Why would not flying on the first Thursday of the month make any difference when reports are that UA hasn't cared about a bunch of flyers who have entirely switched their business to another carrier?

A) Your letter literally made me laugh out loud. Seriously, I chortled

B) Why don't you take the time and effort you plan to dedicate to this silly protest and so some volunteer work or help with the community or something.

The fundamental change that's going on is a move away from flying-earned benefits and towards credit cards. Chase is in the driver's seat... we don't know how much money UA gets from Chase, but I have a strong feeling that it's Chase that's kept UA afloat during the dark years, and it's Chase that pads their bottom line during good years.

And the bleaker the benefits for elites, the better things look for the Chase CC holder. Free checked bag. UC access for an MP card that costs less per year than buying UC access outright, and provides 1.5 miles/dollar spent. Anywhere (2 miles/$ on UA.com spend). Priority boarding that puts you right up there with a 1P. What's left for the elite? E+ and upgrades, although upgrades are tougher to come by for any but 1Ks. Better service during irrops, but nobody pays much attention to that.

It could be that the RDM squeeze at UA's end is part of a deliberate move to make Chase CC cards look more desirable.

In the end, I just don't see the RDM squeeze from UA as being nearly as significant as fewer upgrades, loss of baggage allowances for some, reduction in E+ availability for the lowly 2P, etc. Perhaps most-importantly, I don't think the RDM squeeze will have any effect on the high-value-flyer that UA, and every other airline, seeks. But it will do away with the person who manages to find that rare opportunity to mileage run for RDMs (not PQMs). The new schedule will make ultra-cheap-fare RDM earning meaningless. And it may dissuade some from seeking a miles-based upgrade using the rationale that the RDMs earned from the trip offset a good percentage of the RDMs needed for the upgrade.

I have yet to see a change enacted or proposed by United that catches me off guard such that I'm thinking hey, I've really been given the shaft here. I don't feel good about many of the changes (I used to get more upgrades as a 1P than I do as a Plat, for example), but at the time time, I don't feel like I've earned more either.

What makes me happy? E+. Smiling crew. Clean planes. Efficient boarding. Making connections. Award tickets that carry my Plat status when I use them for others. Earning RDMs on business purchases with my CC. Reasonable PQM opportunities/maximization.

Earning RDMs while flying is way, way, way down on the list.

Mods..thus letter writing campaign has reached the end of its thread life...

One of my favorites. I prefer the Elvis version over the Chuck Berry.

Shhhhh I'm already making 35% more award miles for 2015.

The letter's first sentence, "a substantial number..." is about as far as you need to read. Is OP talking about 4 million or 5 million. Or is it maybe a couple of hundred (but that would hardly be substantial).

All rubbish.

Thursdays work for me... I typically only buy on Tuesday and Wednesday when fares are usually lower.

Yeah, sorry, I agree with the majority - this isn't going to work. I know many are disappointed at the changes - I am at some, too. But this protest won't do anything. To be fair, I have no desire to protest, but even if I did, this wouldn't work. Among its problems:

• too little, way too late
• So I'm just pushing a purchase or a flight from Thursday to Wed. or Fri? For the purchase, nothing changes - for the flight, it just means I go on Friday morning instead of Thursday night (for example), and leaves a seat for another guy not taking part to go at their desired time on Thursday night. That leaves the impact at close to nothing
• Say I fly for work. Thursday is a pretty busy day for that, and I'm supposed to tell my employer, sorry, but can't fly back to the office on that Thursday - I'm boycotting UA that day. I'll show up on Friday afternoon instead. I'm sure that'll go over well (sure, I imagine some have a choice of carrier, but if they do or don't, they're still only hurting themselves - either the ability to maintain their status in the first place by flying another carrier that week, or their ability to remain employed in their current position)
• Following the flying for work idea, very well the current changes don't affect those flyers, as those flying for business are often paying the fares that are more likely to earn the same amount of miles or more than today, or if earning a lower amount, not by much. Elite status, either way, is not affected at all
• If you're going to use an example of a benefits "clawback," you should try using a relevant one. If I'm a premier member, I may be upset about the higher prices for partner front cabin awards, the need for PQDs, etc., but probably not about reduced bag benefits that don't affect me (premier's still get 3 bags x 70 lbs).
• Bait-and-switch, really? Do you even know what that means? A change you don't like, I understand, but that seems to be taking it a bit (and by bit, I mean a lot) far. Unless you're suggesting that this was a plan dating back to when MP started 30+ years ago
• "Did you think we wouldn't notice?" - is that a serious question? To answer, this wasn't a plan they thought customers wouldn't notice - it was purposely done.

Sorry - this really ain't going to work. A better way would be to fly a different carrier.

Exactly. And my suspicion is that the letter writer doesn't really want to leave United they just want United to not change. But if United changes and some people don't like it, if they don't leave United will consider the change a success.

I also wonder why "Thursday"? Why that day.

Dear OP: Change it to Tuesday, please. That's when I do most of my flying and if it works that will mean better chance at upgrades for me.

Just like they did when UA devalued million miler status by taking away the two regional upgrades and changing Premier Executive to Gold with 50% less bonus miles. Any UA flyer that did between 50,000-99,999 miles a year took a hit with those elite level earning changes - where were your clientele back then? Why aren't they posting here, on FlyerTalk, today, versus some linked Facebook site? Not up to taking questions?

I voted with my feet and left. Not flying one day a month is really a joke from any direction you look at it. The only way to get UA to notice is with your wallet. If you're not happy with the continued program changes, move on. No one is holding you captive at UA.

Welcome to FlyerTalk

This will not work...there are only two options to enact change:

1. a migration en masse of HVF and Elite customers at quantifiable numbers...DL experienced this before, and reacted to it by reversing some of the worst changes (at that time) and improving service. Whether it happens again with their latest program shenanigans is anyone's guess, but this was the only bottom line impact that resulted in change

or

2. a saveskymiles style protest - bringing customers and employees together to protest very specific, measurable issues that impact HVFs and have the potential to drive away their business - the movement brought customers and employees together in a fight against management that went very public and a protest that DL management at the time completely misjudged, mishandled and their CEO had a very public meltdown over it at a stockholders meeting, and was fired shortly thereafter. If you want to try this option, and I've asked fellow forum members if anyone was interested in the past (and almost no one was), it would require leadership, soliciting donations and management of those donation funds, and spending the funds on high value, impactful, measurable campaigns - it was a lot of work, but it got the job done

The proposal from the OP won't do anything, or go anywhere.

Isn't this protest a day late and a dollar short?

How about 3 years late and hundreds or thousands of dollars short?

Vote with your feet, not a protest letter UA will toss, if they even print it (waist of ink). Or even read it. Good luck OP with this.