Last edit by: mkr
THIS IS A THREAD FOR WHICH ALL MP MEMBERS WILL BE ABLE TO RESPOND ...THANKS.
The goal of the survey is to benefit all of us.
This thread is to ask ALL MileagePlus members who read the MileagePlus Forum to please respond to this
short 3 question survey. It will only take a few minutes..
PLEASE PM YOUR MP FTer FRIENDS TO ASK THEM TO ALSO POST IN THIS SURVEY....THANKS.
This thread is to ask ALL MileagePlus members who read the MileagePlus Forum to please respond to this
short 3 question survey. It will only take a few minutes..
PLEASE PM YOUR MP FTer FRIENDS TO ASK THEM TO ALSO POST IN THIS SURVEY....THANKS.
The 3 questions are in Post #1
WIKI UPDATED FEBRUARY 24 (already over 275 posts)
PLEASE READ THIS WIKI AND POST #1 BEFORE RESPONDING TO THIS SURVEY. THANKS.
WE NEED YOUR INPUT....PLEASE TAKE PART.
IF YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE WHO HAS ALREADY RESPONDED, KINDLY CHECK YOUR POST TO MAKE SURE YOUR REASONS FOR MAINTAINING OR CHANGING YOUR STATUS LEVEL ARE CLEAR IN QUESTION #2. KINDLY EDIT, IF NEEDED. THIS IS TO HELP IN GATHERING OF DATA FOR THE SURVEY, TO BENEFIT US ALL. THANK YOU.
The data will be compiled and posted in this WIKI after approximately each 100 respondants during the year to keep it simple for someone (me) who has trouble figuring out where Boarding Line 1 is

