings in less total current revenue per square foot for the premium cabin than for economy (or E+). At that point we'll begin to see a shift in plane configurations towards more economy seats and fewer premium ones. In fact they're already scaling back three-cabin service, as they don't quite understand the need for anything beyond BF.

SADDE6

One wonders if UA will ever wake up and realize they have needlessly alienated thousands of their most loyal customers over a set of benefits that would have cost them virtually nothing to maintain.

colpuck

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Seeing as UA hasn't rolled back the changes, even in light of a lawsuit, maybe UA is listening to customers.

UA-NYC

They've rolled back a couple of the 1K changes, likely due to the defections of them in great numbers (and subsequent ugly looking PRASM stats). MMers I doubt they care about now.

NiceLanding

You need to qualify that statement: it's the "over-entitled" PMUA MMers they don't care about, but they've been quite generous with the "loyal" PMCO MMers (and 250K "Gold-for-Life"ers, too).

ocn2ocn

I still don't think they care about actual defections. Its all about how such defections affect the bottom line and whether these defections were high revenue customers. Unfortunately, its a pretty mercenary analysis by this management team although not unusual for senior management in any public company.

EMAW

And thus our sense of betrayal by Mr. S, F, & company.

Fredd

I don’t have a problem with that. If I owned UA stock, I would expect management to operate on the premise that the purpose of a business is ultimately to turn a profit.

UA can do whatever it wants going forward and I can make my own decisions as a potential customer - in fact, I already am. No, my beef with UA from the outset has been with the written commitments pre-merger UA made to its Million Mile Flyers.

Whether UA has violated legal contractual obligations, with reference to “deceptive practices,” (e.g. Mr. Jeff Foland’s self-damning admission to the WSJ that UA’s statements re MM were “regrettable and confusing’’ - language used commonly as one component of "deceptive practices") is a question for the courts.

I’ve repeatedly made my opinion clear that UA is morally in the wrong. Betrayal is certainly a mot juste. I'm fairly confident in my ability to comprehend the English language as she is spoke and nobody can change my mind about that.

ocn2ocn

Agree with you about the purpose of the business is to turn a profit. My point was more subtle -- that it may take some time before UA management makes the connection between alienating its most loyal customers and declining profitibility.

ozstamps

And this MM has not given United a single penny during 2012. Not a cent.

For 11 years before that as a loyal 1K they got near all my spend.

All over 2 x measly regionals a year. They promised in writing.

And I am not alone, and for those that own stock this was a DUMMMMMMMMMMB decision to lie to MMs about and spit on their business.

Cost to keep their promise - zero, and loss of goodwill and business from once big flying loyal clients - well the last PRASM has the real story on that.
.

LAXNRT

2MM here and similar story. Happy on AA and hope it stays that way and won't become US

JohnMacWW

But that is assuming their profit declines and that it declines because of certain decisions (or that they associate the decline with a certain decision.).

But I am not convinced that every single decision that has a negative impact on Elites/ FTers/etc. will hurt profits. Southwest has done quite well not offering significant benefits to elites. UA might just end up a leaner, less fun airline to fly. But if they do better in terms of profitability then you can bet Delta and AA will follow suit quickly enough.

Sure, we personally may not like a decision, but as many have noted, we can choose to fly someone else.

I guess we can even choose to spend tons of time monitoring threads and forums associated with an Airline that we do not use nor intend to use anymore.

But then it has really turned into something more than making choices, it has become wanting UA to fail. And certainly some efforts on FT have gone farther then wanting it to fail and have reached into trying to help it fail. It is this latter trend that I do not like that much. I am satisfied flying UA. I do not want them to fail. Do i want them to offer me more perks? Sure. Who wouldn't. But I am not about to join a boycott of the airline to help someone else get revenge or get a perk or benefit back that they think they should have.

tom911

You're not alone. I'd be buying UA tickets right now if they restored the benefits they took away. The loss of benefits had me in redemption mode all year. I'm burning off the last of my miles in PS F in two weeks.

ozstamps

To be honest I think most of those who were real bis MM flyers as of 2011 simply wanted ConUall to honour their written promises. And there were precious few of those.

Not "more perks" - just the ones they clearly promised in writing we would get each year.

Nothing hard to follow there surely?

The fact this thread has near 300,000 page views on FT alone, proves this lie is a major issue to many once loyal and high value clients - and a simple and free one for UA to address, and rectify.

When they reneg on such a simple thing, to their most regular fliers, you know you can trust nothing they say.

Anyone who lies to me in my business does not get my money - simple as that.

If they deposit 2 x CR1 into my account soon ... well different ball game then. The ball is clearly in their court.

They promised us this latter 2011, and I for one except to see them appear "annually" - FOR LIFE.