Anecdote != data, but my GPU cleared for tomorrow's UA90 (EWR-TLV) which has never happened before (I always get it on the return UA85, though). UA90 is one of the toughest upgrades in the system and a lot of those seats are paid BF. There's still open seats in BF. So either people are canceling trips due to present situation in Israel, or premium-class pax are spending their money elsewhere.

Just looked at the seat map (and I KNOW, that doesn't reflect actual load OK?) and the Y cabin which was almost completely filled the other day now has about 25 open seats. So maybe people are canceling or changing because of the crazy over there. If I could, I would've, but I gotta go because I like getting paid.

"lifetime" star alliance gold status has its perks on the rest of the star alliance.

However bad UA is, I still think that Star Alliance has the best selection of airlines. Being a permanent *A gold is valuable perk.

*G is a delight when you no longer have to fly UA. It is extremely liberating to be able to enjoy some excellent airlines with some excellent lounges without having to deal with UA's current dreadful product or having to think about PQMs, ore agonise about upgrades that rarely happen and are a big letdown if they do.

Agree with all of you, the Star Alliance is extremely good. Too bad they don't put UA on probation.....

I wouldn't use this as an indicator of people canceling their trip. I've noticed this fairly often on domestic flights. Usually all the seats that open are E+. I don't know if UA is blocking some to hold for elites who book at the last minute or something else is going on. I have no good theory, but I've definitely seen it several times.

Not quite. He's willing to give them a chance to improve their product until then. Should that happen, he'll stick with them and benefit from MM status. If not, he'll walk, and essentially trade 6-9 months of subpar UA for a lifetime of *G.

If you read the Facebook pages of any other airlines they are all the same..This is Not just a United problem..All the airline Facebook pages are full of complaints..The grass is not any greener on the other side..Im sticking with UA..@:-)

Speaking of crazy cancellations (Weather and MX)

Tuesday I was IAH->EWR->YYZ. Well get the EWR and of course, due to weather the EWR->YYZ is cancelled. Already rerouted as follows EWR->BOS (Overnight) BOS->ORD->YYZ. Insane, talk to agents at club, best they can do otherwise its Thursday to get the YYZ. Won't even consider putting me on Air Canada. Geez.

Ok, get to BOS. Talk to agent as I have a text waiting for me, says speak to rep. Rep says all is good. Plane already here, so you good to go at 5:35. Spend all night in Airport (had work to do). comes 3:30am - text from UA BOS-ORD now cancelled for MX!. Rerouted again BOS->IAD->YYZ. IAD Flight is at 9:xx, but as I'm sitting in terminal notice that flight right in front of me is BOS->IAD at 5:35. Jump on phone, talk to agent, get re-booked onto that flight. So now I'm at IAD.

IAD->YYZ is oversold. So I take a bump ($500) and now on 17:00 to YYZ. Looks like that is going to finally go. But want a crazy routing.

What really got me is why MX at 03:30 when plane was already at BOS at 23:30?

Crazy days.

But I still got in a full day of work and a TC out of it.

I've been assuming that the wide-open E+ is due to Silvers being forbidden to take them until checkin.

I think people are holding out hoping Smisek and this management team get canned. At some point people are just going to break and go elsewhere.

I've occasionally seen some friendly skies, but yet to see a single change that I like since the merger.

I know a few ua nonrevs who have switched to buying tickets on other airlines rather than fly ua and deal with the uncertainty anymore.

You actually sound happy here---I know you got extra PQM/RDM and a voucher, but, If I had spent all night in the airport in BOS, and endured the routing you're going through, I would be far more cranky!

You must be young.

Shifted most of my travel to AA this year after 20 years as a UA 1K, and have never looked back even though SFO is a UA hub. (Though even the hub is a mixed blessing, given that when flying AA from SFO the upgrades are easier, the security lines shorter and the lounge much nicer.) I know this is just anecdotal, but four short-haul UA flights this year and three big delays/problems, plus one unprecedented series of CSR screw-ups on a ticket for my wife; just one delay on two dozen AA flights.

I mostly agree, though I do find the delays themselves frustrating and sometimes avoidable - that is, the $2 billion in cutbacks must be causing delays (re short staffing, mechanical problems, etc.) as well as exacerbating recovery problems during IRROPS.

LOL!

Good point, though it can vary a lot depending on your travel patterns and status. For instance, AA F award redemptions on superb One World partner CX are fairly easily available if you book far in advance and/or patiently keep checking, while those on roughly equivalent Star partner SQ are nonexistent. For revenue travel, BA beats LH across the Atlantic, except in F. If you have top status on AA you can access international partners' F lounges. And of course, the recent MP devaluation makes flying award flights on Star partners very expensive, points-wise.

Haven't checked the Facebook pages, but certainly the AA forum here (and quite possibly that of DL and other airlines, though I don't visit those forums much) is a less disgruntled place. This could all change as the AA-US merger settles in, though it's hard to envision the merged airline screwing up operations as much as UA has and it seems unlikely that the merged airline will catch up with UA's downward slide as UA will continue to deteriorate under its current management.