JC1976

lets see if they change their 1k eqm to 125k like Delta also.

Kacee

That's not going to happen. If they raise anything it will be PQD. That's a more direct measure of customer worth.

Boghopper

Yes they did. Before 3/1 you earn the miles flown, after 3/1 it's based on revenue. So the amount you earn 3/2 depends on how much of your fare is attributable to the second flight. That depends on the fare class, might be 50/50 but not always.

schnitzer

On a R/T itinerary..
Will I get $1000 x11 for the flight on 3/2?
Or will they (half it) $500 x11, because the first flight has already flown.

JVPhoto

Boghopper explained...your segment on 2/26 you earn based on SFO-HKG miles flown + 1K bonus. For your 3/2 flight you earn approx $500 x 11.

UA1KPHL

SO will 1k/GS get the 100% bonus on top of the 11 miles per dollar? or is the 11 miles a total thing is RDM going away completely??? Will this apply to overseas residents?? Also how come Award amounts keeps going up but the distance travelled stays the same. So a person in 1990 only has to travel 50% less and get the same award rates back then anyway.. just my two cents..

Superguy

11 miles per dollar is the total RDMs earned. Doesn't matter how far you fly. No more 100% bonus. The 11 miles per dollar IS the bonus you get over the Kettles who only get $5 miles per dollar.

exerda

And no more bonus for buying premium fares, either; the "bonus" is reflected in the typically-higher cost of those fares. So no more cheap V-UP that books into P or A to snag class-of-service bonus miles.

IADFlyer123

This sucks so bad because if you buy a 500$ ticket, all you would earn is 5500 miles and not 11000 miles pre 3/1/15.

RNE

Imagine how Jeff is when you buy a $500 fare instead of a $1000 one.

greg99

Probably not as sad as he will be when people start buying $500 fares on VX, B6, et al...

flyhighajw

Probably not as as Jeff will be when people like me - who have flown with United since 2002 - decide that as it is just down to money now, so rather than just look at the cost of United flights, consider the cost with Delta and AA and other International carriers and just walk away from FF programmes.

It is better to get 80 % of revenue less MP cost, rather than 100% of nothing (when we go to other airlines).

bocastephen

The majority of articles and blog pieces over the past couple of months are saying just this - it's time to 'break up' with your favorite airline brand and just focus solely on cost/schedule. No more chasing miles and benefits that carriers are continually pushing out of reach. No more credit card miles (take the cash instead).

I believe these changes will, in the long run, cook the goose the laid the golden egg as more and more business travelers and consumers decide loyalty is not worth it, smaller carriers (VX, B6, etc) offer a better, more reliable product and the whole concept of chasing miles is no longer a worthy or fun pursuit.

The result for legacy carriers won't be a good one - especially for product-weak companies like United where the overall value proposition is so poor. Stronger brands like Delta will also suffer as even their product is weak compared to VX and B6's new Mint service. The upper hand will go to niche carriers with lower costs, simplified operations and customers loyal to the product rather than the program, while international service will go to foreign carriers with superior products and comparable (often cheaper) pricing.

The airlines have forgotten the real reason behind frequent flyer programs - they were a magnet to hold customers loyal and captive to their weak brands and products while camouflaging those weaknesses in the form of benefits and give-aways, so customers would overlook the product weaknesses. Foreign carriers and US LCCs don't need to offer strong or generous FFPs because people are loyal to their products regardless.

If Mileage Plus were gone tomorrow, how many of you would remain loyal to United if you could choose VX, B6, WN, SQ, KE, BA, AF or BR for the same price? Can anyone here honestly articulate the value proposition offered by United when compared with the value proposition offered by SQ on a cabin-to-cabin comparison? Be honest - there isn't a valid comparison. We're all here because either Mileage Plus keeps us loyal, or because United is the only viable option for our flying patterns.

A recent article was published that bemoaned the low reinvestment rate of US carriers relative to their foreign counterparts. US carriers are focused far too much on Wall Street and the whims of gasbag analysts and pushy institutional investors - problems that don't plague companies like CX, SQ, KE, EI, etc - these carriers reinvest profit into products, services and their customers, while US carriers with far more margin to reinvest, only collect cash or endeavor to pay a dividend to stockholders - and this in a nutshell is one of the key reasons US carriers fail - every time - to measure up to their international competitors. Not because of foreign government subsidies (US carriers receive their share of subsidies as well), but because of weak, poor, ineffective management that urinates on itself every time gasbags like Hunter Keays open their useless mouths and spew out their nonsensical gibberish.

Silver Fox

Then give it a few years and the Einsteins will come up with something like a frequent fliers program that is different to what has gone before.

Bonehead

Are foreign flag carriers such as the ones you list subsidized by their governments at all?