FlyerTalk Forums - An idea to respond to loyalty program devaluation.

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- - An idea to respond to loyalty program devaluation. (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1377629-idea-respond-loyalty-program-devaluation.html)

If you were GS, maybe they would care, but still won't do anything about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JB123 (Post 19131032)

Is part of the problem that there are just a lot more elite flyers now that there is an upturn in the economy? I have made GS during the last 3 years because starting in 2010 I have flown a great deal more than I have in my life - about 180,000 miles or so per year. I also have 4 friends who have also made GS for the first time in their lives due to massive increases in travel during the last two and a half years. We were all 1P or 1K in 2009 and the 10 years before that. I have had no trouble using upgrades this year (this is not a gloating e-mail). I am currently on a family trip and was able to upgrade my family of 4 from LGA to ORD and then ORD-SFO round trip in 2 weeks. I also used upgrades earlier this year from ORD to FLA and JFK to LAX round trip. I even used a one class upgrade from FRA to ORD in June.

It seems like there are just a lot more GS members, and GS members unfortunatelty trump 1K's. My friends who are GS seem to be able to use their upgrades. So perhaps 1K's ability to upgrade has just been diluted by the increase in GS people? does this make sense?

Interesting theory. Does anyone have the actual numbers on this?

Which competitor exactly do you think has a better loyalty program than United?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hussman (Post 19130204)

I pay, on average, 20% more than the competition for a total of almost 40K a year largely because of their loyalty program. Part of that loyalty program is an offer of 'confirmed' regional upgrades. I have tried to use these upgrades repeatedly, and they deny them to me and then offer to sell it to me afterwards. Why would I not be upset? I've already paid more than once for them.

For me, the instrument upgrades have become a way to upgrade other family members, not me. You can still get pretty good value out of them if you drop the expectation that they can be used on flights chock full of business travelers. I used 10 GPU's this year for trans pacific crossing from ORD to China and Hong Kong... all for family members, and all on flights that left on either a Tuesday or a Wednesday. I planned the trip to begin and end midweek specifically to target the GPU's to days when they had a chance to clear. If you try to clear multiple GPU's on friday-sunday on those flights it's just not gonna work most weeks. I got five of them to clear on the same flight outbound (a Tuesday), and 3 on one flight and 2 on another on the return. RPU's are being used exclusively for in-laws who are elderly and have some health problems, but are flexible about when to fly. I only book flights with R inventory (usually ORD to West Coast) and then immediately clear the upgrades. They have some value when used this way, but the old days of using them on a wider range of flights appear to be gone.

While the OP stressed one side of the story, I believe as 1Ks or 1Ps we all have the experience to purchase a last minute Y (or B E U M) fare and wish a couple of F/C seats were not given out yet. I do not blaim UA for saving them for the last minute. At least now the GAs are being directed by the computer system instead of making their own judgment, which makes me trust the upgrade system fairness a little more.

UA's strategy and approach for its FFs has been less than clear. Will it be more obvious in 2013?

Here is a link to what they worked on in 2012, such as prototyping a non-frequent flyer DB:
http://www.slideshare.net/vivastream/311324