TravellingMan

Definitely, as the same logic applies when qualifying for elite status. Any flights that happen in 2011 gets accounted for even though it took 4-6 weeks to post.

mre5765

Why stop there; it would have been nice if UA gave us 0P for life, 20 CR1s, and 10 SWUs each year, a dozen one time RCC passes, etc.

If you will hit a MM threshold after the one-time calculation, then that means that as hard as it was to get close, UA has just made it much easier to get to the finish line, if not put you over the line, as was my case.

It is a fair deal: you get an easier path to MMer in exchange for reduced benefits. If you were already at a MMer threshold, you've been given a jump start toward the next threshold.

For those with non-elite spouses, it is a more than fair deal.

oenophilist

Why not just change your UA mailing address to your wifes? I mean, how often do you actually get mail from United? And hopefully you see your wife often enough to be able to pick it up

boeing747-400

Very well presented thoughts. "...things have tipped over the edge in terms of my making the extra effort and paying the extra dollars to fly United. And that's what loyalty programs are suppose do encourage. Findng the fine line where customers are willing go the extra little bit to fly your airline instead of the others." That's a very imp. point.....we made the extra effort with corporate travel dept.s to fly UA and paid the extra $'s to fly UA. Instead of flying other airlines, we were loyal in view of the lifetime benefits promised down the road. We did our part for LOYALTY and it's still the responsibility of UA to fulfill their promises, year after year.

We should be given the choice of CRU's or companion benefits. It's so hard to upgrade now since the merger doubled the pool of flyers they pull from, for upgrades. Then, if you add companions, you're doubling that pool again.

I was a 1K for 5 years in a row & reached almost 1.3M miles last month..........that's a lot of time, effort & extra $'s on fares to continue flying UA, rather than others. It's all about

It's all about L O Y A L T Y. We were loyal & UA needs to be loyal to their promised benefits of this status level. On their cocktail napkins now, it's printed:

"Planes change. Values don't. Your priorities will always be ours."

I hope you'll take time to write or email Smisek or MP, so they will offer us other options to fulfill their promises.

stimpy

To me this new announcement really shows that UA greatly values loyalty. I know some think they are losing out on this, but some also feel they are really being rewarded better than expected. In every change to a FFP program, there are split feelings, but honestly I am over the moon about the new changes.

I flew over 2K for a good many years, yet many of those miles were on UA RTW's. Now I will get rewarded for all those miles done on other Star carriers. You may say that miles on other Star carriers isn't loyal, but again, I bought lots of C-RTW's from United Airlines. Without corporate discounts. I always thought sucked that I only got BIS miles credited to MM status, but at least it was the same for everyone. Now with the CO merger, it is only fair that I finally get credit for all those miles flown.

So I will write UA and thank them for rewarding my loyalty and indeed being loyal to people like me.

dgcpaphd

It does not matter that you were told you would get certain benefits for life when you earned million-mile status. The new management makes up new rules and you are stuck with the new rules, or so it seems at the moment.

The new United already has a current class action suit against it for taking away certain travel benefits from retirees even though they were promised these benefits while employed.

We million-milers were promised things that have been taken away. For example, we have been demoted from second place below 1K to third place, below 1K. Ignoring GS, we were told that we would maintain, for life, Premier Executive which is one step below 1K.

With the new United management, we are demoted below a new level that did not exist when we all stayed loyal to United and earned million mile status. This new level, added by the new United management, puts us in third place rather than in second place, elite wise. We could have been grandfather but apparently, the new United does not feel that the old United members deserve that benefit.

We were also told that we would get two CR-1s each year for life but that, too, has been taken away by the new United management.

Regardless that United boasts of increasing the some benefits, they fail to mention the demotion to many million milers.

In the United days when we could pick certain benefits (Elite Choice), the new United does not allow us to chose either the two CR-1s or a spousal benefit. Adding this "choice" benefit would lessen the impact of two demotions.

Many of us are widowed and have no spouse. Therefore, this new benefit is of no value to us. We get the shaft by not having an option of choosing the CR-1s, a benefit that was promised to us in order to stay loyal to United and earn million-mile status.

While some of the new changes have made some members happy, the promised changes that were in place that encouraged us to remain loyal to earn the million mile status have been breached.
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With the new United management (mostly Continental), loyalty to former United passengers is a foreign word. The United we now know is Continental with the name UNITED painted on its fuselage.

Writing to Smisek will yield nothing about your million mile status benefits.

Smisek gets so much e-mail that he farms it out for others to answer. Many of those who answer e-mail addressed to him do not even bother to read what you have written. Many of the responses are absolutely ridiculous. I, and several associates, know this first hand.

