There are various exceptions, say as LHR/CDG extra fees, but I would suggest for high 80's% for most middle economy fares, dipping to low 80s% for deep discount economy fares {some have posted high 70s% for G&N fares} and premium cabins will be in to the low 90s% or better. This assumes are all flight segments are PQD earning.

Of course in cases like your European trip where a flight was not PQD eligible, percentages will be lower.

My numbers for 2014 (median fare T/S range and all but one segment an economy fare) was 88% and calculated number for 2013 was 85% (median was T fare level).

Air France is ok - but coming from the west coast means connecting in Paris, no? Unless you are actually going to Paris, there are other better options to European cities in Premium Economy. VS, BA, etc to London for example.

United has great European routes from the West Coast - one of the main reasons I stay with them. (in addition to a good upgrade percentage as a 1K). I'd sure like to have a Premium Economy option as well, but not enough to make extra connections.

Having worst case scenarios os not entirely moot indeed. I won't bet 100% of all travel on AA but I will enjoy it while it lasts ... no doubt about that.

I have built two exit strategies but UA isn't part in either of them. UA will take years of clean up before they become flyable again. As I won't have any GPUs in 14 months from now, the return will become even less likely.

No big deal overall, I learned to fly LCCs and PremiumEconomy and overall it has been a reliable and pleasant experience for me without upgrade rodeos and hurt expectations.

80% of my trips to Europe are to either AGP, ALC, BCN, or AMS. i would actually fly to LEI if skyteam/*A would fly there, but only OW does on crappy IB CRJs out of MAD.

so, with the exception of SFO-AMS on KLM, i have to connect regardless of how i do it. VS doesn't fly to the 2nd tier destinations in Spain, and BA flights to ALC/AGP are out of LGW. AF is just fine for me, i like the west coast late afternoon departures and the ability to credit to AS. i could credit BA to AS, obviously, but i'm not gonna switch airports LHR->LGW just for a modestly superior premium economy product.

back when i flew *A consistently, i would either have to connect in FRA to AGP, or fly into AMS and then switch onto Transavia to get to ALC/LEI. those options weren't any more fun than just connecting in CDG.

Hold up. The hardest part about moving to LA is that European departures are so early! There are a few in the 8pm hour, but most are 3-5pm, including AF. It's so frustrating coming from NYC, where you can work all day and then head out.

Unfortunately UA has made it far too complicated with PQDs and allowing nonelites to jump the upgrade queue. I just fly whichever airline offers the best value:service ratio now out of BOS. I was 1K for many years.

No airline has disdain for you, nor love for you. It's your dollars they love.

LS, speculating that RNE speculates his wishes in private.....

I strongly disagree with the general premise.

Every business is in search of revenue, as is United. Fair enough.

But what United has done to everyone under the Global Services level (and even to GS, just to a lesser extent), is flat-out lie to them ("lifetime" CR1s to Million Milers), and then have the gall to claim it is perfectly permissible to lie; reduce the benefits at each MileagePlus level; make published benefits illusory for the most part (e.g., domestic unlimited upgrades); significantly decrease the redemption value of MileagePlus rewards (particularly F and C awards on Star Alliance partners); mock its elite fliers ("over-entitled elites"), offering upgrades to Kettles at significantly lower prices than for elites since UA believes it already owns the elites; and decrease the flying experience (food and slimline seats).

In my book, that is clearly evidence of disdain for its customers.

I went from a $40-$50K a year flier on United to less than a $1,000 this year. And I am not the only one.

United has my back. Sure. They can watch my back as I fly on the competition.

United is an airline for those living in captive hubs, locked into corporate contracts, masochists, or who just don't know any better.

UA is tolerable if you have a voucher or an upgrade instrument to use. Otherwise, it's bottom of the list.

Well said! I completely agree. These are why I am switching to AS. I already refunded a $6k ticket to Asia on UA and rebooked it on CX.

Agreed.

I can tolerate UA since GPU+W fare get me business class. ;);)

It seems from what I read here that UA is a poor choice for domestic routes. So are the other majors, but maybe those are a little less of a poor choice.

I find that UA international (TATL) is roughly equivalent to the others I've tried (VS and BA), both in economy and business - better in some respects and not as good in others. (wish that UA had a premium economy though!)

It's the good availability of upgrades SFO<->LHR that keeps me on United. Connecting or not, I would consider another airline, even out of my "captive" hub, were it not for these upgrades (18/20 over the past year)

Ah, yes. Of course. The wonderful upgrade lottery.

How many of those upgrades are clearing in advance?

How many don't clear at all after you've paid for a W fare?

I still remember when I bought a "B" fare and my international upgrade didn't clear. That was a firm nail in the United coffin for me.

I still have all 6 systemwides that were issued to me for 2014. Very minimum value these days in light of UA's current policies.

I guess I am comparing to the departure times when I flew UA and connected in IAD. 3pm out of LAX/SFO straight to Paris is much better than 8am SMF to IAD then a 6pm from there to AMS.

They are all CR1s as far as I am concerned. I haven't been able to use a SWU/GPU on an international segment in years. Once they took away most/all R availability in advance they became useless to me (can't upgrade Y to J without the lottery, and can't upgrade discounted J to F at all). So, I was booking business class on other *A carriers. The only reason to stick around were domestic CPUS, but now that those are so rare my last reason to stay went away. I'm not sure how AS will work out for me next year, but I think it will. If not, I can always do a challenge with AA...