rob_flies_ua

Current CO MM have spousal benefit and Silver status (equivalent to Premier/2P), no regionals.

(And not all of us see the new UA as COdbaUA if we look at the full list of changes, or that all of the policies coming from the CO side are uniformly bad)

WineCountryUA

present CO MM beneifts
1 MM (including EQMs) is Silver plus Companion Elite status
2 MM (including EQMs) is Gold plus Companion Elite status
3 MM (including EQMs) is Plat plus Companion Elite status
4 MM (including EQMs) is [PresPlat plus Companion Elite status

no regionals (which were new to CO in 2011)

2011 CO Lifetime Flight Miles and the Million Miler Program

elgringito

As a PMCO I did not have the regionals. An earlier poster noted that the PMCO million milers were pleased with the benefits under the new program and I fit that description. As a PMCO million miler I would not have had the ability to book exit rows at the time of ticketing, under the new program, I will have this privilege and this is an important benefit. I also would have have been the bottom of a three tier level and now will be the second of a four tier program (five if you count GS). This is also an important benfit.

Would I (and my wife) have been pleased to lose the spouse benefit but allow me to receive the regionals, ABSOLUTELY not. Would this have been a "right" of the combined United to eliminate the spouse benefit? Also ABSOLUTELY! If given the option to choose the regionals or the spouse benefit I would ABSOLUTELY choose the spouse benefit since an unhappy spouse would have not been a "nice life" to quote Fredd.

You cannot please all of the people all of the time!

Baze

This explains a lot about why UA did what they did to the MM benefits.

And elgingito, you will notice from many of my past posts in this thread I like the spousal benefit and I have never been on a CO plane in my life. I am up in the air about the regionals going away, especially now that I got a new job and will most likely be a segment warrior so regionals would be in very short supply for me anyways especially as they seem to be earned by miles and not segments (someone correct me on this if I am wrong).

hughw

My wife really agrees also. She has the spousal plat benefit. We were recently ttaveling together but on seperate PNRs. SHe got the upgrade and I didn't. She was a happy camper, and lorded it over me for a day or two.

the benefits listed above are lifetime benefits for flyer and spouse. But in any given year, the spouse also has the elite status of the flyer. FOr example, a 1MM has silver for life, but if he/she makes gold or higher in any given year, the spouse does also,

bmvaughn

I don't understand why there are a vocal few that still feel slighted about this change occurring and they felt that the "at the end of every year" somehow overrode the MP rules which allow UA to change the program at will.

Why focus on the fact that it changed? UA always had the ability to change it and you should have planned as such. If you didn't, that's your own fault and no fault of UA's.

elgringito

In the past few years while my wife has not been platinum and I have been, she has been upgraded as follows on eligible flights:
1. 2007 - 23 of 36
2. 2008 - 14 of 30
3. 2009 - 8 of 9
4. 2010 - 9 of 10
5. 2011 - 2 of 2

The spouse benefit for some is not significant, for others it definitely is. I have also been able to schedule her for the exit row seat EVERY time.

Baze

And to add, with 2 totally different programs merging you had to know things would change.

dgcpaphd

First, do you have confirmation that there are only a "vocal few" who feel slighted about the demotions to the million-mile program? I would like to know how you arrived at such a small number as "vocal few."

I personally have in excess of 35 private messages from various flyertalk persons who are not happy about being misled in connection with the million-mile program. Those members sent messages to me because of my posts concerning the contradictions in the million-mile program. I have put them in touch with the new head of Mileage Plus.

Second, you appear to have forgotten that up thread, several flyertalk members posted screen shots of announcements from united.com that confirmed the million-mile benefits would not change when the two programs are merged.

Yes, UA has a right to change its program at will. However, they do not have a legal right to change it retroactively, which is what they did.

To make the situation more understandable and to repeat what has been posted before, let me explain.

Shortly after the merger was approved in 2010, there was a FAQ section posted to UA's official website. This stayed on united.com until recently (more than one year).

Among the FAQs were specific questions regarding the million-mile program.

