sbm12

If they got the upgrade at check-in, either through CPU or fare/buy-up then they'd never show on the wait list.

ozstamps

Sadly this is the way of the future I fear.

First they lie to all PMUA Million Milers, and now are pleased to see us in row 20 for all future flights.

GREAT vision ConUall.

amartin1979

More changes they think we'll like.

LilAbner

20 available seats on my flight on Weds 757 and I'm half way through my window for upgrade and still in steerage. No upgrades have been processed.
Something is happening and it definitely began on Saturday!

Beerman92

UA believes that you don't have other options. They have actually included this into their "sales pitch" for PassPlus customers in the SFO area. Essentially they made changes (for the worse) to the program and when they tell you the changes and you voice your concern about the changes they respond by saying what other option do you have? Now while this is specific to PassPlus changes in particular IMO its reasonable to expect this attitude in other areas of the airline (MP, CS, etc.). It may very well be a sound short term strategy but I can't see how it won't help UAs competition in the longer term gain traction at SFO. Have you checked out the newly opened T2 at SFO? Its pretty nice compared to T3.

amartin1979

I've considered switching to AA, but I'm concerned they may downgrade their program in bankruptcy. And a proposed US or DL merger doesn't sound great to me either. And I still need to fly UA in order to get to Asia. There's not a lot of competition on the routes I need at SFO.

I guess I just need to find ways to fly less often and grin and bear when I do. Southwest is an option out of OAK, and I could try Virgin America from SFO.

halls120

And I'll bet you still believe in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy, right?

malgudi

Yeah, that was the update from UA Insider ... clearly (yet another thing) it isn't working the way it is supposed to. Why bother being a 1K

gengar

I switched over all my premium TPAC travel to SQ and CI last year and I definitely don't regret it, especially not now with these recent developments. Do I pay more? Yes, but I'm so much happier too. I used to justify spending absurd amounts on UA TPACs because it "saved" me money getting domestic upgrades, but I'm really glad I broke the vicious cycle because I'm so much happier flying other airlines. And the simple reality is that even if I wind up buying domestic F sometimes, UA makes a lot less money off me this way.

Now looking to do the same with my TATLs. Sadly this will almost certainly be my last year as a 1K, but it allows me to break all my bad travel habits (and by that I mean loyalty to UA). For example I will probably cancel my Chase card today since I don't need those EQMs.

SEA1K4EVR

I believe they are sincere that it's not supposed to happen, but it still does sometimes. Here is the post I was referring to: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/conti...l#post18024844

halls120

I know you were being sincere. I just don't believe this is an unintended outcome for United. They clearly are making money on it, which suggests that they aren't going to be in a hurry to "fix" it.

Beerman92

You will see some irony when you look at Virgin as they have no frequent flyer program other than earning redeemable miles. I don't think they have any status levels (even Southwest has one of those lol). However, the difference is that is how Virgin started out. They never promised any benefits and then took them away. UA is clearly going the other way. I do like Virgin's product and they have good last minute and premium fares compared to UA. They obviously don't have the large schedule that UA does.

Jorgen

Well, personally, I think this is a move in the right direction.

UDUs were, in the scheme of things, a dumb idea. All it did was to create a class of 1Ks who, instead of being pleasantly surprised to get the occasional upgrade, got so many upgrades that they rapidly started to think of upgrades as their right and instead to be disappointed when they didn't get "their" upgrades. How dare the airline *not* give me something which sells for three times what I paid for it?

Note that it doesn't work like this in any other industry -- you can't go round buying a lot of cheaper products and expect them to instantly start giving you a much more expensive version instead. Buying a lot of Camrys doesn't mean that you suddenly start getting LS460s for the same price.

Worse still, the folks who were getting all the free upgrades are to a large extent the same folks who used to be paying for the first class seats, so the airline has suddenly screwed itself out of a lot of extra money in exchange for a bunch of "loyal" customers who cry every time they don't get more than they paid for. And with the average First Class seat all of a sudden being filled by someone paying an economy-class fare, they're forced to cut the quality of the service, causing them to cry even more.

This is the way that they'll turn First Class back into a profit centre, and hopefully eventually into something that actually deserves the name. They know they can't fill every seat at a First-Class fare, but at a hundred bucks a pop they easily can. They won't abolish UDUs, not just yet, but they will break down the expectation of getting one, and slowly tune the upgrade price to get to the point where UDU is, as it should be, an occasional surprise instead of an expectation. They won't do it too fast in order to avoid losing too many to the other airlines, but they'll do it.

Anyway, if the net result is a VX-quality first class cabin, eventually selling for VX-type prices, then I'm all for it in my capacity both as a passenger and as someone who doesn't want to see the airline go broke.

gengar

You're just kidding yourself if you think that F cabin quality will be restored to past glory by offering buy-ups to non-elites for $99.

Your logic is also not sound because you dismiss that many elites pay significant premiums to reach their elite thresholds, so the cost of elite benefits is already built in. For many elites, UDU does not represent a "free" upgrade. Additionally, many elites are miffed not because of having to pay for upgrades, but because they are not given the same option to buy-up that non-elites are.

I do agree that UDU/EUA is a dumb idea, but for different reasons.

N1120A

If this becomes something I see in practice, there is no question I will jump to AA. My travel patterns are not such that loyalty to UA means a thing anymore. I can easily use DL or AA to accomplish the same travel. I'm the kind of customer they actually do have to fight for. Oh well.