Maybe we don't like paying for fuel surcharges on Aeroplan awards to fly AC?

If I can, I'll try to grab LX without YQ. If I'm stuck paying YQ, I'd probably prefer LH's new J product.

I'm a UA plat living in Toronto now, and I've contemplated the switch before. In my example searches though, I find that not only are the flights I want *usually* available for fewer miles through UA, but the absence of fuel surcharges makes a huge difference.

If you plan to redeem international economy awards, the fuel surcharge can be more than 50% of the fare.

The other Aeroplan issue is that they recently re-aligned the Tango fares so that even more fares now earn lower mileage.

For me at least, I'm sticking with UA. Maybe if I planned to be in Canada permanently, I'd contemplate a shift, but UA has come out on top for all the comparisons I've done.

I switched from Super Elite to 1K in 2008 and have generally been satisfied. Every time that United has downgraded some aspect of its operation, AC beat them in the race to the bottom by some flyer-unfriendly maneuver, like YQ.

With the Rouging of AC's West Coast US flights ex-YVR, I'll be putting even more miles on UA. E+ on a CR7 will be more comfortable than Premium Rouge !

Any experience Switching to MileagePlus from Aeroplan
 

I am a long time Super Elite on AC, but over the past few years have traveled much more frequently on UA.

I'm considering switching to accumulation in MileagePlus for 2015, but will start with zero status. Of course I will still have my Aeroplan SE status and *A gold.

What is the experience like during the first year for accessing decent seating, preferred boarding, etc.? Is there a way to get the *A gold status indicated on my United profile so I will get appropriate recognition at check in and boarding?

Your AC *G will get you priority boarding and UClub access. It won't get you E+ for free. Change your FF# to the UA one prior to boarding to make sure the flights credit to UA.

Is there a reason(the recent devaluation in the EUPgrade system?) you want to switch to MP? (and what are you trying to qualify for?)

In general, I would say that AE-SE is superior to 1K, and now that AC is eating the fuel surcharges for AC awards, the points are going to be more valuable for SE.

Obviously, you're not a AC Elite then you're not getting any upgrades on AC. And I would caution, that AC provides a significantly higher quality product (onboard and lounge) than UA does.

OP, have Alaska status match your AC status, and then do a United challenge to status match from Alaska.

I should get 1K. Looking at the new Aeroplan rules - minimum requirements on AC metal, actual mileage instead of 500 per segment - I'm just mulling over making a change.

Home is YYZ, but almost all flying is transborder or domestic U.S.. 140 segments this year so far (will wind up around 150 I think) with 70 UA/40 AC, 25 Delta, a few Jet Blue and American.

UA business class seems on par with AC the few times I've flown it this year, and economy doesn't seem much different. I think UA is better than Rouge, but fortunately I haven't been a rouge victim that often.

I moved from AC to UA and haven't regretted it at all. I did a status match with UA which resulted in UA Gold status after only flying 19,000 miles. Of course it is only good for the year - you have to requalify by flying the miles like everyone else.

Your RDM haul will be significantly lower with the new UA so it will be a while before you've got a reasonable balance. Since you're aiming for 1K on segments it won't be all that useful to do a Challenge unless you can accumulate the PQMs with your short flights. I made the move many years ago from SE to 1K...along with about a dozen other AC SEs. We saw the future with AC and it wasn't pretty on the FF program front. Last week only served to further emphasize that forecast.

You sure about that? Transborder flights aren't cheap and AC is dropping the 500 mile minimum for accrual. So a flight YYZ-NYC would earn ~360 miles or 5 points per dollar until the OP has status. The break-even there is a $72 base fare. I'm guessing the OP can do OK if they are mostly on short hops like that as they are rarely so cheap.

If they are transborder flights to LAX that's a different story, of course.

YYZ-LAX runs >$500 most of the time (usually 600-700), and alas, even at those high prices, the earnings will be below the current ones.

At least the people paying $1800 for CLE-YYZ will get a better deal with MP :P

I started crediting to UA this year. I've been putting MP as my FF number so that's what shows up on the boarding pass. I had no problem accessing any *G lounges this way, using my AP *G card. Others suggest changing the FF number before boarding, but that sounds like a hassle to me. Once you hit 25K on MP you'll have priority boarding on UA.

I'm in the process of switching. My travel schedule has changed this year. I've been SE with AC on both segments and miles (95% domestic, 5% US) for several years (the odd codeshare with UA, otherwise 100% AC metal).
I'm now almost 100% trans-border, and have just started crediting to UA (premier silver), but won't get to gold with my remainder of the year travel schedule.
My plan is to blow through my Aeroplan points, and eUPs (via AC flex tickets) while still SE next year, but achieve premier 100k with UA in 2015
Any "watch outs" and/or recommendations from those who have led the way?

I'm an Air Canada SE that has made the decision to move to the "dark side" and forgo AC for UA.

UA from YOW has the best options. ORD, EWR and IAD. DL has only DTW and AA/US is only PHL and CLT. I'd rather root canal than PHL.

Here's what I'm assuming:
-Going forward for year 2015, I will still have *A Gold from AC, so will that get me free luggage on UA, even if I have the *A Gold card, but have my MP # on boarding passes? Am I correct?
-For the next several months, E+ will be a paid option only. How soon into the year does UA recognize status? In other words, at what point will they recognize my silver/gold etc status? Or do I have to wait until October? My status will be segments. Last year with AC, I was around 135 segments. Next year, I'll be around the same.
-*MOST* of my Itineraries will be Int'l (Canada). Has anyone had issues with this using MP *A Gold card for entry into lounges?
-The absolute bulk of my travel is trans-border; Canada-US. I used to do more Europe/Asia, but lately my focus is US. I can see a bit more Mexico going forward. But just a bit....

Are there any pitfalls for a new CDN entrant? I've flown UA a lot in the past. I've always credited AC. Now it's UA for me. Any advice? MP points are nice, though I'm not really someone that appreciates the full value of points. For me, I'd rather use my points for upgrades. Is this workable with UA? Is this an option during the booking process?

I"d appreciate concrete answers. Nebulous need not reply.