I don't blame the GS' at all for leaving- maybe if more of them leave CO(UA) will wake up. It's quite disgusting how they treat their most profitable customers, let alone any customer.

My point isn't about these issues. It is that if I am going to pay directly for a premium seat (transcon or international) then if being GS doesn't carry any significant value I will opt for either the cheapest premium seat or the one with the best service or the one with the best connections. I won't choose UA over alternatives that are better along any dimension. UA is likely to lose to almost any major Asian carrier TPAC, some of the EU carriers on price TATL. For domestic it may be a toss up although often connection points matter for convenience or, e.g., I may be shortly able to do PDX-DCA on AS non-stop. PDX-DCA in first class isn't a cheap seat - would think UA would like me to pick them via a connection but why do that if AS has a non-stop. The point is that the GS benefits are a selling point that attracts dollars to UA for lots of trips where there are no upgrade issues at stake. Why UA seems ok with losing that type of business I don't understand but at the end of the day it is the company's choice.

I guess, may be, give United some more time ....... I am quite sure that the GS and 1K perks will never be the same ...as Continental was never as rewarding as United ...but still give them some more time to complete the transition and then may be they can concentrate on reviewing the perks....

UA, EK AND LH^^^. MY thought EXACTLY with UA for domestic flights ONLY

No thanks. Instead, Let them up the perks and then maybe I will re-evaluate UA .

There are some that are not made to work with the public. You met with one.

I hear the comments about giving UA more time, but they have not yet signed up for any accountability and provided a date by which they will solve their issues. And, they have refused to come out and state what the actual policy is. As of today, I do not know whether its their policy to prioritize TODs over elites, or whether thats an IT snafu. Why would I want to give my business to an entity that is on the verge of being duplicitous?
I have switched to AA last 4 weeks. Every upgrade has cleared. For international travel I go paid J or F, so I will pick what convenient. In the past I flew UA for international so that i could earn GS and be consistently upgraded domestically, but given the upgrade lottery that rationale has disappeared.

I suggest all the GSs who are leaving notify UA of their intention and reasons for leaving. Let us know if you get any response from UA. I'd be interesting to know if UA bothers to response to their highest revenue customer who are taking thier business elsewhere.

I am another long time AA EXP/CK flyer who last year made the decision to start flying UA more to try and get to GS. I made it at year end and also enjoyed what I thought was a great program for two months this year.

After 3/3, that all changed and I experienced exactly what everyone else has been saying. I decided to scurry back to AA while it was still early enough in the year. This was after having flown 50,000 miles in the first two months on UA (30,000 in Y/B/M/J/C).

I may make GS again this year with a few more flights and I'm back on AA (100% upgrades thus far by the way) wondering what in the heck happened. Why would UA drive me away like this?

I feel lucky that I figured it out early enough to get back to AA with time to spare in 2012.

Who (which e-mail address) should we send notifications to?

I don't think it will matter. As the pmCO flyers keep reminding us, its more important to worry about the shareholders than customers

Going by agarc's profile, looks like he's already plat with DL.

It's only after the shareholders revolt from customers leaving UA that they'll start to care.

I've seen lots from GS all the way down to 2P leaving, myself included. Though I'm sure the first scapegoat will be to blame the economy, that can only go so far.

One thing I think CO failed to consider is that UA was a bigger airline and overall treated its elites pretty well. UA didn't have the fortress hubs that CO did, so they didn't have as captive of an audience. UA worked harder to keeps its best customers happy, and overall, I think they did a pretty good job. However, one thing I think Smisek and CO bet wrongly on is that PMUA customers would accept being treating like PMCO pax. Taking away the perks and service that made PMUA great and forgetting that many UA pax have other viable choices for travel is a bad combination. If other providers are, at worst, no worse than UA is and can provide better service, schedules or price (or a combination thereof), why would they stay with UA?

Many say the grass isn't greener on the side of the fence, and perhaps that's true. I'm in the middle of an experiment myself. No airline in my research met what I wanted like PMUA did, but I found one that met what I needed better than UA has. The grass might not be that much greener, but there is more grass.

Funny thing is now, I'm even considering a paid C trip on UA next month as an experiment. That never would have happened in the past.

I think UA just doesn't care now. Smisek's there to ride it out and leave with his bonus and golden parachute while UA flounders.

I'm not getting the PMCO bashing on this Forum.

I was a CO Platinum for over 10 years. Now a lowly 1K.
My upgrade rate was well above 95% with a wide range of fares.
It was 100% with B and M fares.

I was VERY happy with the service and value delivered by PMCO up until February 2011 when they jacked up B fares by over 50%.

This month I have been upgraded on all 8 United flights.

I have had zero flight related issues on United non-RJ and non-prop flights this year.

Now if you want to complain about fare class trumping status levels for upgrades, or TOD buyups, I agree these are huge issues.

Although I agree with the above, lets keep in mind many GSs didnt perse earn their wings many got them as a part of their Companys agreement(contract) with UA. Others depending in what city they are based had a much lower threshold they needed to cross to get the invite.

Im not saying any particuliar GS here on FT didnt earn GS in the hardest of ways BIS and Big $$$$ spent, just that COdbaUA might not care much if certain GSs do walk. Kinda of like if I as a 1K for 4 yrs walked, Im sure CO would be thrilled to be rid of me since my spend is more like a Kettles even thou I do over 100k BIS and Im 100% positive there are 2Ps with higher spends then me

I agree with your posting. Having grown up on the east coast made me a long time UA flyer. Now that I use PDX I have been a AS flyer 600K in 8 years) but often fly CO now UA to Guam and NRT. Since the merger I have toyed with the thoughts of moving back but when I look at the price point for FC and or premium coach it makes no sense when I can fly AS FC for less. And frankly the service is superior to UA especially to Hawaii !

The upper tier GS program is on that now "from the outside looking in" needs a reboot