MBS MillionMiler

Then again, unless it's intentionally ironic like "changes you'll like" or other "enhancements".

entropy

Well, I don't know about others, but I'm not going to booze up on swill in the club just because its free. At least they still serve decent alcohol on board. If they're charging $11 for a sapphire and tonic on the ground, the $7 on board is a bargain. I'm certainly not going to waste alcohol processing capacity on lousy alcohol.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. And the cheapened alcohol, drink it or not, leaves a very bitter taste in the mouths of travelers who haven't seen such plonk since freshman year.

salesna

+1. Just because UA is using newspeak to describe club downgrades doesn't mean we have to.

aacharya

This truly saddens me if true. I pay for Tito's (surprised after all the fanfare about the switch on planes) , and don't mind paying the premium wine pricing. But if they keep downgrading, I'm not going to pay for Smirnoff or Crane Lake.

Then again, most of my flights are very early in the morning, and the red-eye back (after a day of wine tasting). I don't need drinks all that often then.

andyh64000

Got a response to my email complaining about upcoming change and asking for a refund of the renewal fee I paid a week ago today.

Hello Mr. 64000,

We’re always glad to hear from Premier 1K members like you. Thanks for writing.

Thank you for your e-mail concerning upcoming changes to the United Clubs. I am disappointed to learn that your expectations will not be met.
I understand your concerns and have forwarded your comments to our management team for appropriate follow-up.
Please accept my apology for your dissatisfaction on this occasion, as well as our appreciation for the time you have taken to bring it to our attention. Your continued support of the United Club Program and United Airlines is very important to us, and we look forward to serving you in the future.
Once purchased, United Club memberships are not transferable or refundable. If you have any questions, please contact the United Club Service Center at 1-866-822-5827.

Thank you for flying United. We look forward to serving you in our clubs.

Regards,

xxxx xxxxxxx
United Club

littlegreenmen

That's disappointing. I'm withholding my letter until the full truth of these changes comes to light, but if half of what has been reported here is true, I'll be very unhappy.

Altaflyer

Seems rather sleazy not to offer a refund where the purchase was a week ago! This can be a fairly significant downgrade to many.

Yanks08802

Sitting in the CLE UC right now- still enjoying a Smirnoff. The bartender confirmed it wont be there tomorrow. Just fired off a letter to a friend of mine who works in the corporate office.

This is just another of the death by 1000 cuts. Using the "new wifi" to do more in depth research on AA and DL!

CO777DAL

A wise man once said, "You can make a pizza so cheap nobody wants to eat it. And you can make an airline so cheap nobody wants to fly it."

He also said, "By chasing away customers, we lost more money that we made. That's the kind of backwards thinking we got by letting the accountants tell us what we needed to sell."

He wrote a GREAT book that I strongly suggest United Management read. I'm sure they have plenty of them laying around. They should dust them off and read it front to back or at least read the Chapter 3 FLY TO WIN, or You Can Make a Pizza So Cheap Nobody Wants to Eat It.

If anyone has the book read that chapter. Its an eye opener. You will see the current UA is doing the exact opposite of almost everything in that chapter. The sad part is they are making the same mistakes in that chapter which they have in the past and we all knew what the outcome was.

gradsflyer

A brief request to report on experiences. I'm not flying again until November when I hit my end of the year heavy travel season so would anyone who visits the clubs in the next few days be willing to report on whether the local beers are in fact being discontinued completely, charged for, or still complimentary?

MrColdShower

Here in the United Club in Las Vegas. Heineken and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap is now $3. Only complimentary beer on tap is Bud Light. The comp vodka is Smirnoff, and the comp tequila is something called Sauza.

Here is in the info from the price list posted at the bar.

Vodka:
Stoli $9
Tito's $9
Ketel One $11
Grey Goose $11

Gin:
Beefeater $9
Bombay Sapphire $11
Hendricks $11

Tequila:
Cuervo Gold $9
Patron Silver $11
Patron Reposado $11

Rum:
Bacardi $9
Captain Morgan $9
10 Cane $11

Whiskey:
Jim Beam $9
Canadian Club $9
Jameson $9
Jack Daniels $11
Crown Royale $11
Woodford Reserve $11

Scotch:
Dewar's White Label $9
Chivas Regal $11
Glennfiddich 12 Year $11

Brandy/Cognac:
Courvoisier V.S.O.P. $9
Hennessy XO $11

Cordials (all $6):
Bailey's
Campari
Disaronno
Kahlua
Grand Marnier

LAX-1K

LAX UC this morning. $6 for Bailey's, and the comp vodka is McCormick's.

Looks like my alcohol consumption will decrease when I travel.

nova08

There goes my complimentary Bailey's and Kahlua night cap.


Any word about the wine?

dmbfan222

Anyone catch what the comp Gin is? I'm afraid to ask...

salesna

Awful, just awful. Glenfiddich 15 used to be $6. Now Chivas--Chivas!--costs nearly twice as much.

I would encourage those of us who have UC memberships through the Chase Club/PP cards to raise their concerns with Chase. We may not have much influence with UA, but Chase certainly does. And I imagine Chase stands to lose a lot of money if people start canceling their cards because of this substantial downgrade.