RedEyeDelight

I reached the critical point now with only 4k EQM YTD after abandoning UA as a PMUA 1K since 2005. I no longer fly UA (because I didn't like the changes) and the separation has been difficult since I have emotional ties with the airline. I blame working SWUs, IRROPS handling, good old e500s (yeah, I know they are gone), CR1s, 1K line and FT for those irrational emotions.

Now, mid March, I reached the point of no return. With my flying pattern I will not gain 96K EQM in 2012 and thus not make 1K even if I changed my mind. I never did a MR. It feels good because now this is out of my control. I'm now a "free thinker", flying by cost and direct routes. Still not sure if I made the right choice.

I'm wondering if there are other 1Ks and other elites that are realizing the same conclusion at this point in the year when they reached their point of no return after reducing their UA activity. I'm wondering how you feel about your separation.

Syzygies

Well, the progression has been in the works for years, but if you fly transcon, 1K is the new Silver.

Still on the fence. The "$200" fare difference to use a SWU international is more often $600 or more I'd rather spend on the ground.

Airplanes bring out the ultimate in class aspirations and territorial impulse. It's the ideal rat experiment, only with humans.

Or one can just get over it...

Boghopper

My current thinking is I make 1MM and then I'm headed for greener *A pastures overseas where *G actually gets me some benefits and domestic I'm the friend of whoever has the lowest fare. The 1K upgrade game has been exposed as a fraud, they've shaved away in their pursuit of TODs and the upgrade percentage has withered away (except when I'm flying SFO-LAX, I'm 100% there, whoopdedee).

kokonutz

There are lots of folks like you...and me!

I had an emotional attachment to UA as well. But I have not been on a UA plane this quarter. It has been a surreal experience emotionally, but logically I have, among other things: saved money, gotten to experience a superior international business product on cheaper business class fares, gotten to use in-flight wifi for the first time ever, gotten direct routes on A fares rather than connecting.

There is still an irrational part of me that thinks that management will see the gross, short-sighted error of their ways. My brain knows better, and I am letting my brain lead the way.

Brattflyer

I am a twelve year 1K and need 50k to make my MM. Once that is done I'll fly B6 for the rest of the year. I'm close to the break away point now but a 1K goodwill gesture might keep me around (though I don't really expect one) In the end I don't want to spend money on a company that doesn't listen to or care for its customers. Unfortunately that describes current UA management. This is a painful parting for me.

flyinbob

I saw the writing on the wall last year, and since most of my million miles + on UA was international, I found outstanding choices for my C and F revenue. Domestically I will use UA if the schedule fits (up to SFO or maybe midcon to ORD) but the days of international on United are gone.

I remember once having a great boss, real nice guy, and he said he hated to fire people. But he made clear that if you basically demand that he fire you, with really lousy performance, he will. He didn't want to, and would avoid it if possible, but if you made him do it, he'd fire you.

United, you MADE me fire you.

Darlox

I'll give you a different perspective, if you will... I was a long-time flyer on NW when it was absorbed by DL. I went through all 55-million stages of grief, as you are, and I jumped ship on the day I was finally able to use one of the infamous "PU 503" upgrade certs, and then got stuck back in Y NRT-MSP due to a PSS problem where it was dropped (and I was never notified) because DL's system post-merger didn't recognize the eligible NW-issued fare code or upgrade validity, or whatever... (This was after a long string of other issues booking flights, using awards, etc...)

CO and *A was briefly a shining star of hope and happiness. And then the UA merger, and all of the SAME CRUD that I abandoned DL to get away from is happening here again. I've come to believe that "Merger" is a thinly-veiled codeword for "Devaluation of Loyalty", plain and simple.

If SWUs are the torch you carry, you only have one option left -- AA. The DL fare restrictions are even more draconian than UA's... though, I will say, that lately the difference between K->W is pretty much the same price difference I used to pay sometimes on DL to go V->B.

Most of my serious travel is Int'l, so at this point I'm just taking the best price on the best carrier I can find. I'll probably maintain UA status just because I like many of the *A carriers in Asia. Or maybe I'll switch to one of their direct programs if it looks like enough miles will accrue to do any good. But regardless, there's no loyalty left anymore. I'm pretty much left with pure day-to-day self-interest.

Eastbay1K

I mostly "separated" from UA several years ago. I was already MM, and UA no longer served my flight patterns sufficiently. As a MM, UA served my needs just fine for as often (or not often) as I flew them. Now, UA doesn't serve my needs often at all, and I just noticed (yesterday) that with my even more decreased MM benefits, that I'm only at 48 hour upgrades. But, I'm apparently *G for life, which is quite a benefit, and I fly a mix of various airlines now.

