Kacee

We don't know how exactly those flights will accrue. Specifically, we don't know (1) what the earnings charts will look like, or (2) whether there will be any premier bonus for JV flights. The smart bet is that there will be reductions from the current structure.

WingWise

I am a relative newbie on FT, but a seasoned traveler on UA, and this change is really a stunning wipe-out on mileage potential for most, but not all, flyers. And, it seems it is also a necessary business move for UA.

I wanted to elaborate on a couple of observations, as others have noted earlier in this thread;

I can see how this is a necessary move to hold or bring back the very high value/yield customer who would have had a strong incentive to go to Delta.

The corporate/business executive who buys (with other people�s money) a full fare trans-Atlantic, or trans-Pacific 1st class ticket could potentially earn 150,000 miles on a round-trip flight (if purchased as two separate 1-way tickets)!! This is enough to turn-around and use on a free (potentially personal/leisure) international round-trip Business class (and almost 1st class) saver award ticket. Thus, for the full-fare front cabin folks, it is BUY-1 GET-1 FREE !!!!

Meanwhile, back in economy, on the same flight, same airplane, I might be paying $1,200 round-trip (typical SFO-HKG, or LAX-LHR economy fare), and I will earn a measly 13,200 miles.

Thus, UA has accomplished two mighty objectives in one move;
1) attract high-yield customers to fly UA, and
2) reduce the valuation (and UA costs) of the mileage potential for the large majority of the customers (economy, leisure).

And, as many have quipped about moving to AA�... AA will need to quickly respond and match this mileage system. Otherwise they�ll surely see a migration of high-yield customers to the UA/DL BUY-1 GET-1 FREE programs!!

matjes

What does the 'see how many miles...' calculator on that page have to with twitter?

Anyway, the same after i logged into twitter..
Simply nothing happens after I plug in a USD amount and click any of the
status levels (other than a small indicator below showing 'javascript.void(0)'

olouie

Amazing!

PaulInTheSky

Actually, if you look at the following:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...elsewhere.html

And considering how wonderful UA.bomb and DL.bomb are executed, you already can't get PQDs or MQDs in these two FFPs, I highly doubt you will get anything in travel agency bulk fares. Bear in mind that AMex travel agency's fares are bulk fares, even if they cost the same as in their respective websites.

Oops, sorry, I figured you talked about OPMs, not AMex Travel. I was trying to elaborate what people meant to do with BOGO policies from AMex, and whether it will have any positive impact on that perspective.

dmurphynj

Sorry, I replied to the wrong post - meant to reply to nail's post. Oops!

dvs7310

While this certainly sucks, it looks like I'll emerge relatively unscathed. I earn probably 80-90% of my miles per year from either *A partners or Japan issued Mileage Plus affiliated credit cards. The fares I fly on *A partners are typically mid to high tier so hopefully that won't be affected much, in all it looks like I'll probably end up with about 10k fewer RDMs per year from my annual trip to the US after this and EQMs probably staying about the same. I can probably even switch my US trip to NH metal for the overwater segments (where I have a pretty good op-up percentage) if I don't need the full 3x 70 baggage allowance coming home.

I really feel for the people with cheapest fare travel policies who fly heavily on UA metal. This didn't take long for UA to do after DL announced it and I fully expect AA to do the same.

leonidas

I make 4-5 Us to Asia (mostly India) trips per year. I was putting up with the crappy UA product partly because of the good quality of the MP program. Now I will start flying Emirates/ Qatar or Asian carriers and have a much better experience for a 20-24 hour trip.

UAAAPeter

You are telling me about devaluation. I made a huge mistake in not getting to one million miles on DL as I have no status on DL now and yet I have 500k earned miles on DL. I could easily have done it at one point. I flew to MEX Air Tran the other day. Cheap and fine. Looks like I am going to start using Southwest for the first time in two decades. I mean why not. I never seem to get upgrades anymore.

ElieW

dmurphynj I'm also more or less EWR captive. I fly mostly OPM domestic, but quite a bit trans Atlantic on my own dime (EWR-TLV). So most of my rewards go to trans Atlantic flights. It usually worked out to every 4th flight free. (Though with this years deval it's now technically every 5th flight, but CC miles fill that gap). Now, it will will become every 9th flight! And, no, I am not going to spend money on higher priced tix to get more miles. I can just use that savings to by additional tix.

What I fail to understand is this. On the tratl flights, I can be more flex about other NYC aiports and even PHL. In the past, I would fly UA even if it was a couple hundred $ more because I knew I was earning free flights. However, now that DL, EL AL, UA are pretty much all the same reward scheme (which is difficult to earn free flights), I am no longer tied to UA. Why would a company want to disincentivize loyalty?

Regarding my domestic flights, since it's OPM, I will simply chose cheapest flight, and my company will pick up the tab for E+, checked luggage...

Tchiowa

Unless I misread the announcement, I'm going to make out like a bandit with the changes. My typical flight is SFO/BKK. $6,400 R/T in Business. I'm 1k right now (not going to make it this year). I get 39,000 miles for the trip with my 1k uplift. If I simply make Gold instead of 1k (2 R/T a year will cover that) I'll get 51,000 miles per trip. Seems like a good thing for me.

The way I read the announcement, you only get the 11X multiplier if you are 1k. You could get as low as 6,000 miles if you don't have status.

http://mileageplusupdates.com/ to calculate the new miles.

coinboy66

Anyone from AA who might be remotely incentivized by this kind of program has already moved to Delta. This FFP arrangement rewards the top 1% of fliers at the huge expense of its casual fliers. DL can get away with it because of their service, but this is going to be a huge loser for UA, whose FFP was the only thing possibly keeping non-elites flying with them.

matjes

Got the calculator working. This is atrocious.

With the old system, for about USD 1600 I could fly SIN-SFO-SIN and get
ca 32k miles (8500 miles each way, plus the status bonus)

Now for the same amount I can get 17600 miles *if* I am 1k.

That's about half. I think I will go join SIA's Krisflyer , sigh

briank1973

Sorry if this is dumb or already answered. I'm assuming UA has a way to break down individual segments in a ticket by price?

Basically, I'm asking this: let's say I fly a roundtrip that starts on Feb 28th, and then return on March 2nd. Then I'm guessing the flight on Feb 28th is subject to the old mile earning rules, and the one on March 2nd is on the new rules? And somehow, they break the total fare down and split it for each flight?

First year I'm going to make 1K without any DEQM, and it really won't give me much on lower cost transpac return flights. Oh joy. Smiseked!!

GUWonder

This kind of system is going to make it easier for employers to figure out how many miles have ended up in their employees' accounts as a result of the business travel paid for by the employer? This makes it easier for interested employers to clawback the "rebate" (in mileage terms rather than $ terms) and use it for the employer's purposes?