Fredd

I won't comment on your explanation and/or rationalization other than suggest that anybody who does claim as a significant other an individual who does NOT meet the criteria UA outlines might not wish to inform the recipient of that fact.

In that way, if UA ever treats the matter as fraud, for example fraudulently obtaining an upgrade of obvious monetary value, the giftee at least can claim total ignorance.

My apologies. What I should have written was "What UA has done in establishing this policy with these T&Cs is, to use your word, ridiculous." I have now revised my previous post to reflect that.

ironmanjt

Wow - so if you and your spouse live apart (which more and more couples do for a period of time due to jobs, etc) you only get this benefit if you share a last name. Pretty bad.

sgfood

My apologies if this has been asked before..

I will achieve MM status next week and as a CO Plat I'm happy about my new lifetime status changing to *G next year. The problem is my wife is a PMUA 1k who will reach MM status within the next 3 years. My question is what is the benefit for her? She will have been a loyal flyer for almost ten years but with no recognition of any value as she will already have the spouse lifetime status.

We have no children in the household, so in effect she will have no one but me to share the benefit which I already have!

I agree it's a nice extra for the spouse who rarely flies, but what about the spouse who does and has contributed a great deal of money reaching MM status and receives nothing.

Is there anything about this I'm missing?

bseller

Nope. You're not missing anything at all.

My GF is a frequent traveller and even IF I COULD nominate her to my *G status, it wouldn't make any difference.

Perhaps UACO will let us choose something else. Or maybe not.

Dave

dgcpaphd

You are not missing anything except for the fact the new United management (formerly with Continental) does not put much value of loyalty.

It boils down to their way or the highway - take it or leave it.

You can tell that I am also disappointed with the demotion of the million mile former benefits.

I stayed loyal to United and even took extra trips to be sure I made million mile status before the merger. What do I get as a reward? A slap in the face or an equivalent.

If the new United is monitoring this forum, they really should either grandfather the million mile members or at a minimum, give them a choice of either regional upgrades or the spousal benefit.

The new United way is discriminatory in that in most instances, the spouse is elevated to a status not earned through flying while those who really earned the status through flying, are demoted. What a lousy way to treat loyalty.
-

oenophilist

I think people forget this is a lifetime status. Yes, this year, you may have a spouse that flies the same as you do. You may even have a spouse that also has 1MM status. But if in the future, if your spouse drops in status, you can still convey your status to him/her. Likewise, if you are both at least 1MM, and one of you drops in status (for whatever reason), the other can boost your status.

MM status is supposed to be lifetime. If you look at it in terms of what you get this year, or next, its not really as relevant. Look at it as what you get when you do not fly as much. Or your partner does not fly as much. Then its relevant.

I'm single. Yet I'm content with the new system, because I do not plan on being single forever. And at a minimum, I will convey my post-merger MM status to my SO. That is still a pretty significant thing.

dgcpaphd

I agree with you in principle except for the fact that United should have let million milers have a choice in the matter. Either upgrades or spouse or S/O. I am widowed and have no S/O and will probably never get married again. Therefore, I am competing with someone else's spouse or S/O who did not have to pay to sit in a United plane for one million miles to gain status like I had to do.

This is plain and simple discrimination (or bias if you prefer that word) that might come back to bite the new United after members realize all the other demotions Smisek and his Continental crew have enacted on United's Mileage Plus program. This type of discrimination might even be grounds for a class action against the new United.

Of course, United has a right to make changes in the program but I am not so sure that United can make changes that are so blatantly discriminatory and harm those who spent time and money to earn the same status as someone who does not fly.

It absolutely makes no sense to award the same million mile status to someone who never bought a plane ticket as someone who was loyal to United and sat in their planes for the million miles it took to make this status that so quickly was demoted by an unwise decision.
-

Fredd

Think bigger than that as you cast your net! A Million-Miler single on the hunt can now advertise this in the Personals Ad right after "loves long walks on the beach," i.e. "UA Elite Million Mile Flyer can gift renewable one-year Star Gold membership to the right Significant Other."

UA has made some of us winners and some of us losers. You've found a way to make yourself a winner.

Hiro32

I've been wondering why elites with MM status don't have special upgrade priority since I became a UA 1MMer

i.e.
GS MM>GS>1K MM>1K>0P MM>0P>1P MM>1P ....
and also of course within MM
4MM>3MM>2MM>1MM
UA doesn't want to give 1MMers lifetime 0P status, so this means something.

BDLORD

Continental employees are haters of us UA MMer's

rob_flies_ua

I hope you're not serious. You do realize that PMUA didn't give Million Milers any upgrade priority either?

nor4

I have to chuckle when I see everybody assuming "lifetime" status really means what it says.

Given the trend line of UA eroding benefits, I'd bet sometime in the next few years, or after a tough patch for airlines, that lifetime benefits will look pretty anexoric if they exist at all.

The slow death of the "lifetime" Silver Wings membership (which was a paid for benefit) is a cautionary tale for all.

I predict lifetime benefits will only last as long as it's convenient/profitable for United.

BDLORD

They certainly did, also at meal time on flight's the MMer was the trump card

WineCountryUA

UA MM had absolutely no impact on UA upgrade priority and no formal priority for meals (occasional FA may have given priority but nothing formal)

This thread's (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...d-threads.html) premise was extensively dis-proven.

rob_flies_ua

Maybe long ago, but certainly not recently. Also, at meal time, the MMer was not the trump card by official policy. You may have had FAs decide to take matters into their own hands.

(See the inappropriately titled thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...d-threads.html which makes it pretty clear that MM status does not give priority; also see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...level-1ks.html for meal priority)