MP miles still have more value than that of various other airlines. For now. I'm glad I don't have to rely on flying CO w/UA lipstick. Sad. I used to listen to Rhapsody in Blue on the way to SFO before a long UA flight. Now, I'm glad I'm not flying UA on a long flight.

halls120

I'm at 5K EQM on UA to date, and based on flying patterns, may make Silver on UA this year. I can't abandon UA entirely to get to some of the places I need to go.

I'm concentrating on making Plat on AA, because at that 50,000 level, I'll still get 100% bonus miles. I'm 240K away from 1MM - I used to be driven to reach 1MM, but not now. Before you say "but *G lifetime is great" - I agree. That said, about the time I reach 1MM would be the time I retire, and hang up the road warrior uniform.

As of 30 March, I will have 5K EQM on UA, and 20K on other airlines. I suspect that ratio will hold through the remainder of the year. Kind of sad, really. In years past, it woulf have been 20K on United, and 5K on all the others.

FLYDCA

1K MM here getting ready to bolt. The biggest rub for me seems to be around the new less flexible IT system. The United I fell in love with could work around any technical constraints to deliver a memorable customer service experience. The staff I speak with now on the phone is nice enough and want to help out but they no longer have the authority to do anything meaningful let alone memorable.

weero

I have not flown UA this year yet. I calculated that I can easily make 1K by postponing everything to the very end of the year.

That way, I can avoid the transition pains, my SWUs will not expire right away, and I have more time to check for confirmed upgrade inventory.

For a short while I also contemplated to buy 2 Z fares to the US to compensate for the loss of SWUs but I don't feel like giving CO any reward for their devious actions and cheap business tricks.

Most importantly, I won't buy any tickets from them until the sorry loosers will be capable of actually mailing me a membership card .

Fredd

If you're close it probably makes sense. Still, every UA flyer should be aware that UA on its website no longer even guarantees lifetime Premier Gold to "Million Milers."

As I point out in this post on the very active CO/UA Million Mile (and Beyond) Flyer Benefits, Effective Spring 2012, all UA is currently guaranteeing is some level of unspecified lifetime Premier status and "annual benefits" that may be changed at any time. Read the relevant website page:

If the new UA believes it can renege on these published assurances with impunity, it would be prudent not to count on anything too much in return for achieving the new "Million Miler" status.

Labflyer

1k for the multiple years...flew 300,000 in last two years alone. Stopped all flying on united flights on march 1st. Have over 30 legs and 30,000 miles in jan/feb. Statused match to other airline and haven't regretted for a moment. All direct flights, 5/6 for upgrades, planes have all had wifi and arrived to all destinations early. Additionally, had a FA personally thank me for my business and ask if there was anything she could do to make my status match more enjoyable. Also let me in on some tricks regarding routes, coupons, etc. I am thinking about converting my united status to air Canada to keep in *G network.

mnmme

Please tell me where you can find a $200 diff W fare and Open Inventory to use it with.

I have 4 Intl trips I need to book. Lowest "up fare" to get to W is $425 and only found inventory on 2 of 8 posssible legs!

catocony

I was Chairman's Preferred for 7 years on US Air, from 96-2003. Now, that was when there were only a few thousand of us, so it was awesome. Free club, I never sat in coach, zero issues whatsoever. When I switched my main airport from National to Dulles, I still stuck with US Air until their service turned to crap and they started pulling out of Dulles. So, I converted my US Air business over to United, while keeping American as my secondary airline. I had had status in UA for several years in the 90s, but primarily because of Lufthansa. But, US Air was my 100k airline, with United and American getting another 25-50k worth of business per year (I was pulling about a quarter million miles a year back then).

The transition from US Air to United was pretty smooth, since US Air was Star Alliance at that point. I was actually able to burn over 700k in US Air ff miles on South American C and F trips on United, and being Star Gold helped the transition until I became a full 1K on United around the fall of 2004.

So, the "divorce" can happen, but unfortunately, these days, I don't think the grass is any greener on the other side of the fence. Delta isn't any better than Continental, and lets face it, United no longer exists. It's Continental with the United name. I told a flight attendant last week, who was grousing with me about all the problems, that I've flown something like 1.7 million miles in the last 16 years, and a total of 4,717 of those miles were on Continental. My way of saying that, if I wanted to fly Continental, I would have already done so at some point. I have been the equivalent of 1K on four different airlines - United, US Air, American and Northwest. Continental just never really appealed to me, so all the "new United" stuff does not appeal to me.

But, with Dulles as my home airport, and the overall decline in quality and service of the domestic airlines, I'll stick with "new United" since I don't really have a better option.