Upon Boarding

What will happen next year with my status if I don't fly 100K PQMs this year? I'm a 1K member right now and I achieved this last year by flying over 100K PQMs by starting from scratch without a status match. So this status is valid until January 2020 but what will happen than? Let's say I fly 40K PQMs this year, will I get a downgrade from 1K to Platinum?

mahasamatman

United doesn't generally give soft landings, so you would be Silver.

StuckinITH

If you want soft landing, fly BA. I lived for 2 years in the UK from 2014 to 2016 and had to fly BA due to work requirement. I got to BA Gold in May 2016. Just when I achieved that status, I moved back to the US to a city that did not have BA or AA. I took my last BA flight in June 2016 on the flight moving me back to the US. In December 2017, I was downgraded to BA Silver. In December 2018, I was downgraded to BA Bronze. In December 2019, I will be downgraded to BA Blue......

Upon Boarding

Thanks for the information and advice to change to BA. I will not fly that much this year and as United doesn't give soft landings, I will ask for a status match to DL SkyMiles, so from United 1K to Delta Platinum I guess. I credit all of my Oneworld flights to AA.

Hellboy666

Hi all,

Does anyone know what United's policy for status in the next year is if one doesn't meet the requirements to keep status?
I currently have Premier Platinum, but did only fly enough this year for Silver. Will they drop me to Silver next year, or just downgrade by 1 level to Gold (as the Australian airlines would do)?
That decides for me if I book flights with them and StarAlliance next year or just look for the cheapest option.

Thanks

WineCountryUA

UA has traditionally not done soft landings except for fallen GS and some arrangement for those with medical reasons or deployed military.

Hellboy666

Thank you very much. I didn`t find this thread and my post had been moved.
Sad to know (as the Australia airlines are doing that), but so I know what I'll do and not book with United.

dalagatan

Hi FT friends,

I changed jobs and am losing my 1K status. Likely falling deep in free fall down to Silver level.

question: I’ve heard one verbal account of another MP member who said that United still awarded them Gold status, even though they would have fallen from 1k down to Silver.

Anyone able to confirm / destroy this myth? Did not find anything on this when searching the forum. Trying to understand my chances since I’m debating if the Gold level is worth a Mileage Run.

Thank you!

PTahCha

In absence of any special considerations, UA does not have any soft landing as far as status goes.

However, based on your prior history, they may provide some type of soft landing to gold or platinum, but it's on an one-off basis and not the rule.

emcampbe

i wouldn’t expect any sort of ‘soft landing’. A special circumstance might get you something, but otherwise, changes are pretty much nil. UA does have a history of bumping up those that fall just short, so that might be another reason. However, even then, not guaranteed, and I’d say doubly on that now. With UAs change to focus pretty much on spend only, my guess is bumps up will be rarer than ever.

Other programs sometimes do apparently do this. After losing my gold status on UA a couple of years ago, and therefore the match to Marriott gold, Marriott soft landed me to silver in Jan last year, and somehow, even with minimal nights in hotels (it might have been 7 or so, definitely not 10), I somehow am still a silver there. Definitely expect that to disappear early next year for the new program year.

SFO_LOW_CLOUDS

Get ready to hit the concrete.

Although, it's an illusion. Once you fall past the concrete on the ground, you'll see the beautiful world of free agency on the other side.

danielflyer

I've been Silver for the last year and although I've never had a higher status, I don't think pushing for higher status is worth it unless you can make it to Platinum or 1K. My experience with upgrades has been that they are either painfully easy to get or impossible-- I'm either #3 on the list or #3 0. In situations where I'm #3 0, maybe Gold status would get me to #15 , but it still wouldn't get me in F.

I fly routes with pretty good E+ availability though and use the Club Card for Star Alliance lounge access.

sj22

I won't even make silver (0/4 UA flights this year) ... lol

milepig

And rainbows and unicorns. I have a year to go before the bliss happens to me. I'm riding out my gold status for 2020, but likely won't make it for 2021.

Sheikh Yerbooty

Went from gold on every major alliance, as well as EK, to nada within a year when changing jobs. Now back at a job which require a fair amount of travel, and I seriously don't give two fifths of frack all who carries me, providing the schedule is right and the airline reputable.

As it turned out, the last time I spent more days away than at home, just about the last thing I wanted to see on my days off and vacation, was another sodding airport/aircraft/hotel combination. Thus, I ended up gifting nearly all my miles to friends and family. Today's no different; after 6 months in the new job I've reacquired all my disdain for public transport by air.

As for status, well, sod that too. If we're flying more than 6 hours it's business class, which means lounge access at transit stops. For short flights it doesn't matter, as I time my arrival to the airport leaving just enough time, and not much more, to clear security and make it to the gate in time for boarding. Since I'm living in Europe, upgrades based on status is a unicorn which never rears its head. And, besides, given the standard of European business class on short haul flights these days, who gives a so-and-so whether you're in the front or the back of the bus? Getting off the aircraft a minute or two earlier is not of any real importance, and if there's not enough space for my bag it'll be gate checked and will be there waiting for me when I exit the aircraft. Being boarding group A, D or X also leaves me completely and utterly indifferent; I'll get onboard sooner or later and the fight's not leaving any sooner whether I board first or last. Besides, policing of said boarding groups is frequently non-existing, which must pissh off a few people, and usually those who find themselves of immense importance because their bag is adorned with a gold tag.

In short, I've gotten to the point where I really don't care about "status" anymore. Just give me the most convenient schedule, a window seat and a sort of on-time departure, that's all I want.

Enjoy the freedom.