The rules for the million mile benefits are now set unless enough people go after the new management via a class action suit. Despite the fact that certain benefits were promised as an incentive for you to stay loyal to United in order to earn million mile status means nothing to the new United management. Only something as drastic as a class action will cause certain types to pay attention.
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boeing747-400

I can only hope that some MM attorneys will form a class action lawsuit on these issues. Third place, rather than second place, under the 1K's is a BIG change. 100% bonus miles dropped down to 50% bonus is a BIG change.

bseller

I dont like these changes EITHER, but I wish that everyone would recognize that the changes mentioned above are NOT related to MM status, but rather to changes in the MP PROGRAM at large.

Dave

GoingAway

I wish people would realize that UA could've bagged the entire concept of MM as an alternative, and work to understand what they are getting rather than complaining that it's an "injustice" that a program which retains its right to make changes, has done so. Sucks, kind of, sure, but it is what it is - deal with it!

The threats of i'm not flying them anymore are bogus for the most part, or just irrelevant. They also do nothing to encourage UA to further a program which according to many posts here, actually discourage flying on the airline in future. I don't buy that it works that way in the end for the majority of ppl still traveling (not all do), but the amount of hot air is at times overwhleming.

mre5765

+1

Even if theyd made me silver for life, I would have had some incentive to fly United even if it in the future gets dropped as a preferred carrier by my employer. At gold for life I have lots of incentive to pick UA when I have choice. Thats the whole point of the program. And because of what AA did to its MMer program, I am too old to build lifetime status on another carrier.


If you have mmer status now or next year, you will be a star gold. Could UA take that away? Of course. For one thing star might change the designations.

And you will be given a bunch of BIS that you didnt have before that will make it easier for you to attain lifetime 0p.

You were not told that those upgrades would always be useful. You should be focusing on first principles. The new United doesnt have much NF.

dgcpaphd

I already have BIS million miler - Therefore your statement does not make any sense. If fact, your statement does not apply to any of us who have already reached that point. So, what will be made easier? Nothing!

I do not understand the logic of your statement. Whether or not someone is told upgrades will be useful is not the same as taking them away in total after your are told, in writing, that you will be given two such instruments each year. That should be the focus. Encouraging passengers to stay loyal based on undelivered promises is not good business ethics.

It boils down to basic business practices - you do something for us (buy tickets), and we will do something for you - reward your loyalty with upgrades. To simply take them away after having use of our money is no way "something we will like" says the new United's Smisek.
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I did not write that I will not fly United anymore. I cannot imagine how you read that from my post.

I will, however, do whatever it takes to encourage United to keep the promises it made on its website that described the benefits of earning million mile status.
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Xyzzy

Yu are not being "demoted" at all. You were previously given the 50k miles/year level -- which was called Premier Executive. The 50k miles/year level will be called Premier Gold going forward. The fact that Premier Executive was one step below 1k is irrelevant. It was the 50k level.

bmvaughn

The only thing that was EVER "lifetime" about the MM program was Premier Executive for life.

Nowhere were the upgrades stated as "for life".

Many seem to be stumbling over this point, you're not the only one that's claiming they were something they weren't.

UA Insider

Hi teddybw, even though the miles from your trip on TK may not post until after the first of the year, they will be included in the recalculation since travel was in 2011.

Hi JDT1955, good questions. Your interpretation is actually correct. All 3 Million Milers in the new program will indeed receive 6 GPUs at the beginning of the year, unless they were already earned by flying 100K PQM/120 PQS. Similarly, 2 Million Milers will receive 2 RPUs each year, unless already earned by flying 75K PQM/90 PQS. I believe that the changes causing confusion are that the one-time gift of Systemwide Upgrades and the annual gift of Regional Upgrades that all Million Milers used to receive will be replaced with the spousal benefit. We will take a peek to see if we can clarify this a bit better on our website. As for getting an estimate of your re-calculated lifetime total, we’re working on the implementation for this, but, we’re not quite there yet. We will have more on this timeline in the coming month. Until then, thanks for your patience.

Shannon Kelly
Director, Customer Insights and Metrics
United Airlines

dgcpaphd

With all due respect, you are mistaken.

With the e-mail from United acknowledging million mile achievement it states, among other things,

' Three (3) systemwide upgrades immediately

. Two (2) confirmed regional upgrades at the end of every year

' Lifetime Premier Executive

When it states "at the end of every year (EVERY) means just that, every year. If it were not for life, it would state so.
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