Continuing benefits were confirmed as follows:

1. What will happen to my Million Miler Program lifetime status and Continental Infinite Elite status benefits? Will I continue to receive them in the future?

You will continue to receive your benefits as you always have.

2. "As a Million Miler, will I continue to receive 2 Regional Upgrades for life?

Yes. We are committed to providing Million Mile Flyers, our most loyal members, with lifetime benefits in recognition of their travels on United. Among those benefits are two Regional Upgrades, awarded annually to the member."


People relied on those answers from UA and many took additional trips to ensure that they reached million-mile status before the programs merged.

After I learned of the proposed demotions, I wrote to the head of Mileage Plus and asked about the conflicting wording that appeared on united.com that specifically addressed the merger between UA and CO, I received an e-mail from him claiming that the FAQs did not apply to the merger but instead, applied to a 2009 promotion.

As I posted previously, any fool would know that the FAQs could not have related to a 2009 promotion because in 2009, there was no merger between UA and CO. The false statement has never been rescinded by him.

In short, even though UA has a right to change the program, it does not legally have a right to mislead customers (and profit from the misleading statements). There are legal consequences to this type of behavior.

Now, in view of the above, if you could let me know how you determined that there are only a few unhappy million-milers, I would appreciate it immensely.
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rob_flies_ua

I think a retroactive change would have been if they went back, removed all previously deposited regional upgrades, and sent you an invoice asking for payment to upfare any cleared upgrades. This was not a retroactive change, but a change of benefits going forward.

If the FAQ was posted over a year ago, then you did continue receiving benefits as you always had until they then decided to change the program further.


Without looking at your profile, I could already tell you were based in SFO

Xyzzy

N -- there was and is nothing retroactive about the changes. We've been through this before on here. The changes HAVE NOT TAKEN EFFECT YET. Therefore, they can not be and are not retroactive.

The fact that you say you relied on published (and apparently incorrect) information prior to purchasing your upcoming tickets is unfortunate. It does not, however, make the changes retroactive. Plenty of other, similar, changes happen at airlines all the time. Recently, there have been changes to the number of miles credited for flights on certain partner airlines, and changes to the number of bags allowed. Some of these changes affected tickets that had already been issued but not flown. If anything, that is the situation here. To avoid this, and your skewed definition of the word retroactive, any changes made by airlines would need to be announced 330+ days prior to implementation. That is simply not going to happen. As you note, UA has the right to change its program any time it wishes to. That is what it did, and it did so with a few months' notice.

dgcpaphd

I agree, however, it did so to the detriment of honest passengers who relied on announcements made to UAs official web site. What was the purpose of posting the FAQs if they meant nothing?

UA management was asked specific questions concerning the merger and the effect it would have on the million-mile program both for United and for Continental. It gave specific answers. It assured customers that there would be no changes to the million-mile program. Go back and read what the FAQs say.

Management posted the FAQs information after the merger and left it on their site to assure customers that there would be no changes. In reliance on the FAQs, customers spent additional money for flights to achieve the promised benefits of million-mile status.

Then, after allowing the FAQs to remain on united.com for one year, management announced totally different rules (demotions). In the meantime, UA profited from the false promises of no changes to the million-mile programs.

Although the demotions do not fit a simple definition of retroactive, when one connects the dots, so to speak, the demotions wash away the previous efforts of the customers who relied on the false and misleading FAQs that were posted to united.com which cause a retroactive effect for the changes that become effective in 2012.
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UA-NYC

You're missing the bigger point - the contrast of how they went wayyyy above and beyond for CO Infinite Plats, while hosing UA MMs and taking away a promised lifetime benefit, is the real tragedy here - but honestly isn't that surprising, based on what we've seen to date.

halls120

They wanted customers to keep purchasing tickets in anticipation of receiving stated benefits, of course.

A better way to describe what UA did is to call it what it is - a classic bait and switch.

dgcpaphd

Perhaps UA did not intend to bait and switch, but that is what they did.

If anyone in the new management has any integrity, they will realize what was done and grandfather the existing million-milers.
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