KenInEscazu

I wouldn't call myself a "big spender," but I will continue to qualify for 1K unless something unforeseen changes in my travel habits. That is certainly a possibility, as referenced in a post above, my crystal ball is also broken. In fact, looking back over my life, I actually think my crystal ball is defective.

All we can do at this point is hope that our benefits will be enhanced, even if it is only by reduced competition with nothing else improved in the hard or soft product. I continue to be amazed by UA's tight-lipped disclosure of the details as evidenced in the unanswered questions in this thread's wiki.

While I think the people at UA are for the most part quite friendly, failing to answer our questions about the coming year's program details as we now near mid October is certainly NOT a "friendly" business practice by any definition. Having been well on my way to requalifying for 1K when the changes were announced, I now feel as if I'm trapped in a casino where I'm required to stay active on the craps table. I'm not an unhappy UA customer, but I do find this lack of transparency to be very disturbing, and more so as each day passes without a peep. What are they afraid of?

hockey7711

At least when you are playing craps in a casino you know what the rules are, and they don't change them on you.

halls120

My guess is that they simply don't know what will work, and are acting like a deer in the headlights.

LaserSailor

One consideration. The kind of traveller who is planning 2014 trips for status is exactly the traveller they are NOT aiming for. HVF plan trips around biz needs, not FF plans, and meet/exceed the PRASM targets on every flight. I'm not a high spender PRASM wise ( although 10k spend is about 3-4 months for me) but I can plan very few 2014 trips at this point if any. I do know ill need to be Asia end January, for instance, but actual hard dates won't congeal until mid Jan.

The rules for qualifying and consuming FFM have always been, both subject to and in practice, constantly changing. ( lousy construction)

JetAway

I think the final version is somewhere in the bureaucratic "sign-off" chain and there will probably be a roll-out in Nov.

candelabra

Hi all!

I can't seem to find a clear answer to this. I know miles aren't pooled with family members, but it sure seems like the PQD would be a good candidate for pooling if it's not.

If I buy tickets for my family, does that count as spend on my account, or on each individual account?

If it's individual, that's not too bright on their part, if they're trying to track how much you spend with the airline.

Thanks

edcho

Individual.

XLR26

Agree with this.

The Only 1k ranks that I can see being thinned are those who live on the coasts and fly mainly transcons. I don't see most business travelers being able to consistently book for <.12/mi, especially those living in the middle of the country.

trekwars2000

Agreed completely. I'm at a "cheap airport" and I am at 18.5 cpm (with taxes) for my work trips mostly booked within the 10 day timeframe, some of which I have flown very generous routings on (for instance LAS-LAX-IAH-ABQ) to get extra miles. Without those generous routings I'd probably be into the 25-30 cpm range.

KenInEscazu

I don't disagree, but my situation is somewhat unique. Living off-shore requires extra planning as so many tourists book their travel so far in advance. At 90 days, most flights I look at are at least 50% full. This is very rare on the domestic flights I take once there.

My father is in a nursing home in Dallas, so I want to get back up there at least once/month to visit as long as that option exists. I need to plan my business travel around those visits so I'm not flying back and forth between the states and Latin America even more often, so I book flights to Dallas or Orlando in advance, then book my domestic travel more close-in. Still, there are always some last minute trips that I have to make for reasons that come up unexpectedly.

I can use my Medellin address to avoid the PQD requirement, but I don't want to lose any promotions that might come up in the future by not being on the U.S. list. I've also got some ecerts and Travel Bank to use, and I want to make sure I don't spend them at the wrong time if they don't count.

It's not at all unusual for me to buy my way into J or F, but I try to do it prudently. Whether my buy-ups will count is an important factor for me, as are the Award Accelerator purchases, should I choose to make any. (I sometimes buy RDMS, not PQMs.)

I don't think there is any way I can spend less than PQ$10,000/year, no matter how hard I might try, but I do want to make informed decisions. Status is a consideration. I like it. Unfortunately, however, I don't have the luxury of planning my 2014 trips with that consideration alone. I would still be flying if they ended the MP program all together.

Always Flyin

Yes, but would you still be flying on United?

candelabra

That's funny..!

KenInEscazu

Interesting question. In thinking back to the days before deregulation, I would fly the airline that met my needs in terms of scheduling, comfort, previous experiences and budget. I'm sure I would return to that model, assuming MileagePlus wouldn't go away unless all FF programs went away.

If only MileagePlus were to end, then I'd become a slave to some other airline.

lensman

What reasoning leads to this leap? Are people going to fly less because they are a lower elite level? Or will they switch to another airline that doesn't have a PQD requirement? (is that only AA/US at this point?)

And is the assumption that elites flying less won't be replaced by other fliers who are choosing to fly purely based on network and price?

JetAway

Exactly. Fewer elites will not (necessarily) mean fewer passengers, just fewer elites.