This is a serious devaluation for me. I often have a multi segment LH itinerary and don't know which legs will clear. I also typically want one or two legs to clear but not all (a couple of C flights mixed in really eases the journey, especially if it gets me into the arrivals lounge at FRA on my way through). Before I would just have two certs and use them when I could. Now I have to request a GPU for every single leg (assuming I have enough in my account). When I get back I have to send back in the ones I haven't used (and wait for the credit, which can take a while).

They just keep whittling away at us.

Agreed on both counts. I used to carry a paper certificate with me in case of irregular operations causing me to get bumped from UA to LH. Obviously this won't work any more.

losing flexibility--some more
 

I am afraid that this change really compromises my ability to ever consider using GPUs for LH segments; I have had occasions in FRA where LH was prepared to reroute TATL through another gateway and the paper SWU cleared; the new procedure would eliminate that possibility, assuming LH would not be able or willing to override the printed flight data on the paper.

Paper certificates can be helpful, but electronic forms OUGHT to provide greater flexibility for the user while preserving an accountable record for LH.

I somehow doubt that this plan originated with UA; sounds like a not very good attempt at solving an issue arising with LH.

Flyer 420
back in Seattle

I dunno, I think its probably meant to limit the amount united is paying LH for upgrades.

LH can easily ask you to write the PNR, the passenger name and flight info on the cert when they clear you (and hand in the cert).

This stinks!:mad:

Everyone here is stating the obvious. Surely United knew about and thought through all of these problems in advance, and the changes are happening anyway. Clearly the coming inability to use the benefit effectively is a feature, not a bug.

As others have said, this is frankly an absurd change. I too used to carry 'blank' upgrade certs to use on LH flights and considering that I usually book 0-7 days in advance, and that UA fails to send me my upgrade certs to the correct address, and cannot deliver them in a timely fashion to a 1K outside the US, I have zero opportunity to have these 'preprinted' with the details.

And being German, my very first thought was 'yeah, right', LH agents will be flexible and honour the upgrade at their discretion. :rolleyes: (And it isn't just the German agents; having to get things approved in India by the station manager or even being told that the pilot needs to approve sometimes isn't unheard in my past experience) If only I could laugh at the absurdity of expecting LH agents to be flexible and use their discretion, but sadly I cannot laugh about something I valued so highly, and was one of the last things which kept me flying on UA.

As bad as it is for American UA 1Ks to request and resubmit these paper certs, it is much worse for those of us outside the US who have to deal with far longer mailing times.

I'd like a response please UA Insider as to how you plan to deal with your non-US based 1K customers, and if you will accept scans for returned certs, or have some method of expediting them to us at non-US addresses.

I'm really at a point in all of this where I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. It's all tragicomedy, really.

Death by a 1000 cuts?

Maybe UA wants to be able to data mine the use if the certs without having to manually input them. So that they can use that data for some revenue enhancement scheme. Perhaps they now receive huge boxes every 3 months and have a pay someone to sort thru them all. Who knows what UAs motivation might be. The OP doesn't get very deep into it.

I'm a bit confused. If the name has to stay the same, and the flight segment has to stay the same, what exactly can change?

I echo all the sentiments here. Is a first year 1K, my loyalty is very nascent, so devaluing the program from the start is not making me happy.

Just another change I am going to like.....not!!

Will un-named certificates that one has now still be valid after the introduction of this chaotic system?

Flyertalk wisdom had previously dictated that one should carry these when connecting in FRA (on UA) in case of IRROPS. Guess not anymore...

This new system is just insipid and will do nothing but make things more difficult for UA elites who try to use SWU's on LH.

For the record, my husband flies 6 TATL RT's per year in paid C (thanks to his employer) and while he refuses to step foot on UA metal in the past he has chosen LH and it's crummy C seat only because of the potential upgrade to their First Class cabin.

To Asia he flies Singapore. He doesn't fly much within the US, only enough to get the 4 segments on UA metal that qualify him for 1K.

From September 2011 through October 2012 on LH he successfully upgraded to F on 4 flights and was out of luck on 6.

So if after March 2013, on 60% of his paper LH certificates he's going to be expected to go to the time and expense of sending them back to UA for reissuance?

Everybody has different needs and wants, and for my husband what kept him loyal to UA was the LH upgrades. Now there's really nothing left to keep him.

And I wonder how LH agents will respond to the 3 paper certificates he currently has in his travel wallet.

I just spoke to my husband who makes an excellent point regarding misconnects. Let say he is scheduled to fly OTP-MUC-SFO and ends up with OTP-MUC-FRA-SFO but since the paper certificate states MUC-SFO, he won't be able to upgrade. This is just absurd.

Does anybody know who pushed for this change? LH or UA?