DATA WILL BE UPDATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WIKI
UA monitors these threads. They will not release their statistics on MP membership changes, so let us work together to compile our own data.
PURPOSE OF SURVEY
The aim is to get a very large number of data points in the coming weeks/months to see percentages of those who dropped, maintained, or increased in status through their 2014 earnings activity for 2015 status in MP because of many reasons.
The survey asks persons to state their individual reasons for their 2014-15 activity for attaining a certain status level for 2015. The survey will determine in a objective, structured, measurable and efficient way, what were persons' experiences in flying on UA in 2014 in light of various changes in the MileagePlus program or other UA flying experiences that have affected the amount of flying they did on UA in 2014. This MAY have affected their Premier status. Kindly PM your UA FTer friends to ask them to post in this survey. Thanks.
The Feb. 1 changeover date is to include those persons who responded to a "Buy Up" offer in January to maintain their 2014 status.)
IF YOU RESPONDED TO A BUY UP OFFER AFTER FEB.1, PLEASE INDICATE THAT IN YOUR RESPONSE (UA's BUY UP OFFERS EXTENDED UNTIL 2/28.
. (Some persons have other reasons for changing their 2014 flying on UA other than complaints about UA or MileagePlus.... such as the amount of business travel changing).
It will take just a few minutes for you to respond. Data will be updated in this WIKI after every 100 responses. Please read Post #1 before responding to this survey. Thank you.
(There is a separate thread for 2015 in which a brief, 3 question survey is being taken in regards to persons' plans for 2015 for earning 2016 Premier status (and reducing, maintaining, or increasing the amount of your UA flying) in light of the new PQD requirements for 2016 and new policies regarding earning Reward Mileage, or your other unique reasons. Kindly expound on your 2015 plans for 2016 status in that thread. Thanks.)
HERE IS THE LINK TO THAT THREAD:
[2015] Version: What plans do you have in 2015 for earning 2016 Premier status?
DATA
I am working on the data for this thread and will post more information later. So far, I have counted 200 respondants through Post #204 (including those who reported for 2 persons). 46% have dropped in status from 2014 to 2015. 40 % have stayed the same. 14 % increased status.
The most noticable trend so far among FTers who have reported to this thread is that of the (92/200) 46% who reported dropping in status,
(53/92) 58% were 1K in 2014. Of that 58%, 50% dropped to Gold or Below.
Here is the 2015 status breakdown of the 200 persons so far reporting included in the survey statistics : GS 3%, 1K 35%, Platinum 19.5%, Gold 18%, Silver 12%, GM 12.5%.
No GS dropped below 1K. 6 GS dropped, replaced by 3 new ones.
16 Platinums dropped, replaced by 9 new ones. So there was a slight decrease in Platinums...combined with the number of 1Ks who dropped below Platinum, shows a trend of a smaller group that MIGHT eventually show up in the sizes of Boarding Group 1...(if the data from this survey would be interpreted to somehow signal a drop of MP members across the system...We can only speculate on this, as FT is a small percentage of the entire MP population, and not everyone on FT will respond to this thread. OF COURSE THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE SIZE OF BOARDING GROUP 1 AT TIMES... SUCH AS IRRROPS, SDCs, DEPARTURE CITY, ELITE HEAVY ROUTES, DESTINATION CITY, DAY OF WEEK, TIME OF DAY, etc.)
But it is interesting to see such a drop of 1Ks to be below Platinum who have reported so far in this thread.
************************************************** **************************************
REPEAT: There is a separate thread for 2015 in which a brief, 3 question survey is being taken in regards to persons' plans for 2015 for earning 2016 Premier status in light of the new PQD requirements for 2016 and new policies regarding earning Reward Mileage, or your other unique reasons. Kindly expound on your 2015 plans for 2016 status in that thread. Thanks.)
HERE IS THE LINK TO THAT THREAD:
[2015] Version: What plans do you have in 2015 for earning 2016 Premier status?
Many posters are providing excellent reasons why their status dropped, stayed the same, or increased from 2014 to 2015.
However, many posters are not providing any reasons.
IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO US ALL if future posters would expound in more detail for their reasons for their status as of the changeover date on Feb. 1, 2015...see examples in Post #1.
Please read Post #1 before posting in this thread. Thank you.
For those who have already posted their status, it will be very helpful to us all for you to go back to edit your posts to expound more clearly to give us all some better insights for your reasons for your status. In particular, for the 46% who dropped status from 2014 to 2015.... It would be very helpful to us all for you to expound on your reasons. This may help to see if any trends are being established (at least among those MP members who choose to post in this Forum... a small sample of all MP members). No significant trends for reasons have yet emerged in the early life of this survey.
It is possible that number is somewhat indicative of all MP members across the UA system, but it is unknown. UA certainly will not share their statistics with us. How representative are those who post in this FT Forum of the entire MP membership?....unknown...we can only speculate.
The more persons who take time to report in this thread, the greater number of data points we will have.
[IS UA's STRATEGY TO THIN THE RANKS OF PREMIERS AND HOPE MORE PERSONS WILL "BUY-UP" their upgrades rather than using CPUs, RPUs, and GPUs ? Or is UA thinking that more persons will now buy higher fares? Hard to know...there has been a lot of speculation in the past in the MileagePlus Forum about these possibilities.]
If these numbers are somewhat indicative of MP members across the UA system, then we ought to begin seeing some indications of this in the size of Boarding Group 1 in the coming weeks and months. If Boarding Group 1 seems to be shrinking, this may indicate a larger drop in 1Ks to Gold or below, and a drop from the ranks of Platinums. (OF COURSE SOME CITIES ARE VERY HEAVY 1Ks and Plats...but be observing...see if you notice any overall shrinking of sizes of Boarding Group 1,)
Most posters so far have been Premier members.
Some posters are providing excellent reasons why their status dropped, stayed the same, or increased.
However, many posters are not providing any reasons.
AGAIN...IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO US ALL if future posters would expound in more detail for the reasons for their status...see examples in Post #1. This will help to identify if any trends for reasons are emerging.
Thanks. I will update WIKI at some appropriate point when more data becomes available in the future.
[Survey]: From 2014-15 Did your MP Status Increase, Decrease, or remain the same?
#140
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: LAX
Programs: UA, Bonvoy, Amex Plat
Posts: 1,581
Stayed the same. 1K-->1K.
GPUs are the most important thing for me. Job requires 4-6 trips to Asia/Middle East per year but policy dictates that we book coach (W, V, Q, and sometimes M fares are all o.k.).
Secured the miles by mid-October but needed a late-2014 "dollar run" to hit the $10k spend. Last year, I booked mostly W fares but will up that to Q or V this year when traveling for work and will see how close I can get to $12K.
GPUs are the most important thing for me. Job requires 4-6 trips to Asia/Middle East per year but policy dictates that we book coach (W, V, Q, and sometimes M fares are all o.k.).
Secured the miles by mid-October but needed a late-2014 "dollar run" to hit the $10k spend. Last year, I booked mostly W fares but will up that to Q or V this year when traveling for work and will see how close I can get to $12K.
#141

Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Hudson, OH
Programs: UA-MM; Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,350
Staying the same: Plat --> Plat.
Don't know why. Was 1-27 for CPUs. Only upgrade was on Jan 31, '15, MCO-CLE (that 20-seater even flew with an empty FC seat; heard delighted Silvers behind me).
Don't know why. Was 1-27 for CPUs. Only upgrade was on Jan 31, '15, MCO-CLE (that 20-seater even flew with an empty FC seat; heard delighted Silvers behind me).
#144

Join Date: May 2001
Location: Portland, OR, USA
Programs: UA 1K 3 Million/ex-many year GS, AA PLT/2 Mil, AS MVPG, HH Dia, Starwood Life Plat, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,401
1K to Silver except that I'm a 3MM so still 1K. But this confused a MPSC agent I talked to about getting a GPU extended. Wanted to know why I had dropped to Silver (?) but then went ahead and extended the cert anyway. Much happier putting my miles toward maintaining my AS status and pretty much anywhere else.
#145
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: BWI
Programs: American AAdvantage Platinum
Posts: 294
Plat (one off) ----->Gold. Leisure travel only.
Took status challenge w/AA. Made AA Plat on first TATL biz ticket. Will be using BA from BWI for TATL, AA for domestic, and Cathay for Asia. No more schleps to IAD.
May fly UA once to keep miles active. Otherwise, I'm outa here.
Took status challenge w/AA. Made AA Plat on first TATL biz ticket. Will be using BA from BWI for TATL, AA for domestic, and Cathay for Asia. No more schleps to IAD.
May fly UA once to keep miles active. Otherwise, I'm outa here.
#149




Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: YEG
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 788
1K last year, 1K again this year
Thank god I'm Canada based or I'd be way under the PQD
I will early WAY less RDM this year but still expect 1K, my spend is only about 6K
I maintained my status mainly because I like the GPU's I love to travel overseas and I find them useful as I can choose dates in advance and find open "R" space. I flew Air Canada a few times last year domestically, great service and great product, but the way AC makes you book higher fares to get full miles steers me away from them.
On a positive note, I lost my passport on a stopover in EWR on a UA award ticket (on a partner carrier) and UA was amazing on re-booking me on a direct flight to NRT and even refunded me miles
Thank god I'm Canada based or I'd be way under the PQD
I will early WAY less RDM this year but still expect 1K, my spend is only about 6K

I maintained my status mainly because I like the GPU's I love to travel overseas and I find them useful as I can choose dates in advance and find open "R" space. I flew Air Canada a few times last year domestically, great service and great product, but the way AC makes you book higher fares to get full miles steers me away from them.
On a positive note, I lost my passport on a stopover in EWR on a UA award ticket (on a partner carrier) and UA was amazing on re-booking me on a direct flight to NRT and even refunded me miles
Last edited by whitethunder; Feb 15, 2015 at 11:01 pm Reason: responding to mod PM
#150


Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: UA MM | BA Gold
Posts: 7,299
2003-07: 1P/1K mix
2008-12: 1K
2013-14: 1K MM
2015: Gold MM
Great run, and done.
I now live at the intersection of cheapest FIRST and best schedule. Being LAX based doesn't hurt.
2008-12: 1K
2013-14: 1K MM
2015: Gold MM
Great run, and done.
I now live at the intersection of cheapest FIRST and best schedule. Being LAX based doesn't hurt.
Last edited by anc-ord772; Feb 3, 2015 at 4:11 pm







