UA-NYC

Are you a MM (per your profile) or a 2MM? If the former, you no longer get the 2 RPUs annually.

LaserSailor

Investing in ANY airline for lifetime privileges is foolish. If it fits business needs for today then it makes sense, but thinking that 1K for life will be meaningful down the road.......

iflyuaaa

I think that's the point

buckeyefanflyer

I have a friend who also is a UA frequent flyer. One of the routes he flies monthly is CLE-PHL and UA will be pulling out of this route the end of next week as related to the hub closure. He will being flying US Airways (American) in the future. Note sure why UA is pulling this route yet they are keeping BWI.
Phase 1 of the hub closure starts soon. I was at the airport this weekend and looks like all the flights a packed, especially Florida flights. They were operating 2 flights to both MIA and PBI both routes they will no longer serve.

jraindc

After 10+ years with United, I flew American for the first time this weekend. On Friday, I was in Main Cabin Extra DCA-DFW and today, I was in first DFW-DCA. Both flights were great and the first class meal far exceeds what United offers on a flight of similar distance.

And the Admirals Club blows away the United Club. Night and day.

Bowgie

I nominate this as the insightful post of the year!

However, I respectfully suggest that jumping to AA or AS is a reasonable option. If and *WHEN* these last good ff programs slash benefits, one can always jump back to the least horrible airline of the day.

GeneralVeers

It's called a status match. You don't have to "start at the bottom". I did mine to AA in February and it was nearly seemless. First Class upgrades right from the first flight, and AA club membership. I agree completely that AA will devalue their program to match United and Delta, but why would I stick with United when they are offering an inferior FFP and fewer upgrades right now? At least I'll get to enjoy a decent FFP with some good redemptions for another year or two.

rosenfloggen

I'm honestly considering making the switch to another airline. I'm barely at 200,000 lifetime miles so my loss is negligible on UA, and am seeking reviews on DL and AA from friends who fly on those airlines.

The thing pushing me away from UA is the lack of in-flight wi-fi on a lot of domestic carriers, as they continuously lag behind the other big airlines in this as a feature. A lot of outdated planes are used on the flights I've been taking as well, with aircrafts that lack features I want access to (electricity, the classic TV-bolted-to-the-ceiling, etc).

The thing keeping me on UA is their FF program, but to a mix-up in what fare class I booked for a Star Alliance airline, along with a delay that had me re-booked on AA for a flight to EZE, I'm now out 15,000 qualifying miles, most likely neutering my chance at 1K this year. If I can't hit 1K, I have a lot less desire to stay on UA.

UA-NYC

Fly DL for top-notch operations, a really nice product overall, but a mediocre FPP

I'd go AA if I were you...for now, a fantastic value in their FFP, great soft product, domestically at least good hard product, better CS than UA. Go for the status match.

PV_Premier

if this poster is content with limited upgrade opportunities and/or paying for F, i'd recommend AS FFP. this is my "holding ground" for this year giving me the ability to test the waters of AS, DL, and AA plus a number of foreign carriers and bank miles centrally from all of them. so far i've flown DL twice in premium cabin (paid F domestic, paid J international) and flying AA for the first time in 10 years this coming week (MCE Y outbound, domestic premium TCON F return). the mileage redemption options are solid enough that it seems like a decent place to wait out the continuing crap storm going on in other FFPs, as well as objectively assess the potential good or bad outcome of the AA merger.

WineCountryUA

fairly simple to request Original Routing Credit (ORC) from UA if UA was the cause of the delay.

Eastbay1K

AS MP has been my main bank of choice for several years running. I'm in the middle of an AA trip right now - the first one in years, and the first (voluntary) international ever. I've got enough OW miles booked (in premium cabins) to have mid-tier AA status without blinking this year, but would rather have AS MVPG75K for 2015 instead of the "great unknown" of AA. (Note - if I wasn't in paid premium cabins and was relying on some sort of upgrade and/or lounge access via status, I might have a different strategy.)

tom911

Believing airline marketing material promising a certain level of benefits for achieving lifetime status is equally as foolish, as I've found out. Where were you in 1992 when I started accruing my lifetime status? Until UA announced changes to lifetime status over 2 years back, I did not see anyone posting warning signs on this forum. Seems like we have a number of posters looking back now telling us we should have known better.

Tom in Seoul

zebranz

heres my 2 cents- but in NZ we no longer have pennies.
UA sucks. They do not appreciate the FF (maybe other than GS) and I hate when the SMIle wile taking things away. Reading the comments about DL and AA, they have been trying to compete to the bottom. I have 100K this year on *A but more than half on other than UA metal. Because of my traveling, *A is better than OW. FB is a far 3rd. I have another 100K in planned trips for 2014 and only one in biz on CX. I have used 1.5mil of my miles on trips for me or my relatives to avoid devaluation. I will never "switch" from UA but will avoid UA metal and squeeze in OW when possible.

A lot of the negative comments are justified. I have made a few of my own.

If I owned UA, I probably would be doing the same thing. When the power shifts back to the FF, the airlines will kiss our butts. That's the way life goes.

Firewind

Good point, and worthy of optimism, something lacking here, whatever position. I suggest that it deserves further discussion here. What would make that happen?